Rolf Thorstein Smedvig (September 23, 1952 – April 27, 2015) was an American classical trumpeter. He was the founder of the

Empire Brass Empire Brass is a brass quintet from the United States. The group was founded in 1971. The original members met at Tanglewood Music Center (in Lenox, Massachusetts) in 1970. Description and history The quintet chose its name after performing in ...

Quintet. He is renowned for his exemplary tone and accurate intonation.

Biography

Rolf Smedvig was born in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. His father Egil Steinar Smedvig (1922-2012) was a composer and music teacher who had immigrated from

Stavanger, Norway Stavanger (, , US usually , ) is a city and municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the administrative center of Rogaland county. Th ...

. His mother Kristin (Jonsson) Smedvig (1921-2004) was member of the Seattle Symphony's violin section who had immigrated from

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. In 1965, at age 13, Smedvig joined the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras as their principal trumpet. In 1971, he participated in the summer music program at Tanglewood Music Center.

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

chose him to be the trumpet soloist for the 1971 world premiere of his composition ''Mass'' which was composed for the opening of the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

. Smedvig studied music under the tutelage of

Maurice André Maurice André (21 May 1933 – 25 February 2012) was a French trumpeter, active in the classical music field. He was professor of trumpet at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris where he introduced the teaching of the pic ...

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, where Smedvig later served as an instructor. In 1971, aged 19, Smedvig joined the Boston Symphony as assistant principal trumpet. At the time, Smedvig was the youngest member of the orchestra. He was promoted to principal trumpet in 1979, and left in 1981 to focus on a solo career, conducting, and chamber music. Smedvig co-founded the

brass quintet in 1972. The Empire Brass served as Faculty Quintet-in-Residence at Boston University for a number of years. The group was the first brass quintet to win a

Walter W. Naumburg Foundation The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsors competitions and provides awards for young classical musicians in North America. Founded in 1925, it operates the prestigious Naumburg Competition. Foundation and concerts It was founded in 1925 by Walt ...

award. The group has released twenty-some albums.

Personal life

Smedvig's first marriage to Caroline Elisabeth Hessberg, the daughter of New York lawyer Al Hessberg, ended in divorce after Caroline cheated on Smedvig and had an affair with singer-songwriter

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

. Smedvig later married Kelly Holub in 1992, with whom he had four children. Smedvig died of a heart attack at his home in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts on April 27, 2015, at the age of 62. His manager Mark Z. Alpert announced that the Empire Brass would continue; Derek Lockhart replaced Smedvig as first trumpeter and Eric Berlin joined as its second trumpeter.

References

External links

Empire Brass Quintet website
February 2, 1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Smedvig, Rolf 1952 births 2015 deaths American classical trumpeters American male trumpeters Boston University alumni Boston University faculty American people of Icelandic descent American people of Norwegian descent Tanglewood Music Center alumni Musicians from Seattle People from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American male musicians