By Quinn Vokes, '09

ALBION, Mich. — When one thinks of small ensembles, the standards come to mind of an assembly of flutes, string quartets, and trumpets blasting a fanfare. Ready for something different? The Albion College Trombone Ensemble is a student led group, presenting their concert for the spring on Sunday, April 6 at 4 p.m. in the Goodrich Chapel.

Music major Mike Stout had the idea to form the Trombone Ensemble in the spring of 2007, and he writes and arranges most of the music, but is quick to note that all group members help decide repertoire, and many also do arrangements too.

“Trombone Ensemble was started as a way for trombonists at Albion to improve their musicianship and get to know each other better," said member Nicole Depowski. "We conduct ourselves and also offer criticism to each other It is a supportive environment in which trombonists can develop musicianship, and part of that includes making mistakes. It is also a lot of fun and the rehearsals are more of a release than a stressor because it is not a class.”

The selections for this concert include arrangements by Stout of "Slavic Farewell: by Vasili Agapkin and the second movement of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, Stout composed a piece titled "I Like Mahler Too Much: Themes from Mahler 3 for Trombone Septet."

This performance is free and open to the public. For a schedule of upcoming concerts visit our website at www.albion.edu/music or contact the Albion College Music department at 517/629-0481 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it