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New York Staff Bandsman Aaron VanderWeele receives international award.
Aaron VanderWeele, euphonium soloist of the New York Staff Band (NYSB) and a member of the Montclair Citadel Corps (N.J.), has received the prestigious International Euphonium Player of the Year Award for 2007.
The award was developed in 1979 by Trevor Austin, managing director of Rosehill Music and at the time editor of Sounding Brass magazine, a British publication for brass music enthusiasts. It is presented annually to noteworthy euphonium players from throughout the world.
Bandmaster Ron Waiksnoris gave the award to VanderWeele in a surprise presentation following his euphonium solo at a music festival by the New York Staff Band in celebration of its 120th anniversary reunion weekend in White Plains, New York.
The award is normally presented at the London’s Royal Albert Hall during the National Brass Championship weekend, but special arrangements allowed VanderWeele to receive the award during the NYSB’s milestone weekend. He was presented with a plaque, and his name will be added to the trophy in the UK that contains all previous winners. VanderWeele and Derick Kane are the only Salvationist bandsmen to receive this award, and VanderWeele is only the third American.
VanderWeele and his family are soldiers of the Montclair Citadel Corps where he is a member of the band and teaches a beginner brass class. He grew up in the Western Territory at the Torrance Corps (Calif.) and became an accomplished euphonium player under the leadership of the late Bandmaster Chris Mallett.
