A Greek trumpeter in Central Kentucky’s Festival June 4, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Hellenic Light Americas.trackback
Brass Band event starts Friday > A brass band festival in Central Kentucky lists a Greek trumpeter among its fans.
Gerassimos Ioannidis, a trumpeter with the Greek National Opera in Athens for 25 years before recently retiring, is in Danville helping musicians prepare for the annual Great American Brass Band Festival, which begins Friday.
Ioannidis has been teaching at Colleges and Universities this spring. He has been in Danville for about a month, working with students at Centre College and other nearby schools. “I’m now free from the orchestra and will teach more,” Ioannidis said.
Vince DiMartino, a music instructor at Centre who is hosting Ioannidis, praises his work as a trumpeter and teacher. “Gerassimos is the best teacher in Greece,” DiMartino said.
For Ioannidis, the Central Kentucky festival is a reminder of home. Most cities and towns in Greece have town bands, DiMartino said. The bands meet once or twice a week to practice or perform.
Ioannidis said the festivals in his native country are much smaller than Danville’s Brass Band Festival. They rotate annually from town to town performing mostly for local people.
Ioannidis won’t just be teaching the musicians playing in this year’s festival. He’ll be among them, and he’s looking forward to it, he said.
grhomeboy
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