RICHARD CARSON STEUART
Richard Carson Steuart's
EARLY MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT::
Born on January 31st, 1956 in Weyburn, Richard moved with his family to Regina in 1960. His first intensive musical instruction began in 1965, on his 9th birthday under the tutelage of his father, Kenneth Leslie Steuart, a Sask-Tel Telecommunications Engineer and a serious brass-playing hobby musician. Richard performed his first public concert as Cornet Soloist in Rosemont United Church in Regina, in 1966 together with Ms. Edith Chisholm and this after only one year of any kind of musical studies. While still attending Public- (Grammar) School in Regina, young Richard began to study not only the Cornet but aswell additional instruments including the Piano, the Clarinet, the Oboe and the Saxophone. His father also quired a violin for him to begin to learn. He also attended classes in Music Theory (including History, Harmony, Form and Counterpoint) both Privately and at the Regina City Conservatory of Music (then closely associated with the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus and the Regina Symphony Orchestra).
At age 11, Richard undertook his first "Jazz" tour as featured "junior" Trumpet Soloist as a part of the 1967 Canadian National Centenary Concert Festivities. He was accompanied by a professional Big Band led by his first professional Trumpet teacher, Dr. John Harding. At age 12 he began, when dr. Harding left regina, to study with Dr. Mel carey, Solo Horn of the Regina Symphony. Dr. Carey was both an accomplished Hornist (a Master Class student of both Mauice Secon and Philip Farcas) and a very fine Concert Pianist. It is with Dr. Craey that Ricard began immeadiately to Study the Solo works of among other composers Paul Hindemth and Georges Enescu Paul. The ttok place paralell to Richard work together with Edith Chisholm who accompanied Richard dring his repeated sucesses as Class A-Open First Prize winner in the Regina and Saskatchewan Music festivals for the Cornet and Trumpet and was as well the Junior First Prize Winner (at age 11) of the Canadian National Music Festival in 1967.
Intensely involved in various musical groups in Regina and throughout Saskatchewan from the very beginning of his studies, he performed with as diverse musical constellations as the Regina Salvation Army Brass, the Regina Police Boys, the regina Intercollegiate Symphony Orchetsra, both the Saskatchewan Youth Band and Saskatchewan Youth Orchestras and as early as 14 Years of age as the solo trumpet of the University of Saskatchewan Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Brass Quintet and Jazz Big Band.
Richard's musical development was indeed very rapid, so that at age 14, having previously studied Saxophone, Clarinet at the Regina Conservatory, he also found time to teach beginner Clarinet and Saxophone and he was given his first formal written contract to teach both the Clarinet and Saxophone for the Regina City Public-School System. That same year (1970) accepted a Teaching- Assistanceship for Trumpet and Brass Ensemble to Dr. Mel Carey, then Head of the Brass Department at the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus.
Richard had become a member of the Regina Symphony Orchestra 1969 at age 13and advanced to the Solo-Trumpet position in the 1971/72 season at age 15..
In 1970, at the age of 14, he accepted his first University level Trumpet Teaching- Assistantship under Dr. Mel Carey at the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus. Richard was during this time the Solo-Trumpeter and Assistant-Conductor of the Regina Inter-Collegiate Symphony Orchestra and toured as featured Soloist, performing at age 14, Josef Haydn's Concerto in Eb and the Solo parts in Handel's "Messiah" in among other venues, the West-Minster Abbey in London, England in 1970.
He was aswell the Solo-Cornetist and assitant conductor of both the Saskatchewan Youth Concert Band and Youth Symphony Orchestra and toured throughout Canada and the U.S.A. from 1968 to 1974 with both of these exceptional Student Ensembles.
From 1970 to 1975. Richard Carson Steuart was as well the Solo Trumpeter and featured Solist of both the National Youth Chamber and National Youth Symphony Orchestras of Canada coached by memebrs of the Canadian Brass Quintet and Solists of a number of major Canadian and American Symphon Orchestras including Theoidore weiss of the New York Opera and Richard Erb of the st. Louis Symohony in preparation for subsiquent performances and extended Summer Concert tours with the NYO in among other major Canadian cities: Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec and Montreal.
