Sitka Fine Arts Camp
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Jobs / Volunteering
    • Historic Campus
    • Media
    • Contact >
      • Maintenance
  • Programs
    • Summer Camps
    • Young Performers Theater >
      • YPTFA
    • Hames Center
  • Shows
  • Rentals
    • Campus
    • Tillie Paul Hostel
    • Performing Arts Center
  • Store
    • Merchandise
    • Downloads
  • Donate
  • Logo

Alaska Brass Workshop

The Alaska Brass Workshop provides an intense pre-professional music experience for advanced high school brass players. The workshop is taught by a team of professional musicians including Brian Neal, former member of Dallas Brass, and Donna Parkes, principal trombone for the Louisville Symphony. Students should be self-motivated, have a strong desire to learn, be focused on improvement, and be able to work in a team.

The Alaska Brass Workshop uses the large brass ensemble as a learning environment as well as a musical platform for brass players to enjoy making music at the highest level.  By playing in the brass ensemble and preparing a concert program players will be challenged and grow both technically and musically.

This workshop is 5 days long and designed to lead toward the high school fine arts camp. It is recommended that students in this group continue at High School Camp in 2nd period masterclasses or during 5th period Chamber Music.
Not offered in 2021

​Entering 10th grade through 2021 Graduates.

​Instrumentation: Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Euphonium, and Tuba

​
Prerequisites: This workshop is open to any student who qualified for the  Alaska All-State Band or Solo/Ensemble or the equivalent.

Audition Materials: Excerpts from pieces showing technical and lyrical abilities. 


Picture
Brian Neal played trumpet as a member of the internationally-celebrated Dallas Brass. Classically trained at the renowned Manhattan School of Music in New York City, during summers he was a fellow at Tanglewood, Waterloo, Fountainbleau conservatory in France and Norfolk Chamber music festival. He has performed as soloist and collaborator with Charles Dutoit, Yoel Levi, John Nelson, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, Stanislav Skorbachevsky, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Leon Fleischer. Brian is the Director of instrumental studies and professor of trumpet at the Kendall campus of Miami Dade College. He lives in Miami with his wife, Karen.
Picture
Donna Parkes is an Australian trombonist who is currently Principal Trombone of the Louisville Orchestra and Principal Trombone of the Colorado Music Festival. She considers herself fortunate to have performed with many different orchestras around the world including the San Francisco Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Malaysia Philharmonic, National Symphony, Utah Symphony and even the Qatar Philharmonic in the Middle East. She has been teaching young musicians for over twenty years. She has loved visiting Sitka every Christmas to perform in the Annual Brass Holiday Concert.
Picture
Roger Schmidt has been the Executive Director of Sitka Fine Arts Camp (Alaska Arts Southeast, Inc.) since 2000. He grew up in Sitka and attended the Sitka Fine Arts Camp as a student from 1980-1984. The arts have been a central part of Roger’s life. He graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory with degrees in philosophy and trombone performance with additional music studies at the Aspen Music Festival, Pierre Monteux School and internationally in London and at the Bruckner Conservatory in Austria. As a musician he has worked in the San Francisco Bay area as well as toured throughout Alaska and other parts of the United States. For over a decade, he has organized Sitka’s Holiday Brass Concert, performing alongside some of the world’s greatest brass musicians including members of the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and many others. As a private teacher and brass coach his students have been selected as first chair at All-State, All-Northwest, and National Honor Bands and Orchestras. His students have also been accepted at some of the top music schools in the country including Eastman School of Music, Rice University, New England Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Registration Checklist

Not offered in 2021
Health Form due March 1
1/2 Tuition (less deposit) due March 1
Travel Form due March 1 (only required for Dorm Students)
Tuition due May 1

More Info

Travel
FAQs
Campus Map
Financial Aid Information
General Camp Information

Location

Campus Map Download

2025 Camp Dates

Elementary June 9-13
Middle June 15-28
High June 29-July 13
Musical Theater July 14-August 3

Main Office Hours

9:00am - 5:00pm
Login to your account
Contact Us
110 College Drive
Suite 111
Sitka, AK 99835

Phone: 907-747-3085
​Event Rentals: 907-623-8511
​Hostel Bookings: 907-623-2229
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Jobs / Volunteering
    • Historic Campus
    • Media
    • Contact >
      • Maintenance
  • Programs
    • Summer Camps
    • Young Performers Theater >
      • YPTFA
    • Hames Center
  • Shows
  • Rentals
    • Campus
    • Tillie Paul Hostel
    • Performing Arts Center
  • Store
    • Merchandise
    • Downloads
  • Donate
  • Logo