Review By James French, Freeport, IL

Thursday night a beautifully charming couple, Ronald Romm, trumpet player, and his pianist accompanist, Avis Fedge Romm, enthralled an enthusiastic audience in the second concert of this year’s community concert series. Playing songs drawn from the works of such compositional giants as Beethoven, Debussy, Ravel, Gershwin, Puccini, Verdi, and Bizet, the Romm’s demonstrated a flair for their own unique arrangements, producing some wonderfully lyric and expressive musical moments, and capturing the essence of melody and accompaniment in each one they played. Most of their songs may not have been written for the two instruments of piano and trumpet alone, but as Avis Romm explained to the audience, perhaps composers like Debussy, “didn’t realize how well they had written for the trumpet!”

In addition to the music, which wafted with a sweet sensuousness unlike what I would have expected from a trumpet player, part of the charm of the evening was the dialogue between the musicians and the audience itself. After their opening number, one or the other of the Romm’s would introduce each piece, often with a note of history about the composer. And in the show’s closing, the couple even took questions from the audience, telling us that they had been married for “several”  years, and that they met in an “extremely difficult” ear training class at the Julliard School of Music in New York.

One of the musical highlights came just before intermission, when Avis introduced Ronald as one of the “sopranos.” He reappeared onstage dressed in an outlandish wig, and a red apron, to play songs from “The Ultimate Opera.” They included poetic and powerful renditions of “Un Bel Di” from Pucinni’s “Madama Butterfly,” and arias from Georges Bizet’s “Carmen,” and Guiseppi Verdi’s “La Traviata.” These, along with number after number, were greeted with enthusiastic applause and shouts of “bravo!”
Ronald Romm opened his concert by playing a haunting rendition of “Amazing Grace” from the wings of the stage. Then he came onstage to play a very smoothly written song called “Seeing the Light,” and a second with a Mexican flair called “Jubilation.” – both compositions written by Ronald and Avis.

The program included “Pavane” by French Composer Ravel, who so named it as a song for a dead princess, “because it was the only title he could think of.” The Debussy classic, “Clair De Lune,” a feat for any accomplished pianist, was given a new meaning with Ronald playing the trumpet on the melodic highlights, while Avis continued with the continuing arpeggios of the piece.

I enjoyed the demonstration of “triple tonguing” which Ronald brought to his presentation of “The Carnival of Venice,” by Del Staigers. It is a fun song, known to many schoolchildren as the melody used in the game song, “My Hat It Has Three Corners.”
The strength of Beethoven was evident in the playing of the Adagio Cantabile for the “Pathetique” Sonata, where the two musicians again combined to demonstrate a very unfamiliar element of the trumpet, an evocative, emotive, and eloquent style that wooed the listener.

After the intermission, Ronald and Avis combined for a very lively presentation of the “Three Preludes” by George Gershwin. A question and answer period followed, before the final number, an amazing and thoroughly satisfying playing of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” with Romm doing things on a trumpet I thought only possible with a clarinet or a slide trombone. The arrangement was from the famous Russian trumpet player, Dokzhitzer, who the Romm’s met several years ago when he was on an American tour.

Ronald Romm, a founding member of the “Canadian Brass” group, is now in the second year of his solo career, and he and Avis make their home in Sarasota, Florida, with their two teenage sons. They welcome email, and can be reached at their web site.

They were Ronald and Avis Romm, heading up the final concert of the San Bemardino Valley Community Concert Association. It was more than simply another trumpet and piano recital. It was an aesthetic event.

by Ralph Andrews, Correspondent, The San Bernardino Sun

The concert started with the trumpet offstage playing an ordinary version of “Amazing Grace” as a prelude. The concert officially opened with Bach’s “Prelude in C” made famous by Gounod, who used it for a setting of “Ave Maria.”

The Romm’s took the same prelude and set their melodies on top of it, calling it “Seeing the Light.”
Ravel’s famous “Pavane” and Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” do not seem like trumpet tunes, but Ronald Romm played them with great sensitivity.

