Praise for Fanfares and Finesse
Elisa Koehler has given us a thoughtful and much needed reference book and guide for the contemporary trumpeter. Her gentle conversational style may convince more players to explore trumpet history and even the broader cultural history in which trumpet music is firmly placed.
Jeffrey Nussbaum
Historic Brass Society Journal (Vol. 26), 2014
A thoroughly researched, informative and engaging guide to the history of the trumpet from its early beginnings to the present day […] addressing many of the questions that plague even the most knowledgeable players. […] Elisa Koehler should be commended for this wonderful addition to the market – I can guarantee it will remain a resource that will get you reaching for your shelf time and time again.
Huw Morgan
The Brass Herald (Issue 57), February 2015
Amazon.com
At a very manageable 240 pages, the book effectively consolidates wide-ranging trumpet information into a format that is well organized and highly readable. […] Fanfares and Finesse is a wonderful addition to the literature on trumpet history. It is a fabulous resource for performers, while historians and pedagogues will find great value in it as well. Dr. Koehler is to be commended for such a valuable contribution to our discipline.
John Korak
International Trumpet Guild Journal (Issue 57), June 2015
Trumpet players in a wide variety of situations and at many levels will find a great deal of useful information, presented in a clear, engaging, reader-friendly way yet backed by solid research. While some topics are covered are covered in more depth than others, Koehler’s breadth of vision and thoroughness are commendable.
K. R. Dietrich, Ripon College
American Library Association, CHOICE, Vol. 52, No. 03, November 2014
Whether one decides to read from cover to cover or only certain chapters, the author’s passion and expertise is consistently apparent throughout the entire work. […] this book is highly recommended for any moderately advanced trumpet player or for inclusion in any library serving even a small population of trumpeters. It will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding historically informed performance practice for the trumpet and its many predecessors.
Scott Stone, University of California, Irvine
Notes (Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association), December 2015
Praise for A Dictonary for the Modern Trumpet Player
Elisa Koehler’s new book demonstrates her wonderful ability to convey and explain a wide range of information, some of it rather complex, to both informed and novice readerships. […] The brass community owes [her] a great debt of gratitude. In her Dictionary for the Modern Trumpet Player, Elisa Koehler has drawn a picture of the trumpet, with a focus on its history as well as its contemporary use, in a detailed and eminently readable way.
Jeffrey Nussbaum
Historic Brass Society Book Reviews (website), March 2015
The author is a well-respected scholar of the trumpet and its history with numerous books and articles to her credit […] This dictionary is an excellent blend of first-rate scholarship and readability.
Jim Farrington, Eastman School of Music
Notes (Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association), December 2016
Professional trumpeter Koehler offers loving fanfare about her chosen instrument, with entries on its key role in military matters (as in reveille) and various permutations (as bugle, cornet, etc.), as well as developmental milestones, most prominent/notable players (Louis Armstrong, et al), and more. Appendixes include illustrations of various valve mechanisms. VERDICT: A terrific read for musicians and fans alike.
Library Journal (2015)
RECORDINGS
Conductor Elisa Koehler and Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band have reimagined the spectacle from this bygone era in The Gilded Age, a recording of late 19th-century American band repertoire.
Aaron Keebaugh
Early Music America (4 October 2021)
Apart from the intelligent and coherent program, the ensemble playing under Elisa Koehler’s baton makes this disc a fine addition to the relatively small number of recordings of this repertoire. The interpretations are both learned and musical, full of tasteful refinement.
James V. Maiello
Fanfare Magazine (Review of The Gilded Age, Nov./Dec. 2021)
Trumpet Performances
“soulful melodic arches in the second movement [of the Tartini concerto] and brilliant virtuosity in the third […] flawless sound in the high register.”
Westfälisches Volksblatt, Paderborn, Germany (15 September 2015)
The American beguiled everyone with her dreamlike trumpet playing. “Dreamlike” does not mean only the incredible technical and musical level of the professor’s playing; above all it means the sound that this musician was able to elicit from her instrument on Friday evening – an unimaginably delicate sound. The virtuoso demonstrated this sound – which may be unparalleled anywhere in the world – on the high B flat trumpet in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2.
Lippische Landes‐Zeitung (Kultur‐Journal) – Lemgo, Germany (11 January 2010)
Finally, in Johann Wilhelm Hertel’s Concerto No. 3 in D Major, Elisa Koehler demonstrated a command of her instrument that is seldom heard in this way. In the “Allegro ma non troppo”, legato passages with dotted rhythms and memorably-performed coloraturas alternated with both fortissimo and pianissimo sections. The soloist interpreted the beautiful “Largo” melody particularly sensitively and performed the dotted fanfares in the “Vivace” superbly. Her moving rendition was met with thunderous applause
Westfälisches Volksblatt – Paderborn, Germany (14 January 2010)
Elisa Koehler’s playing in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major (Concerto II BW 1047) was both resplendent and powerful: her sound was both smooth and tender.
Leipziger Volkszeitung – Leipzig, Germany (19 January 2010)
Elisa Koehler 