Aria Transcriptions Project

Click here to view the final project document.

This project presents a selection of six tenor, baritone, and bass arias from the standard opera repertoire to examine how they can be transcribed onto bass trombone performance. While there is necessarily a great focus on the development of the technical side of trombone playing, the more lyrical, cantabile qualities can sometimes be neglected. As such, by exploring these arias through their background contexts, lyrics, vocal inflections, and melodic gestures, the student can gain insight on how to best perform them on the trombone just as a singer would. I hope to share this document with any trombonist (or brass instrumentalist) looking to explore opera arias as a source of inspiration for solo performance material and a creative avenue to develop their melodic playing!