In 1976, at age 20 and already a CBC Radio Soloist and Solo-trumpeter of Canadian Chamber Orchestra under Aaron Copland, he won both the First Prize at the Canadian National Music Festival in Toronto as well as the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's) Radio and Television Classical Solo-Instrumental Competition - the socalled "CBC Talent Festival" and this for Wind Instruments of all kinds.
Thereafter he was accepted into the famous Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, USA receiving a full 4 year Scholarship to study with among other Soloists of the Philadephia Orchestra, Mason Jones, Solo Horn, Glen Dodgeson, Solo Trombone and Frank Kaderabel Solo Trumpet.
Having been awarded the first of three consecutive International Study Grants (1976-1978) from the Arts Council of Canada, he subsequently studied privately in Chicago and New York with the foremost Brass playing members of both the Symphony and Opera Orchestras of those major American cultural centres including: Mel Broiles of the New York Metropolitan Opera and Vinent Chicowitz of the Chicago Symphony..
Although only 20 years of age up to his depature to the U.S.A. he had already performed hundreds of Solo-Trumpet and Cornet engagements, Radio recordings in a variety of musical idioms from Baroque Ensemble to Big Band and even with Rock and Fusion Bands and was an active member in several community service-club Concert Bands in his home town of Regina.
In the sumer of 1978 he traveled to Europe as the Solo Trumpeter of the World Youth Orchestra and completed his studies first in London, first with Philip Jones, the former Solo Trumpeter of among other London Orchstars, Covent Garden Opera Orchestra and then Principal of the Trinity College in London. Jones was aswell the founder of the world-famous Philp Jones Brass Ensemble.
In mid September of 1978, Philip Jones heard Steuart when he played ofr him privately and advised him to in stead of further studying at any institution to rather complete his Master-Class studies with Rolf Quinque, then Solo Trumpeter of Munich Philharmonic and Professor at the Richard Strauss Conservatory, in Munich, Germany and as soon as poo ssible take a an Orchestral position. After only three hours of Private Lessons with Rolf Quinque, Steuart played first first European Orchestral Audition and was offered his first major European position, becoming on November 4th, 1978 the First-Trumpeter of the “German Opera on the Rhein”, Duesseldorf.
However, in February of 1979, while perfoming as guest Solo Trumpet for Helmuth Erb with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra he was offered the 1. Solo Trumpet position with the World Touring Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, then under the Bruckner and Mozart specialist and founder of the Bavarian State Radio Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Eugen Jochum.
This position he held until the Winter season/semester of 1983/1984 when with the expressed support of the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, an “Artist in Residence” position was created for him at the Herman Zilcher Conservatory of Music in Wuerzburg. Here Steuart assumed a wide range of teaching responsibilities founding ensmbles from the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical Musical, to a modern Big-Band and Contemporary Jazz Ensemble and teaching finally in the Electronic and Experimental (so called “Neue”) Music idioms.
In September 2001 he was further appointed to a tenured position on the Faculty of the Bavarian State University of Musical Arts (Hochschule fuer Musik) in Wuerzburg, as “Teacher for Special Musical Events” as well as for the Historical Trumpet and Ensemble.He is since then co-founded, the German Brass Ensemble (1979), and his own Munich Brass (1983) the European Baroque (1989) and the "Prince Bishop"s Wind Ensembles (1999).
Richard competed for and won both the presidgeous German- ARD (1980) and Swiss- SRF (1981) International Radio and Television Competitions for the Trumpet as Concert Solo Instrument.. His musical accomplishments were officially honoured by the Bavarian State Ministry of Culture when they created a special position for him in 1983 at the Music Conservatory / State University of Music in Wuerzburg, Northern Bavaria, officlaly stating that Richard Carson Steuart's previous musical experince and highly acclaimed International Competitive achievments were regarded by the Culture Ministry to equivelant of a Bavarian University Degree.
In December of 2021 Richard Steuart officially retired from his position as teacher both Historical and Modern Trumpet and Chamber Music at the University in Würzburg.
Through his thousands of live concerts, his producing of over 20 Solo and Ensemble CDs from Classic to Jazz for his own CD "La Tromba Music Productions", as well as recording for various other labels and with top musical constellations from the Grand Opera and Symphony as Solo-Trumpeter, as Solo Concert Soloist, Chamber Ensemble and "Soloist-Leader" as both Trumpeter and condcutor, Mr. Steuart"s Classical Music experience has over the 50 years of his musical career become truly extensive.
