At the end of last school year, High School South junior Ethan Julius’s ambition as a trombonist had him itching to do more.
When he looked into joining a trombone choir or quartet, he could not find anything open to high school students. So, along with three other trombonists, he founded the Garden State Slide Ensemble, which has already performed at the West Windsor Arts Council opening celebration and at Terhune Orchards.
The group makes its next appearance on Sunday, December 12, at 10:30 a.m., at the Bear Creek Assisted Living facility. The performance is open to the public.
The group is a rarity. There are many mixed-brass and mixed-instrument groups among high schoolers, but none that are exclusively for trombone. And while certain universities offer trombone choirs and quartets, groups specifically aimed at trombonists at the high school level are virtually non-existent. “This is probably the only one in New Jersey,” he says.
Julius believes there is a need for this additional musical outlet for ambitious trombonists who wouldn’t otherwise have access to this type of ensemble until they reach college.
And the experience supplements his background, which includes his role in numerous music groups, including South’s bands and orchestras, the Central New Jersey’s Region orchestra and jazz ensemble, the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey Symphonic Orchestra and Brass Choir, the Kelsey Theater Pit Orchestra, as well as summer music groups at the New England Music Camp in Maine. Julius’s father, Paul, works in finance and his mother, Jessie, is a homemaker and plays the flute. His father plays clarinet and has joined him in the Kelsey Theater pit orchestra. Julius has two sisters, Alissa, 14, and Rachel, 12, who both sing.
He began playing the trombone when he was in fifth grade, when he already had experience playing the piano. There was a wind instrument demo at school, and he picked up the trombone because it “looked cool.”
“I didn’t know I was going to take it seriously,” he says. “It looked energetic, and I would be playing it with my friends once or twice a week.”
The trombone was a perfect fit. “It turns out I really enjoyed playing it, and as I got better, I was able to do more with it. Now, it’s my biggest activity outside of school, and in school.”
Julius’s brainchild came to fruition in September, with the idea that the group would play different types of music: classical, jazz, even holiday music. He formed the group with fellow South students Varun Hegde and Benjamin Zhu and Princeton resident Frank Rein.
Hegde, Zhu, and Rein share just as much passion for the instrument. Julius met Rein at the Region jazz band, and knew Hegde and Zhu from playing in school together. “I really like the dynamic of working with these guys,” says Julius. “We all give each other music advice and support.”
Hegde has played in a number of music groups in the school district, at both the middle and high school levels. He has also played in the Region 2 Orchestra and YOCJ for several years. “The Slide Ensemble is a chance for me to get together with some of my best friends and play great music,” says Hegde.
Zhu, who began playing the trombone in middle school, also plays in the district’s musical groups as well as in the Region and All-State bands and orchestras.
Rein, the ensemble’s bass trombonist, plays in the Princeton High School Studio Band as well as the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and the Philadelphia Jazz Orchestra. Rein, the son of West Windsor-Plainsboro News publisher Richard K. Rein, also played in the Region and All-State jazz bands this year.
The ensemble rehearses weekly on its own and also relies on the expertise and guidance of Lars Wendt, tenured trombonist of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, who provides musical instruction to the ensemble once a month. In addition, Julius said that his trombone teacher from music camp has also added help.
The ensemble’s selections include Dixieland and ragtime pieces. “The style of each piece changes after we finish each one, and currently, we have eight or nine pieces that are pretty solid, and each one is completely unique,” says Julius.
This allows for the trombonists to put their own personal touches on it. “When you join larger ensembles, you don’t get to pick the music,” he explained. “If you do, the conductor gives you a choice of one or the other. We control what we want to play and how we want to musically express the music, and it’s all open to our interpretation.”
The group has been doing well. The ensemble’s Facebook.com page has grown to include more than 50 fans since September, despite only having a limited number of performances within the community.
The ensemble is hoping to schedule a variety of spring performances, including Communiversity, Plainsboro’s Founders Day, and West Windsor’s Memorial Day Parade.
Sometime in the future, Julius says the group may think about adding more members to the ensemble, but for now, things are going smoothly.
Organizing the ensemble also helped in providing Julius the experience of running a group. “I lead the group in rehearsal and try to make every piece the best as we can get it,” he says.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com and search for Garden State Slide Ensemble.
