He was a trumpeter who took his studies at the Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey, and won a scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, in 1940.
In 1942 he went into service and played in the Army Band in Camp Maxie, Texas. He was discharged for medical reasons the following year and in 1943 became a horn player for the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo before taking on the position of Principal Trumpet for the Saint Louis Orchestra. In the summer months he could be heard at the Robin Hood Dell East.
In 1946 he landed the job of second trumpeter with the Philadelphia Orchestra and although stayed with them for 42 years he never sought to become the Principal as by that time he was also a teacher and wanted to devote his time to that.
At the same time he was part of the orchestra’s offshoot band, the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble, and with them he would appear regularly and make several recordings that included the two Grammy Award winners The Glorious Sound of Brass and The Antiphonal Music of Antonio Gabrieli.
His other recordings include A Golden Treasury of Medieval Music and The Glorious Sound of Brass. He taught at the Temple University Esther Boyer College of Music for 40 years and also gave private tuition to literally hundreds of students until he retired in 1988.
Philadelphia Brass Ensemble recordings
Angels We Have Heard on High (Traditional French/James Chadwick/Edward Barnes)
CBS MK 7033 (CD: A Festival of Carols in Brass)
He performs here on Gabrieli’s Canzona per Sonara No. 2 with the Philadelphia, Chicago and Cleveland Brass Ensembles…
Sources:
- http://www.andante.com/article/article.cfm?id=25327
- http://www.local802afm.org/publication_entry.cfm?xEntry=30359458#rosenfeld
- http://www.hbdirect.com/album_detail.php?id=237641
- http://music.barnesandnoble.com
- http://www.grainger.de/dbe/cds/brasscds/miscbrass009.html