He is a trombonist, euphonium player, conductor, writer and teacher born in Philadelphia, who studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and the University of Pennsylvania.
He was a solo trombonist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and with them performed over 2,000 concerts. At the same time he was in the offshoot group of musicians called the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble who won two Grammy Awards with their The Glorious Sound of Brass and The Antiphonal Music of Antonio Gabrieli.
Also making his name as a conductor he led the Minnesota Orchestra in over 1,000 performances, led the South Dakota Symphony for twelve seasons and has also been a guest conductor to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Young Artists Orchestra at Tanglewood, the Dallas Symphony and many others. For 16 years he was also Musical Director at Interlochen Arts Camp for the World Youth Symphony Orchestra.
In recognition of his contribution to music in South Dakota, the 2000-2001 season was dubbed “The Season of Maestro Henry Charles Smith III”.
As a teacher he has been a faculty member of many educational establishments such as the Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University, the University of Texas and Indiana University among others and is Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University.
Philadelphia Brass Ensemble recordings
Angels We Have Heard on High (Traditional French/James Chadwick/Edward Barnes)
CBS MK 7033 (CD: A Festival of Carols in Brass)
He conducts the Mississippi Valley Orchestra here…
Sources:
- http://www.windsongpress.com/brass%20players/tuba/smith.htm
- http://www.conductorsworkshop.com/Faculty%20Bios.htm
- http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/performer/Smith,+Henry+Charles/a/Henry+Charles+Smith.htm
- http://www.dwerden.com/emg/recordingsearch.cfm?Artist=Smith%2C+Henry+Charles&doSearch=1
- http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~philorch/1stChair/HCSmith.html