Trumpeter Fabian Acuna, 18, spent a day with James Morrison as his prize for being selected the most promising brass player at the 2010 Juilliard Winter Jazz Shool at Trinity.
And along with the 31 other promising and passionate young jazz musicians from around Australia, who took part in this week of intensive workshops led by faculty members from the Jazz Program at New York’s famed Juilliard School, he wasn’t disappointed.
'The week at Trinity with the Juilliard Winter Jazz School was worth months and months of practice. I couldn't have got the deeper inspiration and understanding anywhere else,' he says.
But he did not expect his participation to lead to a full-day, one-on-one workshop with Australia’s legendary jazz trumpeter, James Morrison.
This was the ‘dream come true’ prize Fabian received as winner of the McComish Prize for Brass, announced at the Jazz School’s Valedictory Dinner by Mr Bruce McComish, a long-time supporter of Trinity and board member of the Melbourne International Festival of Brass.
Having been selected as the Jazz School’s most promising brass player, Fabian recently travelled to Sydney where he spent the day in Morrison’s studio learning from the master himself.
'The day with James Morrison gave me a clearer understanding of how to build a career path as a musician. I was inspired to be myself in pursuit of musical and technical excellence,' he explains.
Next year, Fabian, who is currently a Year 12 student at the Victorian College of the Arts, hopes to continue his musical studies through VCAM at the University of Melbourne, at which time he might return to Trinity for a longer stay – this time as a resident undergraduate.
The Juilliard Winter Jazz School will also return to Trinity in 2011.
Enquiries to Director of the Jazz School, Sue Karzis.
E: jazz@trinity.unimelb.edu.au
T: +61 3 9348 7486
F: +61 3 9348 7627