As featured Recording-Artist for the CBC in Canada, in Germany for the WDR, BR, SDR, ARD, SRF, Radio and Television Stations, in Switzerland for the Basel, Geneve, Bern and Lugano Radio Orchestras, In Austria and Slovenia for the ORF Radio and Televison Linz, Wein, in Lublijana and Maribor as well for the RCA, BMG, EMI, MMO and Koch und Konstantin International Film and Recording companies, his touring with well known groups ranging from English and German Pop and Rock Bands to Brass and Symphonic Wind Ensembels and Brass Bands, Brass Ensembles, Diverse Jazz and Fusion Formations, Big Bands and Modern Music Groups as well as with Internationaly acclaimed Authenic-Historical Music Ensembles, yes even for both major European and Hollywood Films, Mr. Steuart's musical knowledge and experience steadly developed over more than 50 years!
He has in performmed in Germany with among others, members of the Berlin Philharmonic, the Munich Philaharmonic, the Bavarian, Hessische and Baden-Würtenbürgisches Radio and Symphony Orchestras in Freiburg, Baden Baden, Stuttgart, Karlsrühe, Saarbrücken and Cologne Radio Sympnony Orchestras, the Bamberg Symphony, and the National German Operas of Mannheim, Hamburg, Nürnberg, Düsselldorf, Duisburg and Essen.
His engagements since 1982 as both Guest Professor in diverse Music Conservatories and as Concert Soloist in the USA, Canada, Russia, the Ukraine, China, Japan and throughout the whole of Europe, since 1967 have all contributed to the high acclaim he continues to receive from both the general public and his peers alike.
Richard Carson Steuart is widely reagarded to be not only one of the foremost Classical Trumpeters of his generation but one of the world's most experienced, versatile and knowledgeable "Broad-Spektrum- Trumpet-Music" performers and University Level teachers today.
More about Richard Carson Steuart and La Tromba Music on
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-660504648
Homepage: http://www.latrombamusic.com
In July of 2019, Richard Carson Steuart performed as Featured Concert Artist and as well gave a Master Class Lecturer at the International Trumpet Guild / “ITG” Conference in Miami FL, USA.. This was the third time he had been honoured by an invitation to perform a Concert Recital for the ITG at an international conference, having previously performed at both the ETG/ITG Conference 2001 in Bad Saeckingen, Germany, at the ITG International Conferences in Manchester, England in 2005 and at the first "Canadian ITG Conference",which took place in 2008 in Banff, Alberta.
In Miami Mr. Steuart demontrated his new La Tromba "Tromba da caccia" instrument performing in his Recital Programm among other works; the Sonata in G-minor by Pavel Vejvanovsky. He performed together with his Pianist Francisco Daniel Delagado-Garcia from Salamaca, Spain. Other works like Timofei Dokshitser's famous arrangment of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" were performed on Steuart's 1920 Conn "Jazz" Trumpet; the Enescu Legend on a La Tromba "Big Daddy" Bb Trumpet and on his new La Tromba Cornet in "A", J. B. Arban's Fantasie and Variations on "Acteon" in it's "original" key of E-minor.
The following day he gave an extended Lecture demonstrating all of these instruments and his new "hand-reflection" performance techniques for the Tromba da caccia.
Mr.Steuart has been Ensemble Leader and Featured Soloist in three previous Conferences including special combined European Trumpet Guild (ETG) and International Trumpet Guild (ITG) conferences. The first two were held in Bad Saeckingen, Germany in 2000 and 2001, organized by his former colleagues and friends Bendt Eklund of Malmö, Sweden and Dr. Dr. Edward H. Tarr of Basel, Switzerland/ Rheinfelden, Germany and the third he personally hosted and sponsored for both the ETG and ITG in Wuerzburg. This third Conference took place in 2003 at the Julius Echter University where Steuart has taught as Full Tenured Lecturer since 1983.
Mr. Steuart regularily invites Soloists, Ensembles and Lecturers from Japan, the USA, England, France, Germany, Slovenia, Poland, the Ukraine and Russia while commissioning new Solo and Ensemble works from various International Composers, premiered at events such special events as that in 2003.
