Paul Archibald Sounding Out

In July 2025, the 20th anniversary edition of the Summer Trumpet Academy took place in Przemyśl, a historic city in southeastern Poland, close to the Ukraine border. 

Przemyśl is one of the oldest cities in the region, dating back to the 8th century. Situated on the San River, Przemyśl connects mountainous and lowland areas and serves as an important trade and transport corridor. The city has a rich history and is renowned for its well-preserved historic architecture and is now a cultural and historical centre much loved for its charming old town, museums, and vibrant cultural heritage.

The Summer Trumpet Academy 2025 was hosted by the Priests of the Salesian Church which is a neo-gothic church dedicated to St. Joseph, situated very close to the city centre of  Przemsł.  The church has a rich, musical history as it was home to The Silesian Organ School, a unique institution dedicated to organ music education. The school opened in 1916 but was forcibly closed by the communist authorities in 1963 after a confrontation involving police and local parishioners who tried to defend the school. The school reopened after World War II in 1946 and played a critical role in organ culture and music education in post-war Poland until its closure in the early 1960s.

In July, over  60 young trumpeters arrived at the church to participate in a week of classes, lectures, chamber music rehearsals, and concerts overseen by some of Europe’s finest trumpet players and teachers. Each day the students received feedback from the tutors after playing prepared repertoire, rehearsed chamber music repertoire towards the concert on the final day in the Silesian Church, attended lectures on developing technique and listened to the concerts taking place each evening as part of the Przemysl Music Festival.

Here is a brief recording of the Junior Ensemble rehearsing Mozart’s Minuet for Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Gershwin’s Ain’t Misbehavin’

The students came from a variety of countries including Poland, Ukraine and Greece and performed and socialised together in a supportive, inclusive and friendly atmosphere. The food was all home cooked consisting of delicious Polish dishes, enthusiastically eaten by all the participants on the course. After a busy week, the final concert took place in the Silesian Church to a full congregation, the culmination of all the hard work done by both students and teachers during the Summer Trumpet Academy.

The Intermediate Ensemble gave a superb performance of Eric Ewazen’s Concert Fanfare during the final concert. Here’s a video clip of the reherasal

The Senior Ensemble enjoyed rehearsing a superb arrangement of Verdi’s Triumphal March from Aida by trumpeter Wirote Srisunanrat

The Music College Ensemble performed two very challenging pieces – a superb arrangement of Samuel Barber’s Adagio and The Lotus Eater by Eddie Lewis. Here’s a video clip of the rehearsal

During the Summer Trumpet Academy I gave a talk covering a wide range of topics focussed on the fundamentals of trumpet playing. Notes from the lecture are in this video along with some information concerning coping with performance anxiety and developing a profile as a professional musician.

Congratulations to all the organisers: Tomasz Slusarczyk, Daniel Prajzner, Monika Morawiec, Jacek Kraus, Maks Miczka and Pawel Korczagin, and to the tutors Michał Tyrański, Giorgios Laskaridis, Damian Kurek, Ladislav Kozderka, Laurynas Lape and Maciej Fortuna.

Thanks also to the Arts and Culture Department for supporting such a worthwhile and memorable experience for everyone.

Looking forward to next year’s Summer Trumpet Academy!