An interview with British trumpet virtuoso Crispian Steele-Perkins while he was in Peoria in October as soloist for the Peoria Symphony Orchestra Concert “Beyond Baroque!”
Born in England in the 1940s, Crispian displays typical British humor in his life’s work as a musician. His interest in the trumpet was fostered from age 13 when he received a first place award for his performance of The Lord is a Man of War from Israel in Egypt in the music competitions at Marlborough College.
Crispian views classical music as “the internal language of the soul” and as suggested by E. M. Forster, classical music “reveals the hidden life at its source.” He has performed before an audience of more than 130,000 at the Edinburgh Festival. His performances are imbedded in film, movies and television scores including James Bond, Jaws and The Two Towers – Lord of the Rings. Fascination in trumpet – the oldest among the oldest of musical instruments – stems from his study of trumpet playing in medieval times. The trumpet dates back to at least 1500 B.C