Richard Carson Steuart tours internationally, performing and recording both historical and contemporary music for radio and television on both period and modern instruments, many of his own design and manufacture. He has performed for Prince Charles in the “Proms Concerts” in the Royal Albert Hall and with his Munich Brass Ensemble for such high-profile events as the first G7/8 Conference in Munich, performing specific works, some newly written and some specially arranged for each of the heads of the free world, including the American President George H. W. Bush; the Prime Minister of Great Britain, John Majors; the President of France, Francois Mitterrand; Brian Muhlrony, Prime Minister of Canada. and for the first time, the Russian Federation President Boris Yelsin;
Steuart has performed and recorded well over 30 solo and chamber music CDs, 20 for his own German-based La Tromba ® Music Productions recording company (since 1989) and continues to produce ensemble and solo CDs.
He has aswell recorded for numerous international record labels, including RCA-London; EMI- Electrola, Cologne; Audite- Stuttgart; Orfeo- Munich; Koch-International and MMO-New York, as well for the Radio and Television studios of several European States such as the Bavarian Radio and Television in Munich and Nuerberg, the South West German Radio/TV in Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Saarbrucken, Freiburg and Baden Baden in Basel, Bern and Geneva Switzerland and in Maribor and Lublian,a Solvenia as well in, Salzburg, Graz, Vienna and Linz in Austria.
Over more than 50 years of his professional musical career, Richard Carson Steuart has performed not only as both a symphonic solo-trumpeter and chamber ensemble soloist, ensemble conductor and leader, but as well has been a featured soloist and recording artist with diverse pop, rock, big band, brass bands, symphonic concert bands and brass ensembles of all sizes, and this for live concerts as well as CDs, Videos, Radio and Television throughout Europe.
Although has been featured soloist in diverse European and Hollywood feature film productions, recorded in Europe (Germany, the Ukraine, Bulgaria and Hungary) including those involving the Oscar Prize Winners Hans Zimmer of Germany and Michel Le Grand of France Steuart still finds time to regularly organize concerts, courses, competitions and master classes from Baroque to Modern Jazz and Contemporary Music throughout Europe, the Ukraine and Russia for amoung other organisations, his own European Brass Academy.
Steuart is active as arranger and composer, and as co-founder of the German Brass Ensemble was the original Solo trumpeter of that world-acclaimed Large Ensemble, recording and tour world wide from 1979-1987.
He is the founder and current musical director of the Munich Brass Ensemble (since 1983), the Deutsche Kammersolisten / German Chamber Soloists String Orchestra (since 1989) and the European Baroque Soloists (since 1991) and in 1999 he founded the Prince Bishop of Wuerzburg’s Wind Ensemble, an 18-member Large Brass Ensemble which includes 8 trumpets (from piccolo to bass trumpet) 3 trombones, 3 horns, 2 tubas, timpani and percussion, with which he performs music from the Renaissance to the Modern idiom on both Historical and Modern instruments.
Steuart continues to be a sought-after instrumental design consultant, having cooperated for over four decades with firms including Michael Muenkwitz, Rostock and Herman Laetsch, Bremen; mouthpiece makers: Josef Klier and Josef Hablowitz in Diespeck Germany; Yamaha Musical Instruments in Tokyo and Hamamatzu Japan and with Zigmand Kanstul Musical Instruments in Anaheim CA, USA.
While still working as orchestral solo trumpet in Canada he considered himself to be very fortunate to perform under and record with conductors as diverse as Arthur Fielder (Boston Pops) in Regina; George Tintner (Australia/Austria) as Solo Trumpet with the National Youth Chamber and Symphony Ochester stating 1970 in Toronto; with Kazuyoshi Akiyama (Tokyo, Japan) with the NYO in Vancouver in 1974 and in 1976 with Aaron Copland (USA) in Banff with the Canadian Chamber Orchestra.
Beginning in 1978 in Europe he worked with, among others, Bernard Klee (Duesseldorf/ Hannover) Jonathan Sears (London), Jinn Wang (Shanghai China/Vienna, Austria); Witold Rowitzski (Warsaw, Poland); Lawrence Foster (USA/Monaco); Aldo Ciccato and Giuseppe Patané (Italy); Gary Bertini, Loren Maazel and Christopf Eschenbach (USA.), Eugen Jochum (Germany), Michael Gielan (Austria), Horst Stein (Switzerland) as well as the Oscar Prize Winners Michel Le Grand (France) and Hans Zimmer (USA/Germany).
