Channing Paul Philbrick, Trumpet
Assistant Principal
Hometown: Penfield, New York
Joined Lyric Orchestra in 1996
Education: BME and MM Northwestern University
With which other orchestras do you perform?
I am fortunate to also be a member of the Grant Park Symphony which provides a wonderful musical balance for me. Getting to play ten intense weeks of orchestral music during Lyric's off season nicely fills out my musical year. During the Lyric Opera season I am also able to perform with Music of the Baroque and the Chicago Philharmonic orchestras. Both are wonderful musical experiences and give me a chance to work with many of my Lyric Opera colleagues in different musical settings.
What teacher inspired you the most?
My most influential teacher was Mr. Vincent Cichowicz who taught at Northwestern University. He had been a longtime member of the famous Chicago Symphony trumpet section. Not only was he an amazing pedagogue but he was incredibly good at getting inside your head and figuring out exactly what you needed to be working on. His patience, inspiration and musicality transformed my view of trumpet playing.
Outside of the pit:
I can most likely be found teaching. I am an adjunct faculty member both at Roosevelt University and Northwestern University. I love working with highly motivated players who are driven to succeed in the very difficult and competitive field of music. The drive and work ethic of so many of these young players is inspiring and definitely keeps me on my musical toes!
Describe a memorable Lyric experience:
I have served many times over the years on the orchestra's audition committee, frequently as chairman. As you may imagine, many interesting things happen during these very intense events. My all time favorite being the player who refused to stop playing and leave after we dismissed him. Apparently he felt we needed to hear more so he kept going on to the next excerpt in spite of our repeated dismissals. Just about the time we were about to call security he agreed to stop playing and left the room. Surprisingly, he did not win the position!