Tells us a little bit about how you joined the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra. How long have you played with the Binghamton Philharmonic?
I started in 1987, the year after I began teaching at Ithaca College. I was also principal of the BC Pops under David Agard. John Covelli was the music director. I left the Philharmonic when I retired from IC, but I returned after a year when I realized I was having too much fun playing!
What do you like about performing with the Binghamton Philharmonic?
The are so many reasons that I can't find only one: the satisfaction of working each day to become the best musician I can be, the joy of making beautiful music with my good colleagues, the happiness I feel sharing inspiring music in a city that supports and values our contributions.
Share a favorite memory with the Binghamton Philharmonic.
The honor of playing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto accompanied by all of my friends and Maestro Daniel Hege is certainly a top memory, but there have been many performances when the music brought us all to the heights, orchestra and listeners together, to a sublime place. And of course, that's why we do it.
"My Dad played trumpet through college and there was always one in the house. I can still hear his beautiful, clear tone and his Harry James vibrato." -Frank Gabriel Campos
What was your favorite (or one of your favorite) concerts to perform in with the Binghamton Philharmonic and why?
The Philharmonic recently programmed Duke Ellington's 'Black, Brown and Beige', a piece that combines big band jazz with the classical sensibility. This rarely performed work is practically a trumpet concerto and calls for an orchestra that can play both jazz and classical. It's one of Duke Ellington's very few compositions for symphony orchestra and a perfect example of the Binghamton Philharmonic's exciting programming that brings us the classics we all love with really cool things like this.
Tell us the story of how you were first introduced to the instrument you play. What drew you to your instrument?
My Dad played trumpet through college and there was always one in the house. I can still hear his beautiful, clear tone and his Harry James vibrato. I was forbidden to touch it, so of course I played it every chance I could! The neighbors joked about "the sick cow" in the basement, but I was undaunted. My Dad's sound has been in my ear all these decades, and I am a player because of him. He died in 2021.
Who is your favorite composer and why?
That is an impossible question to answer, but if you're asking a trumpet player what music is the most fun to play, well, I would have to say movie music. Who doesn't love hearing the brass put the pedal to the floor when the hero saves the day? (Well, maybe the strings right in front of us...) Come out to our Star Wars concert on May the 4th and I promise we'll show you a good time!