The old joke goes that the only way you can get to Carnegie Hall is to practice, practice, practice. Or, you could simply join the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet at the famous music hall for the group’s debut in New York this summer. The quintet, composed of Western music professors and known affectionately by their fans as SMBQ, will perform at 8 p.m. in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on Friday, June 8. 

“We’ve been all over the world, but the one place everybody knows is Carnegie Hall,” said Brad Ulrich, trumpet professor at Western and member of SMBQ. “People who couldn’t go with us to Ireland, England and Wales in May 2006 or to St. Petersburg in Russia in 2005 are more likely to be able to travel to New York. We’re already seeing a lot of excitement building for this tour.” The other members are David Ginn, trumpet; Travis Bennett, horn; Daniel Cherry, trombone; and Michael Schallock, tuba.

In addition to the Carnegie performance on Friday evening, WCU’s resident faculty brass quintet is hoping arts enthusiasts from Western North Carolina will stay for a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday, June 9, with Martin DeWitt, director of the Fine Art Museum at Western; dinner with Terrence Mann, Western’s Distinguished Professor of Musical Theatre; and a Broadway show on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, June 10, the group is planning to go to the Guggenheim Museum before returning home.  While a package tour isn’t available, those interested can make their own arrangements for travel, accommodations and performances based on information on the group’s Web site, www.smbq.com.

Tickets for the Carnegie show are available at www.carnegiehall.org. Anyone who would like to help underwrite the SMBQ’s expenses should contact Terri McDermot, WCU director of major gifts, at (828) 227-3052 or tmcdermot@wcu.edu.

The quintet, which performs a wide range of pieces from early music and classical to ragtime, jazz and contemporary compositions, tries to do a major tour every year.  “The concert at Carnegie Hall will present music inspired by our region and our culture for the people of New York and the world.  This is a very big deal for Western, the SMBQ, and our area of the Southern Appalachians,” said Ulrich. 

Those who hope to follow the quintet after its Carnegie Hall debut might want to start saving up now – Ulrich already has his sights set on Italy in 2008 and China in 2009.