PRESS RELEASE – On the Brink is released on cmntx records:Cole Bartels Pushes Trombone Repertoire Forward Amidst Musical and Personal Crossroads
New York, NY – cmntx records introduces trombonist, Cole Bartels as the newest artist on the label’s roster with the release of On the Brink. Featuring nine works written for Bartels, this deeply personal album explores a decade of musical development. On the Brink preserves a diverse catalog of compositions in an effort to extend these innovative additions to the trombone repertoire to a wider audience.
Bartels notes, “the title, On the Brink, came about when thinking of where my life is at upon the release of this album in April 2022. Having recently completed a terminal degree and earning the title of ‘doctor,’ I have found myself at the crossroads of my time as a student coming to a close, and fully beginning professional life - on the brink of having to figure out how to “make it” in the music industry.”
A native of Moorhead, MN, Cole Bartels is a genre-bending trombonist currently based in Madison, WI. He is the Low Brass Instructor at Concordia University, an in-demand freelancer of all styles around the Midwest, and educates high school and middle school low brass musicians. As a classical artist, Bartels has committed himself to the performance of contemporary music, especially focusing on works by American composers and those from historically underrepresented communities. His extensive solo and chamber commissioning projects have helped to expand the repertoire for trombone. Bartels will graduate with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in trombone performance from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in May 2022, and holds degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Concordia College (Moorhead, MN), with additional certifications in jazz studies and music theory pedagogy.
The album release is accompanied by the premiere of a performance video for Mosaic, composed by Natalie Dietterich. Mosaic takes a rather playful approach to the use of rhythm and meter. Applauded by Performance Today for her “pulsatingly beautiful and moving” music, Dietterich is a composer from Harleysville, PA, primarily known for her orchestral and choral works, rhythmic layering, and creative use of unconventional texts. Dietterich holds degrees in music composition from Yale University and West Chester University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in music composition at Princeton University.
In addition to Dietterich, On the Brink includes works by composers Jorge Variego, Lawren Brianna Ware, Steve Makela, Colin Holter, Aaron Hunt, Tyler Taylor, Brianna Drevlow-Jagim, Skye van Duuren
Bartels is joined throughout the album by Vincent Fuh on piano. Additional personnel featured are Michael Walling, Heidi Keener, Luke Leavitt, Rachel Wood, Colin Holter, Jordan DeWester, and Zach Smith.
On The Brink is available on CD and digital download through Bandcamp and is streaming everywhere. For more information, visit cmntxrecords.com/records/on-the-brink.
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About cmntx records – cmntx records is a New York City-based label committed to supporting the music and careers of artists who are defining their own craft. With a continued devotion to the spirit of creativity, cmntx forms a community of artists supporting one another through a collaborative DIY means of production, elevating each other’s outputs to new heights.
cmntx records is artist-run, founded in 2021 by Alex Ring Gray, Dan Langa, Evan O. Adams, and Michael Denis Ó Callaghan.
