BRAZZISSIMO
Musician Bios
PHILIP SHOPTAUGH - TRUMPETS
Philip is a co-founder of Brazzissimo as well as the musical director. He was the lead trumpet with the National Tour of Applause featuring Lauren Bacall and assistant principal trumpet with Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Tour Orchestra. Phils career includes positions with the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, and Opera orchestras. He was the principal trumpet on numerous Broadway musicals with the LA/SF Civic Light Opera orchestra performing in over fifty different musical productions. Phil is a freelance trumpeter in the Bay Area, playing in numerous musical groups such as the San Francisco Starlight Jazz Orchestra, The Black Tie Orchestra, Joe Smiels German Band, The Bay Area Big Band, Oakland Park Band and the Bohemian Club Band.
NOEL WEIDKAMP - TRUMPETS
Jazz is one of Noel's musical interests and an area of strong experience that he brings to Brazzissimo. He has played with big bands and small combos including Jazz De Elegance, The Bay Area Repertory Big Band and the Devil Mountain Jazz Band. Noel has performed as the featured trumpet soloist with many local musical groups including Brazzissimo, the Contra Costa Wind Symphony, the Oakland Park Band and he also fronts his own jazz quintet. He has performed in Europe and Asia.
DEAN BOYSEN TRUMPETS,AND FLUGELHORN
Dean's original musical compositions and arrangements for Brazzissimo have helped define the groups unique and exciting style. Dean has been playing professionally and
freelancing on trumpet in the Bay Area for over 30 years. This experience includes studio work with over 30 recordings particularly in the soul/funk music industry. Orchestral, stage shows, small jazz combo, Latin jazz, brass chamber music and wedding performances consume Dean's musical endeavors. Dean also currently performs with the Amici Brass Quintet, Gabriels Trio (Heraldic Trumpets), the California Pops Orchestra and Viva la Musica!
Dean's formal trumpet studies were with the inimitable Claude Gordon from 1979 - 1984.
GLENN APPELL
TRUMPET AND FLUGELHORN
Glenn is a versatile addition to Brazzissimo with a colorful professional music career.
Glenn has freelanced on trumpet, harmonica and Native American Flute in the San Francisco Bay Area for close to 30 years. Groups he has performed with include The San Francisco Mime Troupe, The Johnny Nocturne Band, Pete and Sheila Escovedo, Barbara Morrison, Clairdee, O. J. Ekemode, Charles Brown, Ruth Brown, John Santos, Junior Mance, David Bromberg, Dr. Loco and the Rockin Jalapéno Band, and many others. Glenn has also done extensive freelance recording for film scores and CDs.
Glenn currently leads the Just Say Jazz sextet specializing in jazz education for children. He received his B.S. in music from the City University of New York and his M.A. in Multicultural Music Education from San Francisco State University. Glenn is the author of a new college textbook for Thomson Schirmer entitled American Popular Music: A Multicultural History with co-author David Hemphill. Glenn Appell is the director of jazz and popular music studies at Diablo Valley College.
BILL EICH
FRENCH HORN
Bill and his horn are often featured in Brazzissimo performances. Bill was principal horn with the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West early in his career and has played with several local orchestras and bands.
In addition to Brazzissimo, Bill currently plays with The Diablo Symphony, the East Bay Brass Co. Brass Quintet, and the Amici Brass Quintet. His solo performances include the Guam Fine Arts Society, The Denver Concert Band, The Brico Symphony Orchestra, The Diablo Symphony Orchestra, Symphony of the Mountain and the Contra Cost Chamber Orchestra.
Retired from his career as a pharmaceutical sales representative and clinical associate, Bill pursues his musical and other interests. He trained with his father as a watchmaker and clockmaker. Bill is a licensed pilot and also won the 1984 International Miniature Aerobatic Clubs National Championship, Unlimited Class in radio controlled planes.
JOHN MONROE –
PRINCIPAL TROMBONE
John is principal trombone and a member of the board of directors of Brazzissimo.
In addition, he is principal trombone in the Ohlone Wind Orchestra and plays in the Stanford Trombone Quartet, the Friday Morning Bones trombone quartet, Slide Matters trombone jazz sextet, the Bay Bones, and the Amici Brass quintet. John recently performed the Creston Fantasy for Trombone and Orchestra with the Ohlone Wind Orchestra. He played for 30 years in the pit orchestra for the Stanford Savoyards productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operas.
