A few Olympic Games surprises: Miracle and Bugler’s Dream.

by Douglas Yeo (July 29, 2025)

During my long career as bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1985–2012), I participated in hundreds of recording sessions that resulted in commercially available records, CDs, and streaming. Works by Brahms (the symphonies and Ein Deutsches Requiem), Mahler (Symphonies 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10), Ravel (a dozen works), Franck (Symphonie in d minor), and many other great composers, plus dozens of recordings with the Boston Pops Orchestra. In addition, I played on three film scores recorded by the Boston Symphony Orchestra: Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan (music by John Williams) and Mystic River (music by Clint Eastwood—sort of—but there’s a story behind that for another time. . .). The recording sessions for these films remain very memorable to me.

Covers to soundtrack albums recorded by the Boston Symphony Orchestra: Schindler’s List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Mystic River (2003)

Work rules and payments for recording sessions are governed by agreements made between orchestras and their players, and the players are represented by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). These agreements cover working conditions for the sessions (how long they are, when and how long a break in a session occurs), and payment. I always looked at recording sessions as one of the great benefits of playing in the BSO, because not only was playing great music that would be enjoyed by the public over and over and I was being paid my regular weekly salary as a member of the orchestra, but I received an additional payment for playing the actual recording sessions. Then, it came as a surprise to me after my first season with the BSO that every year thereafter, I received a check—usually in the summer—that represented royalty, residual, and secondary market payments for those same sessions. Recording sessions were—and are—the gift that keeps on giving to this present day.

Those annual royalty payments fluctuate up and down, and each year, I receive a detailed statement that explains the amount I am paid for each film score or orchestral recording I made. A few years ago, I noticed a new entry on my annual Film Musicians and Secondary Markets Fund statement. In addition to entries for Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and Mystic River, there was another movie listed: Miracle.

Promotional poster for Miracle (2004)

I didn’t remember playing any recording sessions for Miracle—a movie about the 1980 United States Winter Olympics men’s hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union’s team in the semi-final round and went on to defeat Finland to win the gold medal. But I certainly remember those Olympic games, and I had a vague recollection that a movie had been made about the team and their stunning victory. I don’t go to many movies, so it’s not surprising that I missed it.

But why was Miracle appearing on my annual film payments statement? I asked the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s manager about this and there was a simple explanation: the producers of Miracle wanted to use some music from a Boston Pops Orchestra recording in the film’s soundtrack. They didn’t need to convene a new recording session to do so. They just needed to get permission and pay royalties to the players who were on the original recording session.

As it turned out, the music that Miracle wanted to use was Bugler’s Dream by Leo Arnaud. Arnaud—who was a trombonist and successful composer and arranger who, after moving to the United States from his native France in 1931, worked on more than 160 films. Bugler’s Dream was composed in 1959. It was not “official music” for the Olympics but it was picked up and used by ABC television for their broadcast of the 1968 Winter Olympics (Grenoble, Switzerland). Since then, it has become an iconic piece that’s associated with the Olympic games.

Now, a quick aside. Since 1896, the International Olympic Committee has commissioned music for each Olympics. While Bugler’s Dream was not officially composed for the Olympics, the story of the music that was written for the games is told in William K. Guegold’s book, 100 years of Olympic Music: Music and Musicians of the Modern Olympic Games 1896–1996 (Mantua, Ohio: Golden Clef Publishing, 1996). The book, which is out of print but used copies are readily available, opens with an interview of John Williams and contains detailed commentary about music written for the Olympics including many samples of scores and other images. It’s a fascinating book.

Cover to William K. Guegold’s 100 Years of Olympic Music: Music and Musicians of the Modern Olympic Games 1896–1996

In 1996, the Boston Pops Orchestra made the official album of music for the 1996 Olympics (Atlanta, Georgia). John Williams was commissioned to write the theme music for those Olympic games, and that piece turned out to be Summon the Heroes; that was also the title of the compact disc recording that also included several other Olympic themed selections. Williams had previously written theme music for two other Olympic games: Olympic Fanfare and Theme (1984 Olympic Games, Los Angeles, California), and The Olympic Spirit ( 1988 Olympic Games, Seoul, Korea; this theme was composed for NBC’s television coverage), and in 2002, Williams wrote Call of the Champions (2002 Olympic Games, Salt Lake City, Utah).

For the broadcast of the 1996 Olympic games on NBC, John Williams created a medley that began with Arnaud’s Bugler’s Dream and continued with Williams’ own Olympic Fanfare and Theme. This mashup of two familiar Olympic related pieces proved to be very popular. So popular that many people now assume that Williams wrote Bugler’s Dream. But the recording makes clear who wrote what; there are two pieces with two composers clearly identified on the printed notes to the recording.