No trumpet concert would be complete without the “Carnival of Venice.” This one was no exception. This virtuosic show piece has been popular since Herbert L. Clarke. However, Romm chose the version by Del Staigers that eliminates the smoke but leaves the fire.
A bit of comedy took place with selections from “The Ultimate Opera.” Well-known soprano arias were played with the trumpeter in drag.

A version of “Rhapsody in Blue” for trumpet and piano was successful because the trumpeter knew when to lay out and when to play out. He even made the opening solo clarinet whine sound like the clarinet. Local trumpet players might like to know that he used Bb trumpet, Eb trumpet, and a Bb piccolo trumpet in this concert.

A 30-year veteran of the Canadian Brass, Ronald Romm is at home in all styles of music. He has a tone that can be inspiring, melancholy or anything in between — and then some.

He and his lovely wife made us feel as though we were in their living room. He also must have a cast iron lip, as this was his second performance of the day. His biographical sketch looks hard to believe, but every word is true.

He and his wife make a perfect team. Let’s hope they come back in the near future to give those who did not make this concert a second chance to hear this remarkable couple.

Ralph Andrews, who has a Ph. D. in music, is a free-lance musician, teacher and a judge for the Inland Theatre League

First, since Ron is a member of our exalted list: Ron, thanks many times for the time you spent in our area, for the great workshops that you did in our schools and businesses, and for your dazzling concert.

The concert featured what you would expect from a longtime member of the Canadian Brass – an eclectic mix of astounding artistry and entertaining favorites with a bit of humor on the side.

as posted to the Trumpet Players International mailing list by D. Hamburg

Now that I finally have a minute, I’d like to comment on the concert by Ron and Avis Romm that took place in the Quad Cities last weekend.

First, since Ron is a member of our exalted list: Ron, thanks many times for the time you spent in our area, for the great workshops that you did in our schools and businesses, and for your dazzling concert.

The concert featured what you would expect from a longtime member of the Canadian Brass – an eclectic mix of astounding artistry and entertaining favorites with a bit of humor on the side.

As they were introduced, there was the usual applause, but as it died down, there was nobody on the stage. Then a very soulful rendition of “Amazing Grace” (unaccompanied) came from the wings, and following that, the couple finally appeared.

Guys, Avis is as beautiful as she looks in the posters, and she wore the same gown from the posters. I’m pretty sure that I caught her winking at me a few times, but that may have just been my imagination.

They opened with two selections of their own, “Seeing the Light,” and “Jubilation,” excellent works to showcase the interplay between instruments. Following that were their arrangements of the Ravel, “Pavane” and Debussy’s “Clair De Lune.” Next was the Staigers arrangement of “Carnival of Venice” (flawless), and the Adagio from Beethoven’s “Pathetique ” Sonata (another Romm arrangement).

Then some trickery involving a kiss from Avis (fooled me completely) allowed Ron to retreat backstage. When he returned for “Selections from ‘The Ultimate Opera’,” he was adorned as an operatic diva with skirt (kinda) and wig. This Romm arrangement featured Ron playing famous arias from four operas with minor costume changes between the movements. The intermission followed.

The second half of the concert opened with the Burgstaller arrangement of “The Virgen de la Macarena” (my wife said that it was nothing like the “Macarena” that she knew) followed by a Romm arrangement of the Chopin “Nocturne in E Flat Major.” They then treated us to their arrangement of the three Gershwin Preludes (not on the program) and finished with a Timofei Dokzhitzer arrangement of “Rhapsody in Blue for Trumpet and Piano.”

In discussions with friends after the concert, we couldn’t agree on what was the most outstanding aspect of Ron’s playing. I think it was the incredible tone that changed from clear, soft, warm, and sensuous to clear, bright and fiery at will. They think it was the highly emotional interpretations – there were many times when it seemed like love was pouring out the bell.

Either way, I’ve decided that when I grow up, I want to be like Ron. Oops, I am grown up! Well, in my next life, I want to be Ron Romm.

– Dave Hamburg