Faces of Music & Sound

Rosalee Morrison

French horn, Canada
Brass Master Class

Rosalee Morrison has been involved in music programs at The Banff Centre for over 30 years on her own and for 15 as a member of the Foothills Brass. “I went to a small University, so in the early years, I came to Banff for exposure to other instruments,” she explains. Now an established musician who performs with her brass quintet in up to 200 concerts a year, Rosalee continues to attend programs at the Centre for both personal and professional development.

“For our group, Banff is a place to team-build, develop concert programs, sit down and rehearse, and plan all day with no distractions,” says Rosalee. This summer, the Foothills Brass were in Banff to bring their new tuba player up to speed on their concert programs and work on integrating him as a part of their team. “The input of [faculty members] Jens [Lindemann] and Alain [Trudel] have been invaluable for this,” she remarks. “With their input and the ability to totally focus on our cohesiveness as a group in our music hut, we’re really getting somewhere.”

Rosalee also participated in the Horn Master Class this summer, working with Frøydis Ree Wekre. “Being able to have the space and time to focus on my own horn playing was wonderful. Banff is such a fabulous opportunity to take your craft and art to a whole new level.”

In the upcoming season, the Foothills Brass will undertake two major U.S. showcases in the fall, a Maritime tour, an Ontario tour, and will continue to develop a new program at home in Calgary, Alberta.

Listen to a clip Rosalee Morrison and the Foothills Brass performing “Simple Gifts” from Gwyneth Walker’s Shaker Tunes at the 2005 Banff Summer Arts Festival.

More Faces of Music & Sound