Page from the accompanying booklet to the CD recording, Summon the Heroes (Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams, conductor)

You can hear this recording of the medley of Bugler’s Dream and John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare and Theme recorded by the Boston Pops Orchestra with John Williams conducting on the 1996 recording, Summon the Heroes, HERE.

Back to Miracle. The movie about the 1980 US Olympic hockey team wanted to use Arnaud’s Bugler’s Dream, so all of a sudden, I was listed as a performer on the movie’s soundtrack. My contribution: 53 seconds of music. So, each year since 2005, I’ve received a small payment for Miracle in my annual royalty check. The other day, my wife and I finally got around to watching Miracle. It’s a terrific story that’s well told. And there it was: at the beginning of the scene where the US Olympic team gets off the bus in Lake Placid, New York (images below), you can hear the Boston Pops Orchestra playing Bugler’s Dream.

Images from the movie Miracle, showing the moment when Bugler’s Dream is heard, and the end credits.

By the way, if you purchase the soundtrack recording to Miracle, you won’t find the Boston Pops Orchestra track there. The soundtrack album only includes some original music for the movie composed by Mark Isham (four tracks), and songs by Blue Öyster Cult, J. Geils Band, and Jay Ferguson that were used in the movie. If you want the Bugler’s Dream recording that appears on Miracle, you can purchase the Summon The Heroes recording on amazon.com; you’ll find it there as an LP, CD, or streaming on amazon music.

That’s the first Olympic Games surprise to share with you. At least it was a surprise to me to find myself with credit as a performer on another movie. But here’s another Olympic Games surprise.

A few years ago, I began researching Maurice Ravel’s iconic composition, Bolero. The result of that research will be told in my forthcoming article, “Maurice Ravel’s Bolero: A Fresh Look at a Familiar Masterpiece.” The article will be published in two parts, in the October 2025 and January 2026 issues of the International Trombone Association Journal. In the article, I discuss the origin of Bolero, its premiere and other early performances, and I offer insights and discoveries about Bolero’s famous trombone solo. I’m not going to spoil the story here—you’ll have to read the article for yourself when it comes out—but one of the things I researched were the many claims that Leo Arnaud made about Ravel and Bolero. Arnaud often told stories about his friendship with Ravel, so I wanted to investigate them.

Among the things I researched was Arnaud’s Bugler’s Dream. I wanted to mention Arnaud’s most famous composition when I wrote about him in my Bolero article, but as I always do when I write about history, I do my due diligence to verify everything I read before I write about it. As I was investigating Bugler’s Dream, I learned a lot about the piece that was new to me. And it’s probably new to you, too.

I had known about and performed Bugler’s Dreams for many years. Those 53 seconds of music are an indelible part of our Olympic Games consciousness. During my research, I learned that Bugler’s Dream was commissioned by conductor Felix Slatkin (father of conductor Leonard Slatkin) in 1959 for the LP recording, Charge! Side 1 of the record has three compositions listed as composed by Arnaud (Charge!, Drummer Boys, and Bugler’s Dream), and side 2 has three arrangements by Arnaud (Fifes and Drums, Bagpipes and Drums, and When Johnny Comes Marching Home).

Front and back covers to Charge! (1959), conducted by Felix Slatkin

I purchased a copy of the Charge! LP and when I listened to it, there were more surprises. The 53 seconds of Bugler’s Dream that we all know and love is only the first part of the composition with that title. Bugler’s Dream is actually 3:55 long. There are five other sections to the piece, and the opening theme is not reprised. So, when we hear Bugler’s Dream on Olympic Games broadcasts, we’re hearing just the first part of the whole piece. Have a listen, below, to the complete Bugler’s Dream, the first 3:55 of this recording on YouTube:

But wait, there’s more.

As I continued researching Bugler’s Dream, there was another surprise waiting for me. Those first 53 seconds of Bugler’s Dream were not COMPOSED by Leo Arnaud. They were ARRANGED by him. While the label of the disc credits Arnaud as the composer of Bugler’s Dream—and every time the piece is recorded or played in concert, Arnaud is credited as the composer—the liner notes to Charge! tell a different story:

Incipit about Bugler’s Dream from the back cover of Charge!

Bugler’s Dream was “derived from various bugle calls,” and is a “fantasy of classical fanfares and radically modern cadenzas.” Bugler’s Dream is an arrangement. But of what?

I dug around some more and found the source for the famous theme that is credited to Arnaud and heard by millions of people at Olympic Games. The opening theme of Bugler’s Dream was written by Joseph-David Buhl (1781–1860). Buhl was a French trumpeter and composer who revised and wrote many bugle calls for the French Military under Napoleon Bonaparte and Louis XVIII. He published a method for trumpet in 1825, and in his time was highly regarded as a player, band leader, and composer.

