100th Birthday of Rafael Méndez: A Celebration to Remember
In honor of legendary trumpet player Rafael Méndez, the ASU Herberger College School of Music was excited to celebrate the anniversary of Méndez's 100th birthday on March 8, 2006 at ASU Gammage. The Méndez family including Rafael's twin sons, Robert and Rafael Jr., came for the occasion.
"The family was very happy with the concert, but it was an emotional evening because they wanted their father there to celebrate as well," David Hickmans ASU's Regents' Professor of trumpet and head of the Rafael Méndez Library, said. "ASU trumpet graduates who now teach at other universities came from as far as Maryland to join the celebration."
The evening included a special ASU Symphony Orchestra and ASU Trumpet Ensemble concert with individual and trio performances by Hickman, Jens Lindemann and Allen Vizzutti, all internationally-known soloists. "The event was a highlight in my musical life," Hickman said. "It was so much fun for each of us. Méndez's music is some of my favorite music of all time."
During intermission, J. Robert Wills, dean of the Herberger College of Fine Arts, presented each Méndez son with a recognition award. A private reception was held after the performance for the Méndez family and select faculty and guests in the lobby of the music building. During the reception, Hickman's graduate assistants gave tours of the Rafael Méndez Library located in the School of Music.
The School of Music received an additional donation from the Méndez sons shortly after the performance for the Méndez Scholarship fund. A scholarship is given to one outstanding trumpet student each year. "This added funding will make the size of the annual scholarship very significant," Hickman said. "The award is given to truly outstanding trumpet students."
Hickman said that even a month later, he was still receiving enthusiastic e-mails from audience members about how much they enjoyed the celebration. For more information about Méndez, visit the Méndez Library Web site: http://mendezlibrary.asu.edu.
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