Rolf Smedvig

Known as the founder of the Empire Brass Quintet, Rolf Smedvig distinguished himself not only as a virtuoso trumpeter but also through conducting engagements that soon rivaled the frequency of his solo and chamber performances. At age 13 he made his first appearance as trumpet soloist with his native Seattle Symphony. He later settled in the Boston region to attend Boston University and Tanglewood, where his instructors were Armando Ghitalla, Rafael Mendez, and Maurice André. The year 1971 proved especially consequential: he established the Empire Brass, Leonard Bernstein selected him as trumpet soloist for the premiere of Bernstein’s Mass at the Kennedy Center’s opening, and he joined the Boston Symphony as assistant principal trumpet, becoming at 19 the orchestra’s youngest member. Appointed principal trumpet in 1979, he remained only two seasons before devoting himself fully to solo and chamber work.

Thereafter his schedule grew steadily more demanding. As the sole founding member still active and the ensemble’s first trumpet, he performed roughly 100 concerts annually and reached audiences in more than 35 countries. Solo engagements included appearances with the Boston Symphony, Cambridge Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Japan’s NHK Orchestra; he also toured with the Atlantic Classical Orchestra and the Scottish Orchestra. On the podium he led the Cambridge Chamber Orchestra, Honolulu Symphony, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, and Simón Bolívar Orchestra. In addition to master classes, he held teaching positions at Boston University, Tanglewood, and London’s Royal Academy of Music.

A 1996 Warner video, The 21st Century Band Method, showcased Smedvig, who also served as a clinician for Selmer. Hundreds of his brass arrangements appeared under the imprints of Schirmer, KRS Publishing, and International Music. The Boston Ballet premiered his ballet Passage in 1996, a score that incorporated adapted, arranged, and original music all composed by Smedvig. His recordings were issued on CBS/Sony, Angel EMI, and Telarc; the first Telarc release, a 1990 collection of virtuoso trumpet concertos, earned a Grammy nomination. In 2002 he and the Empire Brass issued their fifteenth collaboration, The Glory of Gabrieli. He was featured repeatedly as soloist, conductor, and ensemble member on national television and radio broadcasts. On April 27, 2015, Rolf Smedvig died of a heart attack at his home in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts; he was 62.