Paul Randall

Since Jason asked for info on studying with Ghitalla, I thought I would relay the story of my time with him. Mine was not the positive experience that so many players have related over the years. I tell it now not to annoy anyone, and I mean no disrespect to Ghitalla, who certainly enjoyed a fine career as a performer and teacher. However, my story shows a different light on this renowned player that helps complete the story of who he was.

In 1971 I attended the Tanglewood Music camp in the high school division. I was a talented 15 year old who had progressed rather quickly and was already studying the orchestral repertoire with my teacher in Detroit, Irv Sarin. I was assigned to Ghitalla for private lessons for the 8 week camp.

At my first lesson I showed up with my C trumpet and my excerpt books and he asked me where my "study" books were. When I asked what he meant he said "Arban, St. Jacome, Clarke technicals, Brandt," etc. He told me he was there to teach me to play the trumpet, not teach me excerpts. He instructed me to have my study books sent from home immediately (I had left them in Detroit) and threw me out. End of lesson 1.

For the rest of the summer he gave me huge lesson assignments every week. As often happens to a young player, I was rather overwhelmed by the daily schedule of playing at a summer camp and was soon suffering from very banged up chops. Eventually I just did not have chops left to practice all the things he assigned me. This ticked him off greatly, and he seemed to have no patience with the fact that I was struggling. None the less, I learned alot from him that summer and by the end of the camp felt that I was on OK terms with him.

The next summer, 1972, I returned to Tanglewood. This time I was ready, having packed all my study books and looking forward to picking up where we left off. I searched him out at the opening ceremony and hurried up to him to say hello and tell him how much I looked forward to working with him again. He immediately told me that "he did not get a lick of work out of me last summer", and refused to teach me again that summer. I was crestfallen to say the least! For the rest of that summer I had no contact with him and ended up studying with Roger Voisin, whom I really was very happy with and learned alot from as well.

In the spring of 1973 I auditioned for the Fellowship Program at Tanglewood in hopes of returning once again. I traveled to Washington DC to audition for Ghitalla while the Boston Symhony was on tour there. He did not accept me for the program. Later that spring I auditioned for the New Orleans Symphony and was hired as 2nd Trumpet.

I am certainly no longer bitter about the experience after all these years. Ghitalla was a human being after all, and now that I am an adult and have students of my own I understand how certain things about them tick you off. However, I don't feel that he treated me fairly and have always wondered why no one else seemed to have a problem with him. Perhaps the answer to that is obvious to everyone but me.

Paul R