One of Buhl’s bugle calls was Salut aux étendards (sonnerie triumphal) — Salute to the Standards (Triumphal Fanfare). It was recorded on the 1986 LP, Glorie à la Cavalerie, with Les Trompettes du “boute-selle” and La Fanfare du 2e Régiment de hussars, conducted by Éric Conrad. Have a listen to Buhl’s fanfare, above. You’ll immediately recognize it as the source for Bugler’s Dream.

Front and back covers to Gloire à la Cavalerie (1986), conducted by Éric Conrad

Leo Arnaud’s Bugler’s Dream begins with an arrangement of Joseph-David Buhl’s Salut aux étendards, and then moves to several more themes. I have not researched the source of these other themes but given what the liner notes to Charge! say about Bugler’s Dream — that it was “derived from various bugle calls” — I would not be surprised if the other themes in Bugler’s Dream were composed by someone other than Arnaud, too. And wouldn’t be surprised at all if the rest of Bugler’s Dream was also composed by Buhl. I’ll keep looking. It’s time to research French bugle calls.

Joseph-David Buhl died 165 years ago. He is not here to claim his rightful credit (and royalties, which must be considerable) for a piece that has become an iconic part of the modern Olympic Games. But the next time you hear Bugler’s Dream, tip your hat to Buhl. We can be grateful to Leo Arnaud for making Buhl’s fanfare famous to today’s ears. But we give Arnaud too much credit if we say Bugler’s Dream was composed by him. It was not. Arnaud should have given Buhl credit. Here’s how we should refer to the piece:

Joseph-David Buhl: Salut aux étendards. Arranged and adopted by Leo Arnaud as Bugler’s Dream.

Let’s give credit where credit is due.

Dizzy Gillespie and the serpent – 1955

by Douglas Yeo (May 31, 2025)

I’ve been playing the serpent—the musical instrument, not the reptile—since 1994. I’ve told the story of how I came to play the serpent—in recitals, chamber music groups, in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in early music groups—in many places at many times. Including on The Last Trombone : HERE, HERE, and HERE. And you can hear me play the serpent in a recital I gave in 2022 at Wheaton College, Illinois. Click HERE to hear me perform Clifford Bevan’s Variations on “The Pesky Sarpent” for serpent and piano. The serpent has brought me connections with music and musicians I never would have crossed paths with had I confined my musical interests to the trombone.

Organist Joseph Balistreri with the Missa Sicca Schola Cantorum, University of Notre Dame, April 27, 2015.

For example, when organist Joseph Balistreri gave a recital on April 27, 2025 at in the Basilica at University of Notre Dame, he contacted me and asked if I could play serpent on the concert. I was happy to do so, to play some seventeenth-century chant with the Missa Sicca Schola Cantorum. Click HERE and you’ll be directed to a page with information about Joseph’s recital along with a link to the livestream recording and the program.

I’ve written widely about the serpent (including a book about the instrument, Serpents, Bass Horns, and Ophicleides in the Bate Collection, published by University of Oxford in 2019) and I’ve collected many photographs, postcards, and original works of art that depict the serpent. For many years, I’ve been aware of a photograph of the great jazz trumpet player, Dizzy Gillespie, playing a serpent. I’ve seen a few low quality scans of the photograph in various places on the internet, but I like to see both context and size of images. Once I learned that the photo appeared in the December 29, 1955 issue of JET magazine, I kept my eye out for a copy of that issue.

The cover of the December 29, 1955 issue of JET magazine.

Last week, I found one. JET was a magazine published between 1951 through 2016 for the African American community. The magazine was a mix of photos, commentary, and news, and when I opened my mail the other day and held the issue in my hands, smiled. I had not imagined the magazine was so small – only 6 inches by 4 inches.

The copy of JET that I purchased had suffered damage. The two staples that held the issue together had rusted and that rust bled throughout the center of the magazine’s pages. But the photo of Dizzy Gillespie, happily, was not affected by the rust. And there he was, on page 32. I think this is a terrific photo, something completely outside the box.

Pages 32 and 33 of the December 29, 1955 issue of JET magazine.

Dizzy Gillespie playing a serpent, from the December 29, 1955 issue of JET magazine.

I don’t have anything to add to this photo than what is in the caption. The Odd Horn Shop is no longer in New York City and Dizzy Gillespie died in 1993. But I’ll relate this story of my one encounter with the great jazz player with the bent trumpet . . .

