Trumpet & Organ
American Nomad and the Modern Hymn Project
Acclaimed Minnesota Orchestra and former Canadian Brass trumpeter Charles Lazarus teams up with organist and former Director of the National Lutheran Choir, David Cherwien for an evening of exciting and virtuosic music making.
At the center of the genre-jumping performance by the Minneapolis residents will be American Nomad, a classical/jazz hybrid concerto for trumpet written by Emmy Award-winning composer, Steve Heitzeg. The program will include selections from Lazarus‘s latest recording of modern takes on hymns and spirituals along with Cherwien/Lazarus originals and classical favorites.
ABOUT DAVID CHERWIEN - David Cherwien, former Artistic Director of the National Lutheran Choir, is a nationally known conductor, composer, and organist.
Recognized for his contributions to the field of church music and liturgy, he is in demand as a clinician and hymn festival leader across the country. David serves as Cantor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, a parish known for its passion for traditional liturgy and creative, high-quality music.
He also serves as editor of the National Lutheran Choir Series of choral music, published by Morningstar Music Publishers. David is a founding member of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and has served in its leadership in a variety of capacities, including as National President. He is a member of the American Choral Director’s Association, American Guild of Organists, Chorus America, and Choristers Guild.
A prolific composer, Cherwien has published more than 150 works for both chorus and organ. He won the 2007 Raabe Prize for "Excellence in Sacred Composition" for his piece, "The Souls of the Righteous." Cherwien composed 25 new works for the National Lutheran Choir during his 21-year tenure with the prestigious organization.
ABOUT CHARLES LAZARUS - Trumpeter Charles Lazarus is a multi-faceted performer who has charted a unique course over his career including tenures in several of the best-known brass ensembles in the world, including Canadian Brass, Dallas Brass, Meridian Arts Ensemble, and in the Minnesota Orchestra.
As a soloist, composer and bandleader, Lazarus has created four original crossover orchestral shows featuring him as soloist with his jazz ensemble: “A Night in the Tropics”, “American Riffs”, “Fly Me to the Moon”, and most recently “The New American Songbook” featuring the Grammy Awarding-winning family quintet, The Steeles. On “Merry & Bright”, his annual program of fresh takes on holiday favorites, Charles is joined by vocalists, children’s choir and an all-brass big band.
His live recording of Steve Heitzeg’s “American Nomad” concerto with the Minnesota Orchestra and Osmo Vänskä is available for online viewing as is a children’s animated short film featuring his composition “A Perfect Square” paired with Michael Hall’s book of the same name.
Charles made his Carnegie Hall solo debut with the New York String Orchestra at the age of 19 while still a student at The Juilliard School in New York. Since then, he has soloed with dozens of orchestras and ensembles throughout North America and has performed and taught master classes in every U.S. state, Canada, South America, throughout Europe and Asia. In addition to his tenure in several well-known brass ensembles, he has performed with Empire Brass, London Brass and the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass. Rounding out this eclectic experience, he has also performed his original compositions at the Montreal and Ottawa international jazz festivals, opened for Tony Bennett, and performed with Barry White and Joe Williams. Lazarus's recordings: Solo Settings, Zabava, Merry & Bright, Lovejoy and Merrier & Brighter showcase his wide-ranging talent and feature collaborations with diverse composers, arrangers and performers.