2018 December Colony Magazine

Symphony of the Vines Presents
nternationally-traveled, virtuoso trumpet
player, Paul Merkelo will be featured during
“The Russian Connection” symphony concert
on Sunday, January 6, in Atascadero.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Greg Magie,
Conductor of the Symphony of the Vines
Orchestra.
Magie and Merkelo were college chums at
the prestigious Eastman School of Music in
New York.
“I met Paul when I was searching for a trumpet
player for a brass quintet I managed,” Magie
said. “Paul had just transferred from the University
of Illinois and I invited him to join.” Over
the next three years, the two horn players (Magie
plays French horn) spent countless hours in
rehearsal, performance, and competitions.
“He always impressed me with his tone,
technique, and musicianship,” Magie remembers.
“We all took our studies and craft seriously,
but we could also relax and have fun as a
group. Paul quickly excelled to the top ranks
of the trumpet studio, and it was clear that he
had a great future ahead of him in music.”
Paul Merkelo has been the Solo Trumpet of
the Montreal Symphony Orchestra since 1995.
He has played with orchestras throughout the
United States, and extensively toured North and
South America, Europe, Russia and Asia. He
made his New York debut at Lincoln Center
with the New World Symphony and Michael
Tilson in 1998.
Paul Merkelo believes that his skills are earned
not gifted. “When I was young, there were many
things I was no good at, but I felt there was a bit
of hope for playing the trumpet,” he explained.
“I was never the most naturally gifted trumpet
player, but I knew that was what I wanted to do
as a career.”
Magie and Merkelo reconnected during the
summer a couple of years back in Santa Barbara
and began planning a concert with North County’s
orchestra, Symphony of the Vines. “When
we talked about repertoire, he suggested the
Shostakovich Trumpet Concerto because he is
going to Moscow later in January 2019 to record
it with the Moscow Philharmonic,” Magie
said. “Once we decided on a work by the Russian
composer, Dmitri Shostakovich, I built a program
around it.” The concert’s music focuses on
the artists Shostakovich knew and studied with
at the St. Petersburg Conservatory; his teacher,
Alexander Glazounov, and colleague, Sergei
Prokofiev. That is why the concert is called “The
Russian Connection.”
You can experience world-renowned trumpet
player, Paul Merkelo, and the Symphony of the
Vines Orchestra on Sunday, January 6, 3 pm,
at the Atascadero Methodist Church, 11605
El Camino Real, Atascadero. Tickets are $15 -
$30, and children K-12 are free with a paid adult
thanks to a sponsorship from Jim and Carolyn
Brescia. Tickets are available at the door or online
at symphonyofthevines.org.
2018 Business of the Year
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8 | colonymagazine.com COLONY Magazine, December 2018