This project, The Conditions of a Solitary Bird, champions works for unaccompanied trombone and explores its unique colors. All the works featured herein are musically and technically well suited to the instrument and deserve a place at the center of its expanding repertory. In general, recordings in the professional trombone community tend to favor works of chamber music for trombone and piano, with unaccompanied works generally being underrepresented. The aim is to advance these great works that deserve a more prominent place in the trombone discography. At the beginning of this new millennium, we are experiencing a renaissance of trombone literature and artistry, a trend I believe will continue as long as artists persevere in performing and recording new works such as these and continue to encourage more to be written. My first solo album, titled A New Day Dawning (MSR Classics MS1182, 2008) was inspired by the many fine recordings of trombone artists of the 1980s and 1990s. It featured world premiere recordings of works by the American Kenneth Kruezer and James Thornton, rarely recorded works by Americans John Davison and John La Montaine, and the American premiere recording of Jean-Francois Michel’s In Memoriam. With this new project, The Conditions of a Solitary Bird, it is my hope to honor and expand the ongoing renaissance of modern brass playing. The repertoire includes Lawrence Borden’s The Conditions of a Solitary Bird for solo trombone and passive piano, Frigyes Hidas’ Fantasia for Trombone, and Phil Snedecor’s Lyrical Etudes for Trombone. On a personal note, this project is dedicated to the memory of my father, Dr. James D. Robertson (1944-2012), who retired as an Emeritus Professor of Music at Montana State University – Billings. In addition to being a passionate and devoted music educator, my father was a noted trombonist who played nearly five decades in professional symphony orchestras, who instilled in me a great love of music, teaching, life, and the outdoors. This project honors his contribution to the field. Lawrence Borden dedicates his composition The Conditions of a Solitary Bird to his teachers: Ardash Marderosian and Frank Crisafulli. The composer says the following of the work, “This work was inspired by the writings of San Juan de la Cruz, a 16th century Spanish Catholic mystic. One of San Juan’s duties was to travel from convent to convent, hearing confessions and giving advice and direction to aid the spiritual advancement of the resident nuns. His advice on how to achieve peace and unity with God often took the form of near poetic aphorisms. There are hundreds of these collected sayings; their insight and clarity are Zen-like.” The first and fifth movements utilize passive piano (with sustain pedal) while the trombonist plays directly into the strings and sounding board of the instrument. The ethereal ‘ringing’ sound of the piano is meant to be clearly audible to the listener, without being overly loud. The inner movements of the work are played normally (with the performer facing the audience in live performance) and do not utilize the sustain pedal. The fourth movement utilizes multiphonics, microtones, and meditative silence to sonically depict indefinite color. The Conditions of a Solitary Bird are five. The first, that it flies to that which is highest; The second, that it does not suffer companionship, even of its own kind; The third, that it points its beak towards the sky; The fourth, that it does not have a definite color; The fifth, that it sings sweetly. San Juan de la Cruz (1542-1591) Translated by Lawrence Borden and Alan Harzman Hungarian composer, Frigyes Hidas was one of the 20th century’s more prolific composers of music for brass instruments. Out of his 135 compositions, 67 feature the trombone, trumpet, horn, tuba and euphonium in a solo setting, a homogenous chamber setting or a heterogeneous chamber setting. Fantasia for unaccompanied trombone (1979) was the first solo piece he composed for trombone, and it was the first piece written for his lifelong friend, Gusztáv Höna. This friendship, along with Höna’s interactions with Bill Cramer and the International Trombone Association, lead to Hidas composing over 23 works featuring the trombone, making trombone-centric music the majority of his overall brass compositions . This project is the world premiere recording of Snedecor’s Lyrical Etudes for Trombone, which consist of a collection of twenty short concert etudes that were inspired by the world famous brass pedagogue and Chicago Symphony Orchestra Tubist Arnold Jacobs. The Lyrical Etudes have become an important contribution to our literature. In addition to being fine woks for performance, they are excellent study works for students as they serve to enhance student’s lyrical playing and musicianship. It is my hope that, for both my students and those of other educators in the trombone community, having an example of one specific possible interpretation will be an excellent tool for teaching and learning within the studio. Jemmie Robertson is Assistant Professor of Trombone and Euphonium at Eastern Illinois University where he performs with the Faculty Brass Quintet and the Faculty Jazz Combo. He is an active musician in the Chicago area and has performed with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Music of the Baroque, Chicago Chamber Musicians, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicagoland Pops Orchestra, Tower Brass, and many other area ensembles. In 2006, Jemmie completed a DM at Northwestern University. Jemmie also holds degrees from Yale University and the University of Northern Colorado. Previously, Jemmie was a member of the Virginia Symphony and the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band. Jemmie has performed and/or presented at the 1999 & 2006 Alessi Seminars; the 2004, 2008, and 2013 International Trombone Festivals; at several Eastern Trombone Workshops; and at the 2013 Big Twelve Trombone Festival, Illinois Music Educator’s Conference, Mid-west Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference, and the Harvey Phillip’s Northwest Big Brass Bash. His first solo CD, A New Day Dawning, was released on the MSR Classics Label in 2008. Jemmie has performed as a member of the Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra since 2000 and as Principal Trombone of the Santo Domingo Festival Orchestra since 2011. His primary teachers include Michael Mulcahy, Scott Hartman, John Swallow, Milt Stevens, Joe Alessi, Buddy Baker, and his father, James D. Robertson, to whom this project is dedicated. Jemmie is an Edwards Performing Artist and Clinician.