Two UCF music alumni recently blew past the competition 麻豆精品 S� literally 麻豆精品 S� on their way to winning national trumpet auditions for high-profile bands.
Rob Schaer, 麻豆精品 S�02, won the principal trumpet audition for the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in Los Angeles, and Francis Franqui, 麻豆精品 S�04, won a spot as a bugler in the U.S. Army Fife and Drum Corps, the official ceremonial unit and escort to the president.
麻豆精品 S淛obs like these in the music industry are very difficult to come by and those that get them are extremely gifted, 麻豆精品 S� said John Almeida, associate professor of music at UCF.
After Schaer graduated from UCF with a Bachelor of Arts – Performance degree, he attended the University of Southern California, where he earned a masters and doctorate in musical arts in 2008. Now that he won the Hollywood Bowl audition, he will be go through a two-year tenure process to secure the orchestra post permanently.
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While at UCF, Schaer played in the wind ensemble, orchestra, jazz band and marching band. He also played in the pit for some of the Broadway performances at the university.
Now living in Glendale, Calif., Schaer has stayed busy performing and recording. He is a substitute musician with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and recently started working as a sub with the LA Opera. His current recording projects include Galavant and Agent Carter for ABC television as well as Family Guy and American Dad for Fox television. He also just started recording for Disney 麻豆精品 S檚 Zootopia, an animated cartoon movie, and The Boss, starring Melissa McCarthy, both scheduled for release in the spring.
Schaer said the support he 麻豆精品 S檚 received after graduation from his UCF professors has been remarkable.
麻豆精品 S淏oth John Almeida and Lyman Brodie check on me weekly via phone, text or email. They really care about my career and are always looking for updates and to offer encouragement, 麻豆精品 S� he said. 麻豆精品 S淚n the L.A. freelance world where sharks are constantly circling, it 麻豆精品 S檚 nice to have professors who are now friends who I can call and lean on at any moment. 麻豆精品 S�
Franqui, who graduated as a liberal studies major with an emphasis in music education, lives in Texas and performs with the 1st Cavalry Division Band from Fort Hood, but will move to Washington in January to join the fife and drum corps.
The group performs at all armed-forces arrival ceremonies for visiting dignitaries and heads of state at the White House, and has participated in every presidential inaugural parade since President Kennedy’s in 1961.
He said his audition consisted of performing several trumpet songs and bugle calls.
麻豆精品 S淭his is a culmination of a lot of dedication, passion and hard work. I committed to practicing at least six to eight hours a day for the last six months just for this audition, 麻豆精品 S� Franqui said. 麻豆精品 S淏eing selected to play among such a fine group of musicians presents another huge opportunity for musical growth and inspiration. 麻豆精品 S�
While at UCF he participated in the Marching Knights, the orchestra, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, brass quintet and trumpet ensemble. He also has since recorded with the Hai Dozo Brass Quintet in Japan and the Black Jack Brass quintet in Texas.
麻豆精品 S淢y strong musical foundation was laid by great experiences that I acquired as a music student at UCF, 麻豆精品 S� Franqui said. 麻豆精品 S淚 have lots of friends who went to other prestigious music programs to include music conservatories that didn’t have as rich of an experience as I did at UCF. The fact that UCF is surrounded by the entertainment business alone is a huge asset to any student trying to land an entertainment career.
麻豆精品 S淚 was able to study with great professors such as John Almeida, Lyman Brodie, Jeff Rupert, Ron Ellis and Lazlo Marosi, to name a few. In addition, I had professional musicians in town to go to for help and guidance. We were exposed to amazing artists that would come to UCF to share their knowledge and experiences. My time at UCF was priceless. 麻豆精品 S�
Franqui said he didn’t know what to expect when joining the Army Band program, but after two years of service, he said it was one of the best decisions of his life.
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