Wheaton faculty perform at Carnegie Hall

The opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall is a musician's dream. Earl Raney, assistant professor of music in performance, has had the chance several times. Raney recently played principal trumpet at Carnegie in Vivaldi's Gloria and John Rutter's Feel the Spirit with the New England Symphonic Ensemble. Although familiar with the hall, Raney said the experience is always a thrill. "It's a beautiful hall, and the acoustics are amazing," he said.

Raney has been at Wheaton for nine years, and teaches introduction to music, music theory, conducting and private brass lessons. He is also the music director and conductor of Wheaton's wind symphony, chamber orchestra and trumpet ensemble, as well as the Southeastern Massachusetts Wind Symphony and the Great Woods Chamber Orchestra. In addition, Raney and the music department are developing an arts administration course for students interested in art management, to be offered in fall 2007.

Prior to coming to Wheaton, Raney was a full-time trumpet performer with the award-winning ensemble, Epic Brass. As director and solo trumpet, Raney and Epic Brass toured the country and world, as well as produced seven recordings. Epic Brass is still performing, and most recently toured in Maine and Tennessee.

Raney credits his colleagues for supporting outside professional performance, such as with Epic Brass and at Carnegie Hall. "The music department puts a great deal of value on encouraging faculty to get out and perform," he said. Raney also stressed the benefits of performing and said, "It makes me a better teacher to be out there performing, and it makes me a better performer to be teaching."

Raney is not the only Wheaton faculty musician to perform at Carnegie Hall. Ann Sears, music department chair and professor of music, played piano there in March 2006. In a tribute to the late tenor William A. Brown, the concert included the premiere of Aspects of Bill, written by several African-American classical composers. Dr. Brown, a close friend of Sears, came to Wheaton in 1997 and performed in Cole Chapel, from which two recordings were produced. Sears said her Carnegie experience was "wonderful and exciting."