Rolf Thorstein Smedvig (September 23, 1952 – April 27, 2015) was an American classical trumpeter. He was the founder of the Empire Brass quintet. He is renowned for his exemplary tone and accurate intonation.

Biography

Rolf Smedvig was born in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

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

Stavanger, Norway Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

. His mother Kristin (Jonsson) Smedvig (1921-2004) was member of the

Seattle Symphony The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra also serves as the accompanying orchestra for the Seattle Opera. History Beginnings The orchest ...

's violin section who had immigrated from

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. In 1965, at age 13, Smedvig joined the

Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras (SYSO) is the largest youth symphony organization and youth orchestra training program in the United States, as well as the eighth oldest. History The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, the organization's oldes ...

as their principal trumpet. In 1971, he participated in the summer music program at

Tanglewood Music Center The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops. The center operates as a part of the Tanglew ...

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis 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 th ...

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 Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

. 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 university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

, where Smedvig later served as an instructor. In 1971, aged 19, Smedvig joined the

Boston Symphony The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, the BSO perfor ...

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 Empire Brass brass quintet in 1972. The quinted 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 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 Albert Hessberg II (June 14, 1916 – January 24, 1995) was an American college football player and lawyer. At Yale University, Hessberg played track and was the first Jewish standout player on the Yale Bulldogs football team. Hessberg became the ...

, ended in divorce after Caroline 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. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

. 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 West Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town had a population of 1,343 at the time of the 2020 United States census. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Histor ...

, 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 classical musicians 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 American classical musicians 20th-century American male musicians