A new carnival of Venice

The “New Carnival of Venice” was written in 1985 for a July 4th concert celebrating American Independence Day by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl (17’400 places). Two weeks before the event, the General Director of the Philharmonic and famed impresario, Ernest Fleischmann, told me the scheduled soloist for the concert had cancelled and asked if I could do a trumpet solo or had any other ideas for something that would be appropriate for an outdoor July 4th “Pops” concert, like the “Carnival of Venice.” I suggested a trumpet ensemble version of the “Carnival”, but there were no such versions available; so, I offered to write one, and he accepted my offer. The piece was written and orchestrated in about three days and then given to the copyist, fellow trumpeter Martha Fenton-Frear, who hurriedly prepared the formal score and parts in time for the performance. The piece was a success and subsequently has been played by major orchestras throughout the world, including an international television broadcast by the Boston Pops orchestra, conducted by the famous film composer, John Williams, in celebration of the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. Thomas Stevens, Spring 2010, Los Angeles, US