Steuart has had the honour to represent the Canadian Government in Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Russia, performing for the Ambassadors, General Consuls of Germany, Switzerland and the Russian Federation at Canadian Studies Conferences which take place regularily at Garmisch in the German Alps.
He has been a Soloist and "Keynote Speaker-Performing Lecturer" in the Peter the Great Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia for the Mackenzie Lyon King Cultural Exchange Programme. He has aswell been active in the promotion of artistic trumpet performance and advanced musical study, a key goal of the International Trumpet Guild.
To this end he has, during his entire career, been a continuing champion of both modern-classical and innovative popular music, regularly commissioning, producing, premiering and /or conducting numerous solo and ensemble works, both for live concerts and recordings in Canada, the USA, Russia, China, the Czech Republic, France, England, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, the Ukraine, Russia, Slovenia, Poland, Austria, Bulgaria and Italy, while at the same time actively promoting and supporting the specific contemporary composers from each of these respective countries though the commisoning of their works as well as donating musical instruments and accessories to diverse students.
Since his earliest beginning as Solo Cornetist with the Regina City Police Boys Band, as member of The Royal Canadian Legion Band, the Salvation Army Brass Band (Regina Citedal) and University of Saskatchewan Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Big Band, Richard Steuart been especially active in community-oriented activities. To this end Mr. Steuart has been involved with diverse private organizations in both Canada and Europe, including the International Rotary, Lions and Schreiners Clubs since very early in his career, and continues to be supportive to specifically selected private persons seen by him to be financially, educationally or socially disadvantaged.
Richard Carson Steuart continues to accept and embrace his responsibilities to the community in which he lives and the society to which he belongs, through the organisation of diverse Benefit Concerts in diverse venues such as cathedrals, churches, synagogues, public and concert halls with the proceeds going to large ans small organisations and institutions such as Cap Anamor, Doctors without Borders, the Caritas, Children of the Train Station Bucharest, Romania, for the victims of the radioactive fallout of Chernobyl, for the victims of wars in Syria and Yemen, as well as for selected natural disasters and made-made catastrophies.
Over his more than 50-year musical career he has gained a truly broad spectrum musical experience and firsthand knowledge of very high-quality professional music making, which he gladly and freely passes on to his students in Germany and in the capacity of Guest Professor, to his international colleagues and their students throughout the world.
Richard Carson Steuart's most important early Brass-Teachers included the gifted Jazz and Classical Trumpeter, Big- Band Leader and Arranger/Composer, Prof. Dr. John Harding (later Professor of trumpet at the Universities of North Carolina in both Chapel- Hill and Charlotte, UNCC) as well as the Solo-Hornist and Concert Pianist, Prof. Dr. Mel Carey (of Universities of Saskatachewan in Regian and Saskatoon and U.S.C Berkley, California).
Throughout his six year membership as the Solo-Cornet and later Solo-Trumpet of both the National Youth Chamber and National Youth Symphony Orchestras of Canada (from 1970 to 1976) he was fortunate to be able to study with amoung others Mr. Theodore Weiß, then Solo- trumpeter of the New York Opera; Eugen Rittich, then Solo-Hornist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Richard Erb, then Bass-Trombonist of the St. Louis Symphony,as well as the two "original" trumpet- members of the Canadian Brass Quintet (Prof. Dr. Dr. W. Fred Mills and Prof. Ronald Romm).
Richard Carson Steuart began his full professional performance career in the summer season of 1976 with a series of successes. He was both Featured Radio- Soloist (National CBC) and Orchestral Solo-Trumpeter with the Canadian Chamber Orchestra under Aaron Copland (U.S.A.) and Gervaise DePier (England) in Banff, Canada, First Prize winner of the Canadian National Music Festival (for all Brass Instruments in the catagory "A-Class Open") and First Prize-winner of the CBC (Canadian National Broadcasting Corporation) Radio and Television Classical Music Competition, ("CBC Talent Festival") and this in the Solo Category forAll Wind- Instruments (both Brass and Woodwind).
Thereafter he performed numerous concerts as Classical Soloist with numerous Western Canadian Symphony Orchestras including the Edmonton Symphony, the Vancouver CBC Chamber, and the Winnepeg CBC Symphony Orchestras.
