Robert Couturier
Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, French Horn
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Robert received his education in Trumpet Performance and Composition/Music Theory at The Boston Conservatory where he received a Bachelor of Music Degree. He also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching Music at UNH. Throughout his 25 year career as a professional musician, he was a founding member, business manager and performer for three music groups. The first was the Granite State Brass (1998-2005), a classical chamber group specializing in recitals, wedding ceremonies and summer bandstand/gazebo performances. The second was the New Hampshire Wind Ensemble (2002-2005), a community wind ensemble made up of professional performers, music teachers and non-professional community musicians. The third was The Cookie Combo (2007-2013), a jazz combo that performed various types of engagements including wedding receptions and dances. In addition to his own groups, Robert was a member of the Moe Breton Big Band (1996-1999) and the Freese Brothers Big Band (2005-2008) and is currently a member of Krimson Krewe and the Tall Granite Big Band. As a freelancer, he performs throughout Northern New England performing in weddings, swing bands, orchestras, musical theatre productions and church services.
Examples of Robert’s playing and composing can be heard on his MySpace site: https://myspace.com/bobcouturiermusic/music/albums
As a private lesson instructor since 1995, Robert is comfortable teaching students of all ages and levels of interest and is accomplished at teaching in the genres of classical and jazz music. Many of his students have gone on to major in music as a career. They have been selected into the following honor groups and festivals: MA All-State, MMEA Senior and Junior District Festivals, NH All-State, NH Jazz All-State, All-New England Band Festival, NHBDA Middle School Honors Band, NH Middle School Festival. In addition, they have performed at elite venues such as Boston Symphony Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival and the House of Blues-Boston and participated in student honor groups such as: Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble (MYWI), Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras (NMYO), Concord Community Music School’s Scholarship Jazz Ensemble, NH Youth Symphony Orchestra (formally GYMSO) and NH Youth Jazz Ensemble. They have also attended the following summer music programs: the Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, MA, Jamey Aebersold’s Jazz Camp in Louisville, KY, the Berklee Summer Performance Program in Boston, MA, the New England Music Camp (NEMC) in Sidney, Maine and the Summer Youth Music School (SYMS) at UNH.
In addition to performing, private teaching, arranging and composing throughout his career, Robert has coached chamber music ensembles, presented workshops and master-classes and served as the Jazz Program Director for the Ted Herbert Student Jazz Program (2008-2012). He is a former faculty member of the Concord Community Music School in Concord, NH (1999-2010) and the Georgetown Middle/High School in Georgetown, MA (2009-2015). In addition, he was an Elementary School Band Director in Nashua, NH for 11 years (2000-2011) and is currently teaching band and strings at the Christa McAuliffe School in Concord, NH.
Thomas Salyers
Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, French Horn, Music Production, Composition
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Tom Salyers recently came to New Hampshire, at the close of his career as an active-duty USAF bandsman. Following his studies of classical trumpet performance at Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne Universities, he accepted a position with the Band of the USAF Reserve in Warner Robins, Georgia where he played 1st Trumpet with the concert band and was part of a career-field leading brass quintet. He later moved on to the USAF Band of the Pacific, Alaska where he played lead trumpet for the big band. His work as a lead trumpet player continued at his next assignment with the USAF Band of the Pacific, Japan in Fussa, Tokyo where he was also the bandleader for the brass quartet. After his time overseas, Tom returned to the States for his next assignment with USAF Band of the Golden West in Fairfield, California where he played principal trumpet for the concert band and was the bandleader for the Travis Brass Quintet. Tom’s final assignment was with the SHAPE International Band in Mons, Belgium- a multi-national, mixed service band. In Belgium Tom played lead trumpet for both the big band and the rock band, was the bandleader for the NATO Brass Ambassadors and did a substantial amount of composing and arranging.
During the last few years of his career, Tom also completed a B.A. in music production and engineering from the Berklee College of Music. Tom is currently pursuing a graduate degree in music composition from the University of New Hampshire.
Tom has been a featured soloist or chamber performer with the Band of the USAF Reserve, The Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band, The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Central Band, The Whitworth University Wind Ensemble, The Cal State Chico Wind Ensemble, The San Francisco State University Wind Ensemble, and the Contra Costa Wind Symphony.
Tom has performed with a wide variety of groups and performers across genres to include: The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, The Pittsburgh Symphony, The Anchorage Symphony, The Macon Symphony, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, The Georgia Brass Band, The Band of the Coldstream Guards, The Royal Army Band Colchester, The Ukrainian National Presidential Orchestra, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Lee Greenwood, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Aaron Neville, Take 6, LoneStar, John Santos, Matt Smith, Jason Marsalis, and Kristen Korb.
Tom has been teaching trumpet lessons for over twenty years. Many of his students have gone on to successful careers as professional musicians. Most recently, one of Tom’s students won the concerto competition at the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music in Tokyo. Tom has also taught hundreds of brass masterclasses at high schools and major universities in the United States, Japan, and Belgium.