Ithaca College

Ithaca College trumpet professor Frank Gabriel Campos traveled to Alfred University in Alfred, NY and Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, TX in March to play his "Art of the Single Line" concert program. 

The unusual and unprecedented solo show, which includes classical compositions, jazz, folk, and other types of music, calls for Campos to perform on the trumpet for over 50 minutes with no other musician onstage.

The program included Leonard Bernstein's "Simple Song," the "Danza Espanola" of Enrique Granados, Chick Corea's "Spain," a movement from a flute sonata by J.S. Bach, and even Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee," originally for the violin.

"This is a difficult concert to play from a physical standpoint," Campos said. "It requires marathon-like practice and training to pull it off. I am also going between many different styles, types and periods of music, often improvising on the fly. It really is great fun, but it requires a lot of work to do it."  

Campos performs a similar concert program in a duo with Nicholas Walker, Ithaca College associate professor of string bass. 

In addition to the solo concerts, Campos was invited to conduct master classes on both trips, meeting and working with talented high school and college students in a forum setting.