In 1976 Richard Carson Steuart competed for and won the first of three consecutive foreign study "National Arts Grants-Awards" from the Government of Canada.
Thus began his 3 years of "Private- Selective Studies": firstly in Philadelphia, with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra (with Mason Jones, Solo Hornist; Glen Dogson, Solo-Trombonist and Frank Kaderabek, Solo Trumpet) at the Curtis Institute (1976/77). In the spring of 1977 he left Philadelphia to study in Chicago with members of the Chicago Symphony (Vincent Chicowitz and Adolf Herseth) and at North Western University (1977/78). Then in the Spring of 1978 he journeyed to New York to study with amoung others Mr. Mel Broils, the Solo-trumpeter of the Metroplitian Opera of New York at that time
In June of 1978 Steuart left North America for Europe to assume the position of Solo-Trumpeter with the World Youth Orchestra (Orchestre du Mondial) which that year was directed by Lawrence Foster now Musical director of the Monte Carlo Symphony Orchestra.
Following summer Concert tours with the WYO in Switzerland and the "Proms" concerts in the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, Mr. Steuart resumed his "Private-Studies" in September of 1978 with Sir Philip Jones, the Founder and Director of the world renown Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and then Principal of the Trinity College of London, as his Study Advisor.
In mid-September 1978, Mr. Jones suggested that Mr. Steuart journey to Munich, to prepare for Orchestral Audtions with the former Solo-Trumpeter of the Munich Philharmonic and Professor of Trumpet at the Richard Strauss Conservatory, Herr Rolf Quinque and on November 4th, 1978 Richard Carson Steuart won the position of Solo-Trumpet of the German-Opera in Duesseldorf. On February the 3rd, 1979 he he was invited personally by express-Telegramm by the Orchestral Managment of the "Bamberger Symphoniker" to play for the position of 1st-Solo-Trumpeter of the Bavarian-State's world famous Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, a position he assumed in July, 1979.
BRUCKNER'S 8TH SYMPNONY LIVE IN TOKIO in 1981 with Eugen Jochum Conducting:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Bamberg+symphony+Euegen+Jochum&client=firefox-b-d&ei=qgOzZPakCMGP9u8PwceRqAo&ved=0ahUKEwj2oavVyJGAAxXBh_0HHcFjBKUQ4dUDCA8&oq=Bamberg+symphony+Euegen+Jochum
That year he also Co-Founded the German Brass Ensemble (formerly known "Das Deutsche Blechbläser Quintet") together with Enrique Crespo and Wolfgang Gaag. Steuart was the leading Solo trumpeter of the German Brass from 1979 to 1988. In the Spring of 1983 he formed his own Munich Brass Ensemble (which he continues to lead today). In September of 1983 the City of Wuerzburg, with the expressed support of the Bavarian State's Ministry of Culture created an all new "Artist in Residence" lecturing position especially for him in their City Music Conservatory at which time he left the Bamberg Symphony.
As a consiquence to his 18 years of exceptionally successful lecturing (from Baroque Trumpet and Ensemble to Jazz Big-Band) at the Wuerzburg Conservatory, he was awarded a position in 2001 as Baroque Trumpet lecturer at the newly reorganised Bavarian State "Music University" in Wuerzburg (Hochschule für Music Wuerzburg).
Mr. Steuart's International College Level Teaching in Europe has taken place in amoung other Institutions the City Consevatory and State Universities of Music in Wuerzburg, Weimar and Hmaburg but also in the Thaikowsky Conservatory and Gnessin Institute in Moscow, the Rhymsky Korsakoff Conservatory in St. Petersburg in Russia, the Conservatory of Music in Danzig Poland and in the State University in Kiev, Ukraine.
In appreciation for his diverse accomplishments and 25 years of service (1983-2008), the Freistaat Bayern's Kultus Ministerium / Bavarian State's Ministry of Culture honored him with a special "Dankurkunde" accompanied by a special finacial gratifiction.
Richard Carson Steuart's Orchestral and Chamber Music Recording activities in Europe have included International Concert Tours with Symphonic and Chamber Orchestras, Brass and Symphonic Wind Ensembles, Classical Ballet, Musical - Theatre, Choir and Opera Companies as well as diverse recordings for CD, Radio, Television and even Hollywood and European Feature- Film Music ranging from Historical Music on Period instruments (ie. The Baroque/Natural trumpet) to Contemporary Jazz, Big Band, Pop, Rock, Modern Classical and modern "Experimental" Music.
