Spend an hour with Ronnie Ingle, Ph.D., and you are likely to walk away convinced the trumpet makes the most beautiful sounds of any musical instrument.
Ingle has a job he loves as an assistant professor of music at UND. He teaches trumpet and directs the jazz ensemble. Lately, he has been hitting the high notes. He is excited over an invitation to perform Nov. 18 as a featured soloist with the Sundsvalls Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm, Sweden, and at the Sundsvalls Jazzklubb. While in Sweden, he will conduct a clinic at Sundsvalls Kulturalskota Magnet School and perform at the historic church in Alno, Sweden.
In Stockholm, Ingle will play, "My One and Only Love." It's a jazz standard arranged by Bobby Shew, well known trumpet player who has been a mentor to Ingle. And Ingle is bringing Shew here in April from Albuquerque to perform with the UND jazz ensemble and wind ensemble on April 17.
In February, Ingle will repeat his Stockholm performance as featured soloist with the Greater Grand Forks Symphony.
The opportunities are important to Ingle because as a professor he likes to have students see him engaged in his own work. He believes that helps motivate them. His goal as an educator is to be visible to his students, their parents and directors. He wants them to do as he does, not just what he says. He wants to inspire students.
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That was the style of leadership by Johnny Clark, his high school band director in Asheville, N.C. And that helped Ingle take off on the trumpet. He was growing up in the mountains of North Carolina and playing in honor bands. He got his undergraduate degree at Western Carolina University and moved on to St. Louis for his master's degree at Webster University. He moved on for his doctoral degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He taught at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Plattsburgh and at Western Virginia State University in Charleston, W.V.
He came to Grand Forks two years ago because the job description here fit so well.
He also has been on the faculty at the International Music Camp at the Peace Garden for the past two years. And his invitation to perform in Sweden came from a colleague, Peter Tjernberg, a saxophone teacher from Sweden who also teaches at the Peace Garden. Since the initial invitation, Ingle's trip blossomed to include be performing in the largest jazz club in Sweden. He will be doing an entire set there as "Ron Ingle Quintet."
Ingle has never played with the Swedish musicians, but they will rehearse. And he is extremely excited. He calls it an incredible opportunity. He believes this chance to be visible will help bring attention to UND and help with recruiting. Right now, Ingle has eight among his students who are majoring in trombone.
Ingle and his wife, Michelle Lucia-Ingle, have two sons, Michael, 8, and Evan, 4. The boys are not playing trumpet -- yet. However, Evan has a toy trumpet he plays in the bathtub.
With Mike Wittgraf, a colleague, Ingle is working with new technology that allows a trumpet player to perform using synthesized sound. It's called MIDI or Musical Instrument Digital Interface. They are among the first to use it in an academic setting. He believes the possibilities are astounding in terms of new music and new music direction.
Ingle is a friendly, enthusiastic man of 41. He plays several instruments. And he enjoys listening to music, especially classical and jazz. He has lately enjoyed Sergei Nakariakov, a Russian trumpeter, whom he says has exploded onto the music scene.
To him, the trumpet is versatile. Throughout history, Ingle says, the trumpet has been asked to play the most obnoxious of sounds and also the most beautiful arias.
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Reach Hagerty at (701) 772-1055 or send e-mail to mhagerty@gra.midco.net .
