Dawn Weber and Curt Landes

The first thing you notice about Dawn Weber is the talent.
The second is the drive. She is dedicated.
“I started playing the trumpet at age 11. I practiced all the time. It was all I wanted to do. At 16, I got on a Greyhound bus to North Carolina to become a professional trumpet player.
“At North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, I studied with Raymond Mase. He also taught at Julliard, and would fly down once a week for our lessons. He played with Summit Brass, American Brass Quintet, New York Ballet, put out solo recordings, and freelanced all over the world. He is now the chairman of the brass department at Julliard.
“I went on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music where I studied with Michael Sachs, the principal trumpet player of The Cleveland Orchestra. I studied orchestral playing intensely, along with jazz.
“After college, I did a lot of competitions. I took second place at the International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition. In 2000, I was selected 1 of 5 from the world to compete in Bad Sackingen, Germany for the Ellsworth Smith International Trumpet Competition.
“I moved to the St. Louis area in 1998. I played for Susan Slaughter and before long I was getting to play as an extra and a sub with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra."
And then she found another gift - singing.
“I started to play with a group called Vargas Swing. At first, I was just a trumpet player for the group but one night on a dare I sang “Take the A Train.” Before I knew it I found myself one of the front personalities for Vargas Swing. Vargas Swing put out a CD called “Fire” on which all songs were my compositions.) Following the CD release, Vargas Swing toured twice to the west coast and another tour that went south all the way down to the Florida Keys. The group also was featured on two compilations. Eventually, Vargas Swing became Vargas and I became the primary front person.
“Music is what I do. I am and always will be a musician. My intention is for you to walk away from my performance with a sense of joy.”
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Curt Landes is one of the most popular piano players, singers and accompanists in St. Louis. He can be seen three or four or five nights a week playing somewhere around town, including for the last nineteen months as the bandleader of Just One Look, the Linda Ronstadt show at Blue Strawberry.

Event Type: Community Event
When: Wednesday, September 04, 2024 at 07:00 PM
Location: Blue Strawberry STL
Neighborhood: City-Wide
Ward: Many Wards
Admission: Charge. $10.00
Contact: bluestrawberrystl@gmail.com
Contact Phone: