APSU Brass Quintet To Perform in Dickson

Release Date: 12/1/2000. Expired: 12/18/2000

The Austin Peay State University Brass Quintet will perform at The Renaissance Center in Dickson at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, 2000 as part of the Recitals in the Rotunda series. Admission is free and open to the public.

The APSU Brass Quintet was formed in 1984 in conjunction with Brass Tactics. The ensemble has performed on campus for a variety of functions and occasions as well as in numerous high schools and area churches. At times this group has spawned additional quintets as an outlet for many students to perform in this venue.

There have also been high school groups formed through the Community Music School and coached by members of the University Quintet. At various times the ensemble has consisted of full-time and adjunct faculty. More often, however, the personnel have been primarily a student/faculty venture. In recent years, the Brass Tactics program has given way to the Wind and Percussion Exchange, which has brought to the campus some of the world’s leading brass performers and brass ensembles. The Quintet now consists of Richard Steffen on trumpet, Francis Massinon on French horn, Andy Rein, bass trombone, Sam Barlow on trombone and Scott Atchley on trumpet.

Steffen, a 1976 graduate of North Texas State University, is currently associate professor of Music at APSU in Clarksville. In addition to his teaching responsibilities in basic conducting and brass methods, Steffen is in charge of the jazz ensemble, brass ensemble(s) and is the instructor of trumpet.

As a student at NTSU, Steffen played solo cornet in the concert band, first trumpet in the brass choir, principal trumpet in the orchestra, second trumpet in the Faculty Brass Quintet and lead trumpet with the 1 O'clock Lab Band.

While in the Dallas area, he performed on occasion with the Dallas Symphony and the Fort Worth Symphony. Commercially, he performed with many traveling entertainers such as Johnny Mathis, Liberace, Tony Bennet, Jack Benny, Carl Reiner, Bob Hope, the Spinners, The Temptations, The Four Tops and many others.

Before joining the faculty at APSU, Steffen taught at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. During his tenure at Furman, he served as principal trumpet with the Greenville Symphony and first trumpet with the Foothills Brass Quintet.

He is also very active as a professional trumpeter in Nashville. Nashville offers a variety of performing opportunities, which include orchestral, small ensemble, big band, Broadway shows and recording work of all kinds. He may be heard on CDs with the Brentwood Jazz Orchestra, the Chris McDonald Orchestra, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, the Bill Gaither Trio and a host of others. Steffen can also be heard on a number of national and international TV jingles.

Massinon is an assistant professor in Applied French Horn and freshman theory. He also directs the Horn Ensemble, teaches Music Appreciation, and has taught in the Heritage (Humanities) program. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Indiana State University, and a Master of Music degree in French Horn Performance from Indiana University. He is presently finishing a doctoral degree in Brass Pedagogy at Indiana University.

Massinon has been a frequent guest recitalist, clinician and adjudicator at a number of universities, high schools and horn workshops. He has playing experiences with many orchestras in the Midwest and the Mid-South, and has most recently served as principal hornist with the Paducah (Kentucky) Symphony Orchestra and the Jackson (Tennessee) Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as featured soloist with the Austin Peay Brass Ensembles and Woodwind Ensembles.

Before joining the Austin Peay faculty in 1992, Massinon taught Applied French Horn at Eastern Illinois University and Vincennes University. He has taught other music courses at the University of Northern Iowa and Indiana University, and has directed ensembles and taught music courses in the public schools, grades K-12, in Iowa and Indiana.

Barlow, an APSU senior, reached the semifinals of the 2000 Eastern Trombone Workshop National Classical Solo Competition held recently at Fort Myers, Va. A music education major from Jackson, Barlow was one of six semifinalists chosen from more than 50 taped submissions in the 22-29 age bracket. On his taped entry, Barlow was accompanied by pianist Vicki King.

Barlow is the son of Bob and Mary Ann Barlow of Jackson and a graduate of North Side High School. He is a member of the APSU Marching Band, APSU Trombone Choir, APSU Jazz Collegians, University Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble, Omicron Delta Kappa, Gamma Beta Phi and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternities.

Rein, a graduate of Milan High School, will be graduating from APSU with a BS in Music Education. He hopes to be entering graduate school in the Fall of 2001. At APSU, Rein performed in all the major ensembles and is presently very active as a performer in the Clarksville/Nashville area. In 1997, he was chosen to participate in the Eastern Trombone Workshop National Classical Solo Competition.

Atchley is currently pursuing a performance degree from APSU. He is very active in chamber music. He has performed in numerous shows at Opryland, multiple brass quintets and with the Nashville Symphony.

For more information on the Recitals in the Rotunda series and other events at The Renaissance Center, call (615)740-5600.