st louis symphony

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Karin Bliznik
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Grammy award winning Principal Trumpet of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Karin Bliznik has been performing professionally since the age of 23 with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in music from Boston University and Northwestern University respectively.  Karin has performed with a wide range of artists covering many genres such as pop artists Stevie Wonder, Kayne West, and the Temptations to world class orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and London Philharmonic.  She has recently been invited and inducted into the newest class of voting members of the Recording Academy.

Brendan Fitzgerald blog post

Questions about Brendan's audition prep? I'm happy to answer them! - Click here to schedule a 30 minute meeting!

A San Diego native and avid disc golfer, Brendan Fitzgerald joined the St. Louis Symphony in September 2019 after spending two seasons with the Seattle Symphony. During this time, he performed on numerous recording projects with Ludovic Morlot, including the recent commercial releases of Marc-André Dalbavie’s Cello Concerto, John Luther Adams’ Become Desert, and Berlioz’s Requiem.

Fitzgerald began his musical studies in elementary school on piano and trumpet before discovering the electric bass in eighth grade. He played in multiple punk, metal, and acoustic folk bands before deciding to devote himself more fully to the study of orchestral literature, studying with Travis Gore, a current member of the Seattle Symphony. After some time in the San Diego Youth Symphony, he attended Interlochen Arts Academy as a senior, before pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Double Bass Performance at Northwestern University. In 2012, he enjoyed a revelatory summer at Domaine Forget, where he worked closely with renowned pedagogues Paul Ellison and David Allen Moore. He then attended the Aspen Music Festival in 2016 and 2017 as a fellowship recipient, performing alongside members of the Pittsburgh, Dallas, St. Louis, and San Francisco symphonies.

Fitzgerald’s strongest influence and mentor is his undergraduate teacher, Northwestern University bass professor Andy Raciti, with whom he had the honor to perform alongside as a frequent substitute musician with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He is excited to begin work with Stepháne Denève and the rest of his SLSO colleagues, as well as enjoy the finest barbecue in the country.

In this episode I talk with George Goad and Derek Fenstermacher about their success in recent auditions. George recently won associate principal trumpet with the Montreal Symphony and Derek won principal tuba with the St. Louis Symphony.