Numerous Solo and Ensemble Works have been written for as well as commissioned and recorded by Mr. Steuart and these in various musical constellations. Composers and arrangers ranging from regoinal personalities to internationally renowned Composers such as Konstantin Wecker, Herbert Blendinger, Valery Strukov, Werner Egk, Helmut Timpelan and Bertold Hummel have written works for Mr. Steuart.
Mr. Steuart has produced several of his own Solo and Chamber Music CD recordings and these under his recording label La Tromba ® using both his own and other top quality Recording Studio Technicians in Germany and through-out Europe including the Ukraine and Russia.
The La Tromba produced CD: Music for Trumpet and Guitar - "Richard Carson Steuart and Friends" (a broad spectrum collection of recordings in the Trumpet and Guitar genre done in Europe starting as far back as 1987) was produced for and released through the International Trumpet Guild in March of 2010 and was eventually proclaimed their "CD of the Year". This release, donated by Mr. Steuart contiunes exclusively available through the ITG at:
http://www.trumpetguild.org/products/recordings/index.htm
He can also be heard on a number of other international recording labels including Audite, Stuttgart; Koch International; RCA; Orfeo/International, Munich; MMO/New York and EMI-Electrola.
Since 2005 Richard Carson Steuart has recorded five pedagogical CDs for the MMO (Music Minus One) company of New York U.S.A.. These Solo-CDs are accompanied by Symphony Orchestra ranging from Grand Opera Arias and light Operetta over original Romantic and Traditional Cornet and Trumpet Solo Works with Concert Band: They also include Big Band and popular favouites with amoung other chmaber groups, his Munich Brass Ensemble. Please see: (www.musicminusone.com).
Richard Carson Steuart continues to record regularly in a wide variety of musical venues such as in the State TV-, Radio-studios in Germany as well as in studios thoughout Europe and can even be heard on Hollwood Film- Music Sound tracks of such famous film composer as the Michael LeGrand and Hans Zimmer.
He has aswell performed and recorded with Artists and Ensembles as diverse as the St. Peterburg Baroque Ensemble and the Russian Brass Quintet, Gary Brooker (of the legendary English Rock Band, Procol Harum), the controversial German "Lieder Macher" and European Film-Music Composer Konstantin Wecker, the Pan-European Jazz-Educator, Big- Band Leader and Composer-Arranger Peter Herbolzheimer. He has recorded with top Hollywood Film- Music Composers and Oscar Prize- winners including the "grand" master Michael Legrand and the currently hugely successful (i.e. with Disney Films), German-born Hans Zimmer.
Mr. Steuart's extensive "Research and Development" initiatives with regards to the construction of both Modern and Historical Brass Instruments and their repective Mouthpieces is based on decades of co-operations with renowned instrument manufacturers including Yamaha, (Hamamatzu, Japan); KMI / Kanstul, (Anaheim California, USA) and Adolf Egger, (Basel, Switzerland) amoung others and all of which have greatly helped him in the ulimate development and production of his own brand of La Tromba?® Trumpets, Mouthpieces and Accessories, manufactured in Germany since 1999. He aswell a highly sought after International Competition Jury -member, Guest- Lecturer and Orchestral and Chamber Music Conductor. He can be found working regularily in top recording studios as well as Conservatories and Universities world-wide and most especially throughout North America, Russia, Japan, China and Europe.
As the former Solo-Trumpeter of both theGerman Opera in Düsseldorf and the world famous Bamberg Symphony Orchestras, co-founding Leading-1st- Trumpeter of the prestigeous German Brass, founder and continuing leader of his own Munich Brass and Prince Bishop of Wuerzburg's WindEnsembles he is as well as the founder and leader of both the European Baroque (on both Modern and Historical instruments) and the German Chamber Soloists (String orchestra) Richard Carson Steuart is not only regarded by many today to be one of the foremost International Classical Solo-Trumpeter of his generation but aswell one of the world's most musically versatile.
Richard Carson Steuart:
"UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL"
When asked (in a recent magaine interveiw) if he considers himself to be "the best" in his field, Mr. Steuart answered very softly and slowly:
"...Music is for me, the purest Art-form ...
