Have trumpet, will travel — to your Derby party
A University of Louisville trumpet professor can make your Kentucky Oaks or Kentucky Derby party memorable for years to come.
Mike Tunnell will dispatch one of his students to your Oaks or Derby party to play the “Call to the Post” if you are a successful bidder at either of two silent auctions.
Tunnell and crew have been invited to perform at the first TrumpetFest at Orvieto Musica 2008, a prestigious festival in Italy’s Umbria region June 22-29.
To get there and pay for lodging, they need $14,000 and they are looking to the public for help. “Our state funds (for such trips) have completely evaporated from a year ago,” Tunnell says.
They also plan to raise money by holding “Brassapalooza” on May 17. On that day, Tunnell is inviting all trumpeters to gather at Churchill Downs to set a new world record for the most trumpeters to play “Call to the Post” at a horse race.
One of his former students came up with that idea. His name is Steve Buttleman and he’s the official bugler at Churchill Downs.
Bids for the Oaks or Derby “Call to the Post” performances will be accepted at a UofL Symphonic Band concert on Friday, April 11, and at a UofL Concert Band and Community Band concert Monday, April 14. Both events are free and begin at 8 p.m. in U of L’s Comstock Hall.
