Brass Day Festival and Competition

Don Lucas, native of Falls Church, Virginia, was educated at North Texas State University, Berklee College of Music, Texas Tech University (BM, MM), The University of Houston (Doctoral) and as a Fulbright Scholar to London's Guildhall School of Music (Advanced Solo Studies Diploma). His principal teachers include Denis Wick, Robert Deahl, Al Lube, Carsten Svanberg, Michel Becquet, Allen Barnhill, John Marcellus, Phil Wilson, Leon Brown and Dave Maser.

Don has performed with The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Empire Brass Quintet, Santa Fe Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, The New Mexico Symphony, Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, The San Antonio Symphony, The North Carolina Symphony, and American Wind Symphony, and has performed under noted conductors Ivan Fischer, Hugh Wolf, Christopher Hogwood, John Adams and Leonard Slatkin.

Internationally, Don has performed recitals and taught masterclasses throughout the world. Engagements in Russia include the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Moscow), The Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory (St. Petersburg), and the Fine Arts Institute (Vladivostok), as well as an adjudicator for the (former) Soviet Union Countries International Brass Solo Competition in the name of Rimsky-Korsakov (St. Petersburg). Engagements in the United Kingdom include Wigmore Hall (London), The British Trombone Society Festival, The Repton Festival, The Royal Academy of Music (London), The Guildhall School of Music (London) The Birmingham Conservatory and Royal Scottish Academy of Music (Glasgow). Other international engagements include the Conservatoire Superiur, (Paris, France), The International Trombone Festival (Feldkirch, Austria), International Trombone Symposium (Melbourne, Australia) and Seoul Trombone Ensemble Camp (Seoul, South Korea).

Nationally, Don has been featured as a soloist with, performed recitals at and presented masterclasses at Carnegie Recital Hall, Terrace Theatre at Kennedy Center, The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Sheppard School of Music at Rice University, University of Minnesota, The U.S. Army Band "Pershings Own" (Washington, D. C.), The U.S. Naval Academy Band (Annapolis, Maryland), Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, New York Conference for Brass Scholarships, The Eastern Trombone Workshop (Washington, D.C.), Harmony Ridge Brass Festival (Vermont), WRAL Brass Band Explosion (North Carolina), College Band Directors National Association Convention (Texas), Music Educators National Association Convention and Texas Bandmasters Association Convention,Texas Bandmasters Association Convention as well as universities, festivals, schools and camps throughout the United States.

Principal commissions/world premieres include solos by Fisher Tull, Derek Bourgeouis, Franz Cibulka, Henk Badings, Eddie Bass, Mary Jeanne van Appledorn, Adam Gorb, RoussanovaLucas and Gary Belshaw. His solo recordings include Hymns for Trombone, Don Lucas (1988) and Cantabile, Don Lucas (2000). He has recorded with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and American Wind Symphony.

Don's honors include the only Premeir Prix Diploma ever awarded to a brass player in the history of the Guildhall School of Music (London); listing in Marquis, Who's Who in America Music; Bronze Medal L'unamite, Finalist—Toulon International Solo Competition (France); First Prize Winner—International Trombone Association Frank Smith International Trombone Solo Competition; First Place "Fellow"—Harmony Ridge Brass Festival International Solo Competition; First Place (solo and group competitions)—National Christian Artists Seminar; and First Prize (with The American Classic Trombone Quartet)—Summit Brass International Brass Chamber Group Competition.

Don Lucas is Artist/Teacher of Trombone at Boston University. Previous teaching appointments include Texas Tech University, Eastern New Mexico University, Sam Houston State University and the public schools of Virginia, Texas and North Carolina.

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The West Point Brass (formerly the Storm King Brass) is comprised of musicians in the West Point Band. Founded in 2003, the ensemble presents a diverse repertoire, from Renaissance to modern works, to its audiences. In support of military functions, the quintet has entertained the United States Corps of Cadets and performed for many visiting dignitaries and heads of state at West Point. Additionally, the ensemble actively performs throughout the New York metropolitan area. The ensemble has also been featured throughout the country, including performances in Florida, Oregon, Connecticut, South Dakota, Utah, and Iowa.

SERGEANT FIRST CLASS ERIC MILLER - TRUMPET, is a native of Sioux City, Iowa and earned his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa. He continued his musical studies at Indiana University prior to coming to the West Point Band in 2002. While at Indiana, he held the position of Associate Instructor as a graduate student. Eric also holds a Master of Arts in organizational leadership from Duquesne University. He has been a featured soloist at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and can be heard on The Nadas album Coming Home. Eric has also performed throughout the United States and Europe, including the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), the North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland) and throughout Hungary.

STAFF SERGEANT NICHOLAS CALUORI - HORN, is originally from Springfield, Virginia and joined the West Point Band in August of 2006. SSG Caluori holds a Bachelor of Music in Horn Performance from Florida State University, where he studied with William Capps and a Master of Music from Southern Methodist University, where he studied with Greg Hustis. His principal teachers have also included Edwin C. Thayer, Kendall Betts, Kevin Reid, and his father, Marco Caluori, formerly of the U.S. Army Band.

At the age of 15, SSG Caluori won a fellowship with the National Symphony Orchestra and is also the inaugural winner of the International Horn Society Barry Tuckwell Scholarship. In August of 2005, SSG Caluori placed second in the University Division of the International Horn Competition of America. He has also performed with the Dallas, Jacksonville and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestras and had fellowships with the National Repertory Orchestra and National Orchestral Institute.

An active performer in the Tri-State area, SSG Caluori is also Principal Horn of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and has been featured at regional horn workshops.

STAFF SERGEANT LUKE MACDONALD - TRUMPET, from Great Falls, Montana, holds a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the University of Oklahoma where he studied under Dr. Karl Sievers. He earned a Master of Music in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Vincent Penzarella of the New York Philharmonic. Prior to joining the West Point Band in 2005, Staff Sgt. MacDonald performed at a variety of music festivals including the 2005 Moscow Easter Festival (Russia), 2003 & 2004 Verbier Music Festivals (Switzerland) and the 2003 Salzburg Easter Festival (Austria) where he worked with the Berlin Philharmonic. He has toured Europe and Asia extensively, having performed dozens of concerts with the Verbier Festival Orchestra as principal trumpet. He won prizes at the 2001 through 2004 National Trumpet Competition (USA) including first place in both the Solo Performance Master’s Division and the Quintet Division. Luke has performed numerous concerts with the New York Philharmonic and many other professional orchestras in and around New York City.

STAFF SERGEANT CURTIS STARR - TROMBONE, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joined the West Point Band in November of 2007. Staff Sgt. Starr earned his Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where he studied with Lee Rogers. Prior to his appointment at West Point, Staff Sgt. Starr pursued a Master of Music at Southern Methodist University, where he studied with John Kitzman, principal trombonist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and USMA Band alum. Curt has twice participated in the International Festival-Institute at Round Top, and once with the Texas Music Festival in Houston.

STAFF SERGEANT NATHAN TURNER - TUBA, of Eugene, Oregon, has been a member of the West Point Band since September of 2006. Staff Sgt. Turner studied tuba for seven years with Richard Frazier at the University of Oregon before attending the New England Conservatory of Music, the Juilliard School and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. His teachers include Abe Torchinsky, Chester Schmitz, Warren Deck and Tim Northcut. Nathan lives with his wife, Adrienne, and their two dogs.