The K-State trumpet ensemble will spend Thanksgiving break overseas. The nine-member team will perform several concerts Nov. 27-28 in London.
    “It’s one of those ‘trips of a lifetime,’” said Eric Starnes, junior in music education.
    The group will fly to London on Monday. On Thursday, the trumpeters will perform at the Camden School for Girls, a prestigious Music College in London.
    The crescendo of their trip occurs at 1 p.m. on Nov. 28, when they will perform at St. Anne’s Lutheran Church in London. They will perform again that day at 5 p.m. at the Royal Academy of Music, said Gary Mortenson, head of K-State’s music department.
    Performing at St. Anne’s is a coveted honor among formal music students, Mortenson said. The church accepted the ensemble’s application to perform there because K-State’s music department has a history of excellence, Mortenson said.
    “We have the pedigree to be able to do this,” he said.
    In years past, the group has performed in France, Germany, Greece and Thailand. It has competed at seven International Trumpet Guild conferences and performed at the New York Brass conference, he said.
    “This will be my third trip overseas under the direction of Dr. Mortenson,” said Rebecca Ronen, junior in applied music.
    The ensemble has planned this trip since last spring, Ronen said, who is a section leader within the ensemble. While abroad, they will showcase a variety of pieces, including a new song commissioned for the St. Anne’s performance.
    Composed by Erik Morales, “Infinite Ascent” begins as a slow ballad, then picks up into more buoyant fanfare, Ronen said.
    “The piece requires a highly developed sense of melody and is very technical,” Mortenson said. “It’s nice to be putting together a piece that nobody has ever performed before.”
    The ensemble will return to Manhattan on Dec. 1, just in time to resume classes, he said.

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