“Prayer for Ukraine”- Молитва за Україну Meditation on a Theme by Mykola Lysenko for Trumpet & Piano by Gregory Pascuzzi

The primary purpose of this piece is to raise funds for Ukrainian relief and is being made available free of charge with the request that you please make a donation directly to an appropriate relief agency or charity of your choice.

The piece is based mainly on the “Prayer for Ukraine” by Mykola Lysenko, a spiritual anthem of immense importance to the Ukrainian people, along with quotes of “Great Gate of Kyiv” from “Pictures at an Exhibition” (Mussorgsky) and the Ukrainian bugle call counterpart to Taps or the Last Post.

Please feel free to pass this piece and request on to your colleagues, students and friends.

Download music here:
https://www.tapsbugler.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Prayer-for-Ukraine-Trumpet-and-Piano.pdf

Thanks to Gregory Pascuzzi for providing us with this new work

Born in 1952 in Pittsburgh to musician parents (his father, Wayne, was principal percussion with the Pittsburgh Symphony during the Reiner & Steinberg eras), Gregory Pascuzzi studied composition and conducting with Karel Husa, Sheldon Morgenstern and Henry Mazer among others, trumpet with Anthony Pasquarelli and Don Tison among others and piano with Julio Esteban and Stef Scaggiari. His compositions and arrangements have been commissioned &/or performed by soloists, chamber ensembles and orchestras in several countries, including noted trumpeters Phil Smith (ret. principal, New York Philharmonic), Don Tison, Ed Hoffman and Andrew Balio (ret. & current principals, Baltimore Symphony), Tine Thing Helseth, Julian Poore (Chamber Orchestra of Europe), Jim Thompson (Professor at Eastman), Dennis Najoom (ret. co-principal, Milwaukee Symphony), Fred Mills (Canadian Brass), Robert Birch (solo cornet, US Navy Band), Richard Burkart (ret. Professor, Ohio State University), Terry Everson (Boston University/principal, Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra), Fred Irby III (Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra), Luis Engelke (Towson University), Brian Evans (ret. Opera Australia Orchestra) and jazz legends Marvin Stamm and Mike Vax; violinist Jose- Luis Garcia (former concertmaster, English Chamber Orchestra), cellists Joanna Garcia (English Chamber Orchestra) and Anne Martindale Williams (principal, Pittsburgh Symphony), opera singers Marietta Simpson and Rosemary Hardy, clarinetists Karl Herman (principal, New Jersey Symphony) and Brian Hysong (New York City Ballet Orchestra), saxophonist Kenneth Tse, tubist Patrick Sheridan, organist Jonathan Moyer (Asst. Professor, Oberlin Conservatory) and pianist Reto Reichenbach; Ensembles including the Baltimore, Detroit, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras, the BBC Big Band, Royal College of Music Wind Orchestra, New English Orchestra, All Souls Orchestra and Big Band (London), the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass/ Canadian Brass, New York Philharmonic Brass & Percussion, Orchestra Nationala a Companiei TeleRadio Moldova, Washington Symphonic Brass, River City Brass = Band, Westminster Brass, Annapolis Brass Quintet, Capitol Quartet, Cornerstone Saxophone Quartet, Volga Wind Band (Saratov, Russia), major military and Salvation Army Staff bands in America, England, Australia and Russia.

He served 27 years with the U.S. Military Academy Band and US Army Field Band in Washington, D.C. where his duties included solo cornet with the concert band, pianist with the Soldiers’ Chorus and Jazz Ambassadors and, ultimately, Chief Composer/ Arranger. Freelance work has included several years with the Peabody Ragtime Ensemble. Several of his pieces have been premiered at International Trumpet Guild Conferences and he has served as guest composer-conductor at the Credo Festival at Oberlin Conservatory as well as Composer-in-Residence with the annual Crescendo Summer Institute of the Arts in Sárospatak and Tokáj, Hungary.