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Balm, Neil

He is a trumpeter, keyboardist and arranger born in Canada who took his trumpet studies with eminent musicians that include the Canadian Brass’s W. Fred Mills and Ronald Romm.  He was awarded his music degrees by the Juilliard School of Music in New York, where he has since made his base.

In 1979 he became a member of the New York Trumpet Ensemble and remained with touring and recording with them until 1984 when he joined the Mostly Mozart Festival, debuting at the Kennedy Center with the “Trumpet Concerto” by Leopold Mozart.

Also during the 1980s when he was at Juilliard he joined up as a trumpeter and keyboardist for Peter Frampton’s touring band.  He returned to the school to get his Masters degree before heading out on tour again with Louis Bellson & His Big Band.

Still in the 1980s he became Principal Trumpet of the Canadian Opera Company and gave performances with them until 1991.

Other ensembles he has appeared with during his career include Chamber Music at the Y, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble and he was a co-director of The Music Today Ensemble who received a Grammy Award nomination for their The Music of George Perle.  Known to have performed the second Brandenburg Concerto by J.S. Bach more than 100 times, he has done it in numerous cities with orchestras and ensembles such as the the Elgin Symphony, New York Chamber Soloists, the New York Chamber Symphony, the New York Virtuosi, the Seattle Symphony and the Virginia Symphony to name just a few.

He is an acclaimed trumpeter who is recognised for his performances of music composed by composers that range from the Baroque period right up until present day.  He is also busy recording movie soundtracks which include The Age of Innocence, Aladdin, Billy Bathgate, Doc Hollywood, Miller’s Crossing, Powaqqatsi, Queen and She-Devil.

His recordings are many and include Gershwin CD by the Eos Ensemble which received a Rosetta Award as well as Roger Sessions Symphonies 6, 7 & 9 by American Composers Orchestra, Let the Bright Seraphim by Arlene Auger & Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, What A Night: A Christmas Album by Harry Connick Jr., American Gotham by the Gotham Wind Symphony, Heart of Hearts by Rob Mathes, Bach’s Tops by Philharmonia Virtuosi, Live at Carnegie Hall by Skitch Henderson & The New York Pops, The Sound of Trumpets by Gerard Schwarz & The New York Trumpet Ensemble, and the original cast recordings of Beauty and the Beast, A Catered Affair and The Secret Garden.

On the business side of things he is a co-owner of Gemini Music Productions with Jonathan Haas who is the Principal Timpanist with the Aspen Chamber Orchestra and the New York Chamber Symphony.

Canadian Brass, The Principal Brass of the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra recordings
Canzon in Double Echo (Giovanni Gabrieli)
ArrangerArthur Frackenpohl

Here he is discussing the trumpet…

Sources:

  1. http://www.neilbalm.com/about.htm
  2. http://www.neilbalm.com/disco.htm
  3. http://www.geminimusic.com/about/ab_balm.htm
  4. http://amarillo.com/stories/011401/fea_trump.shtml
  5. http://movies.nytimes.com/person/599691/Neil-Balm
  6. http://www.classicalarchives.com/artist/24543.html
  7. http://www.discogs.com/artist/Neil+Balm
  8. http://www.filemaker.com/solutions/customers/stories/132.html
  9. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gabrieli+Album+-+CD/568512.p?skuId=568512&id=1676842