A Message to the City from David Ritt

Good morning.

It’s Wednesday, the hump in the middle of the week. Do we have weeks anymore? Who can say.

All we know is, we’re cuddled up inside, in PJs, waiting for the reading party tonight—now a weekly event during stay-at-home—and craving a bright blast of energy to start this Wednesday right. Nothing’s better for a bright blast of energy than horns.

The musician David Ritt wanted to play a piece arranged for trombone quartet, but since he’s social distancing just like everyone else, he’s going to play all four parts himself.

“Social distancing is hard but it is working. You are not alone. We are in this together,” he says in his message. “In acknowledgement of your efforts, here is a piece from Joseph Haydn’s oratorio, The Creation.”

Watch him play all four parts at the same time just below the next paragraph.

David is originally from Long Island, New York, as his bio notes. He attended the Eastman School of Music, and played briefly in the orchestras of Singapore and Ft. Wayne, Indiana, before moving to Seattle to join the Seattle Symphony in 1981. A versatile performer, he enjoys playing various styles of music besides classical, especially jazz and salsa. When not performing, he arranges and composes for the trombone.

Wow!

Thank you so much for sharing this arrangement with us, David, and for playing all four parts.

This is the bolt of brilliance we needed to start the day.

Good luck making the most of this day stuck inside, everyone.

Here’s hoping we see you at the party later. When’s the last time you went to a party, anyway?

* *
Previously in this series:

Sara Porkalob’s message to the city on April 21.

Julia Sweeney’s message to the city on April 20.

Linda Derschang’s message to the city on April 19.

Molly Sides’s message to the city on April 18.

Nick Garrison’s message to the city on April 17.

Tomo Nakayama’s message to the city on April 16.

Rebecca M. Davis’s message to the city April 15.

Heather McHugh’s message to the city on April 14.

Brandon O’Neill’s message to the city on April 13.

Kate Wallich’s message to the city on April 12.

Rebecca Brown’s message to the city on April 11.

Lucien Postlewaite’s message to the city on April 10.

Betty Wetter’s message to the city on April 9.

Amanda Morgan’s message to the city on April 8.

Nancy Guppy’s message to the city on April 7.

Jonathan Biss’s message to the city on April 6.

Chris Jeffries’s message to the city on April 5.

Lesley Hazleton’s message to the city on April 4.

John Roderick’s message to the city on April 3.

Bill Carty’s message to the city on April 2.

Price Suddarth’s message to the city on April 1.

Kary Wayson’s message to the city on March 31.

Ellen Forney’s message to the city on March 30.

Major Scales’s message to the city on March 29.

E. J. Koh’s message to the city on March 28.

Ken Jennings’s message to the city on March 27.

Demarre McGill’s message to the city on March 26.

Lynn Shelton’s Message to the City on March 25th.

Timothy White Eagle’s message to the city on March 24.

Cookie Couture’s message to the city on March 23.

Sarah Rudinoff’s message to the city on March 22.

John Osebold’s message to the city on March 21.

Ben Gibbard’s message to the city on March 20.

Nathan Chan’s message to the city on March 19.