...it is not a some brutal sport nor some superficial game ... nor is it some "testing" pseudo-intellectual exercise.
Therefore it cannot be defined through competitions of any sort..., neither physical nor mental.
I believe true music making demands that one honestly strive to (humbely) do "his" best,... yes of course! and this means one must certainly strive to perfect both his physical and mental"gifts" for musical expression, ...quite obviously !, since these are the tools that one must use to describe his truest and deepest feelings. I sincerely believe by the way, that one can best develope these musical gifts through the devoted support of loving parents, generous and sincere colleagues and not to forget very special and gifted teachers..."competition" as a general "way of thinking", more often than not creates only negative ego-attitudes towards music and other musicians and even petty jealousies towards other person's hard-earned achievments, when infact sincere respect and honest praise and appreciation would be a more appropriate response when to relating to someone elses musical gifts and artistic accomplishments.
I have all to often, seen students and music colleagues both young and old, (and yes far too many simple "trumpeters" amoung them!), who want to impress "someone/anyone/everyone" into thinking they are somehow "great" by playing fast, high and often technically brilliant passages like The flight of the Bumble Bee "in 10 seconds flat" WoW ?! But really...how stupid is that! Or esepcially for trumpeters, play "high, fast and very loud notes". Through this, they may believe they show they are "very special" even "the BEST" or at least "better than" someone else... oh boy!, how foolish are such superfical attitudes and comparisons?!
This is at best Sport NOT certainly not Art!
This is, I think, also very very sad, because of all that very heavy "Ego Baggage" they develope (and consiquently have to continually carry around every day) through such a competitive way of thinking and actions that only get in the way of them seeing and hearing themselves truthfully and therefore not allowing them to know their feelings so that they may be honestly reflected in the music that they are making. Granted this is a difficult concept for many competitive people to comprehend. They end up never knowing what music really is or can be, nor enjoying their own honest and sincere feelings that become revealed to them through this most Godly form of Art,... instead they only experience a shallow self importance in their "comparision" to others, caught up in empty primitive competitive motivations... like in an Old-Time Jazz "cutting- session" where the musicians used to try to "out do" each other by playng faster or higher or louder than each other... and resultingly never developing any meaningful musical dialogue,... that is, only "ego-tripping"!
I see it as very simple ZEN: you have to first defeat your ego and turn your back on vain desire meant to impress others to find the truth, firstly about yourself.
Then and only then, can you "really tell the (musical) truth", (...that is only IF you really have something "truthfull" and meaningfull to say in the first place!...) which is always a question of personal and musical maturity.
At that moment there is no stress nor nervous fear of failure, only natural, musical expression of human emotion that everyone can relate to.
...now back to competition:
It is a fact that I have won virtually every so called "competitions" (the i.e. the National and International Canadian, Swiss and German, Radio and Television Trumpet competitions) that I have ever entered into... but having said that, it should be clearly understood that I have never (consciously) competed "against" another person in any such event, but rather only ever "competed", with my own personal "artistic ideals", trying to play in an increasingly more expressive, and ultimately more truthfully natural manner. This is what the Jurys heard not a trumpeter trying to be "the best" at anything.
The goal was always to "sing" my own very personal musical story... of what the Romantics call "the song of the heart",...that whichwe allfeel in our quietest moments of most sensitive, personal reflections and should value the most in life...
This concept of truly personal, sincere music making, in a "singing style" is what I try to impart to my students, colleagues and ultimately concert listeners when ever I perform.
You know Bobby, I was asked in a German/Bulgarian magazine- interview several years ago...
"what does playing the trumpet (really) mean to you?"
I thought for a few moments and answered,...
"...I take the trumpet to my lips and with it, look through the mirror of my mind, into my soul!"
Therefore I hope you understand, for me there is no such thing as the "best" in any true Art-form, since "Art" originates only from the "gift" of sincere love for the meaning of pure beauty and the highest truths,
...nor can there ever be a "best" in true Music making... rather only a sincere striving for one's highest goals and the most honest expression of artistic ideals...
Now, I ask YOU Bobby, what could this kind of perspective on "music making" possibly have to do with "competition" and your question:
"who is the best?"
(edited excerpts from an interview with Rudolf (Bobby) Langer. August, 2008)