His successful career started with the New Jersey All State Band and Opera Orchestra. He was principal trombone in the Cornell University Wind Ensemble. John volunteers in the Palo Alto schools teaching trombone. John is retired from his career in computer manufacturing and quality assurance. He currently is CEO of Done-Again Farms and is a member of the Blue Diamond Almond Growers Cooperative.
BILLY ROBINSON
TROMBONE, BASS TROMBONE, EUPHONIUM, TUBA
One of Brazzissimos most versatile musicians, Billy also assists as rehearsal conductor.
Billy performs with the Contra Costa Wind Symphony, the Friday Morning trombone quartet, the Faultline Brass Tuba Quartet, the Ohlone Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble and other ensembles. He is the co-founder and conductor of a large trombone choir, the Bay Bones, featured at the International Trombone Festival in Nashville and Las Vegas. For the past fifteen years, Billy has been playing trombone, tuba and alpenhorn for October Fest in California and Japan. As a freelance musician, Billy played all the ice shows, as well as musicals and backing for many headline acts. Billy received his BA and MA in Music from California State University, Fresno. He played principal trombone in the sixth Army Band at the Presidio of San Francisco,the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra, the American Symphony League Orchestra, and bass trombone in the Cabrillo Music Festival Orchestra. He studied trombone with Dr. James Winter in Fresno and Robert Marsteller of the LA Philharmonic.
MIKE SHANNON –
EUPHONIUM AND BARITONE
Mike began playing the euphonium in Junior High School and was part of a high school band
that won the prestigious Carnegie Award every year that he was a member. Mike is the principal euphonium in the Ohlone College Wind Orchestra and is part of the Ohlone Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble. He is active in the Bay Area playing with several groups including the Faultline Brass Tuba Quartet and the San Andreas Brass Band, a traditional British style brass band.
Although euphonium is not generally an orchestral instrument, Mike played tenor tuba for Holst’s Planets with the Livermore Symphony and has performed several times with the Peninsula Symphony. He has played with concert bands in Pleasanton, Walnut Creek and the Columbia Basin in Richland, Washington. Mike was a founding member (3rd trombone) of the Cool Tones Swing Band, based in Pleasanton.Mike is an engineer, having earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Duquesne University.
TODD WEINMAN - BASS TROMBONE
Todd brings classical orchestral experience and a steady bass line to Brazzissimo as well as an element of the unexpected. Todd began his professional career as the Principal Bass Trombone for four years in the Orquesta Filarmonica de Santiago, Chile performing for the ballet and opera in addition to a full concert schedule. He has since worked as a free-lance musician in Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area, where he plays with a wide variety of ensembles. Most recently, Todd has been the acting bass trombonist of the Stockton Symphony. He has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony as well as with Yo Yo Mas Silk Road Ensemble. He has the distinction of performing with musical groups on four continents.
He studied with Ron Rickets (Minnesota Orchestra), Lewis van Haney (NY Philharmonic and Indiana University), Arnold Jacobs (Chicago Symphony), and John Engelkes (San Francisco Symphony). He also worked with his father, Larry Weinman, Bass Trombonist of the Minnesota Orchestra, along with Ed Kleinhammer, Don Harwood and Warren Deck. Todd studied music at Indiana University and holds a degree in European Intellectual History from UC Berkeley. Todd is the Western Region Recruiting Director for an executive search firm. The California Association of Personnel Consultants recognized him as Consultant of the Year.
JOHN TAYLOR - TUBA
John provides the baseline for Brazzissimo, an essential role in a group that normally performs without percussion.
John plays with the Ohlone Wind Orchestra and the Ohlone Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, both under the direction of Tony Clements, principle tubist in the Symphony Silicon Valley, with whom John has studied privately. John has performed with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, the Livermore Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra for Music in the Mountains, the El Camino Youth Wind Orchestra, the Stony Ridge Ramblers, the Brassworks Brass Quintet, the Orchestra Vintage Brass Quintet, and the Faultline Brass Tuba Quartet.
John owes his love for the tuba to his father, also a tuba player and his first instructor. He received a music scholarship to the University of Michigan where he played under William D. Revelli. John previously studied with Joseph Parker and Oscar LaGasse. He previously played professionally in the Detroit Area. John is a retired physicist having worked in laser optics.
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Listening to: "I Only Have Eyes for You" by Harry Warren, arr. by Roger Harvey