In 1991, Dizzy Gillespie was given an honorary doctorate at New England Conservatory of Music. I was serving on the Conservatory’s faculty at the time, and I was also Chair of the Conservatory’s Brass and Percussion Department. I attended the commencement ceremony that year, and from my seat on stage in Jordan Hall at NEC, Dizzy Gillespie was only a few feet away from me. Then his name was called, Gillespie went to the front of the platform and received his honorary degree and said a few words. But what happened next was something I’ll never forget. Whenever a jazz major came forward to receive his degree, Dizzy Gillespie—one of the greatest musicians in the world—stood up, went up the the graduate, shook hands, and posed for a photo. Gillespie was smiling from ear to ear, and I can only imagine how meaningful this personal gesture was to the graduates who stood on stage with their arm around the shoulder of this jazz great. It told me something about Dizzy Gillespie that his recordings can’t fully express: he loved life and he loved people, and he shared that love with others in very tangible ways. I wasn’t playing serpent when he came to NEC’s commencement in 1991, but if I had, I like to think I would have brought my serpent to the ceremony and asked Dizzy to play a chorus. I bet he would have done that. Serpentine bop.

A new/old Kruspe bass trombone: Protec to the rescue

by Douglas Yeo (April 22, 2025)

In 1986, I began a collaboration with YAMAHA Corporation to make a new bass trombone. The happy result was the YAMAHA YBL-622 dependent valve double valve bass trombone (with detachable second valve) that, several years ago, was added to YAMAHA’s Xeno trombone line and renamed the YAMAHA YBL-822G bass trombone. Over the years, I’ve continued to try other bass trombones by many different makers. I like to know what is on the market and how those instruments play. I want to play a bass trombone what works best for me but every time I try something else, I keep coming back to my YAMAHA. That instrument works best for me.

Detail of the bell and slide of a Kruspe bass trombone, showing the Schlangenverzierung (“snake garland”).

That said, I love the history of the trombone, and I’ve always enjoyed playing and hearing trombones made by great German makers like Heckel and Kruspe that were made in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This school of trombone manufacturing is considered a “golden age” of trombone craftsmanship, and these old German trombones are things of beauty, both visually and aurally. They have a unique sound, a truly beautiful sound that blends with rotary valve trumpets and the other winds of the orchestra in a unique way. And visually, there is nothing like the beautiful Schlangenverzierung, or “snake garland” that is found at the top of the bell section and on the hand slide bow (photos above). The artistic design of ferrules, the wrap of the F-attachment, and the leather thumb strap (rather than a fixed, metal linkage) that operates the F-attachment valve add to the beauty of these instruments.

Douglas Yeo and Jay Friedman with some of Jay’s Kruspe trombones, September 9, 2019.

My friend, Jay Friedman, principal trombonist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has an extensive collection of vintage Kruspe trombones, and we often talk about the unique qualities of these iconic instruments.

I played a Kruspe bass trombone during my last seasons as a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Five vintage Kruspe trombones—an alto, two tenors, an F-attachment tenor, and a single valve bass—came on the market in 2007 and I persuaded the management of the BSO to purchase them. I loved playing that Kruspe bass trombone, and I used the BSO’s Kruspe bass whenever we played German repertoire from the 18th through 19th centuries. Music of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Brahms and their compatriots. Whether my colleagues were using a modern alto and smaller bore tenor trombone, or using the Kruspe alto and a tenor, or an alto and tenor trombone by the modern German maker, Thein, the Kruspe bass blended spectacularly with all of them.

Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra trombone section, c. 1905, with Holton trombones. Left to right: Leroy Kenfield, bass; Anton Mausebach, second; Carl Hampe, principal.

It’s interesting to note, from an historical perspective, that the American musical instrument makers Frank Holton and C. G. Conn modeled their early 20th century trombones after instruments made by great German makers. This photograph (above) of members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra trombone section (Leroy Kenfield, bass; Anton Mausebach, second; Carl Hampe, principal) was taken around 1905 and they are all playing Holton trombones made in the German style. Likewise, iconic instruments like the Conn 70H bass trombone (including the prized Conn Fuchs model bass trombone) were based on earlier German models. The beauty of sound of these instruments—many factors go into this but they include the bell taper, the bore size, and the type of brass used—is something to behold, and while modern trombonists often favor playing with more “muscle,” there is a lot to be said for the exceptional quality of these German style instruments in the hands of a player who is truly interested in blending into rather than dominating the orchestral texture.

Douglas Yeo’s final bow in Symphony Hall (with Kruspe bass trombone) as a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, May 8, 2012. Performance of Beethoven Symphony No. 9. Also shown (standing) are concertmaster Malcolm Lowe (clapping) and conductor Bernard Haitink.

When I retired from the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2012, I had to leave that Kruspe bass trombone behind. However, it makes me smile when I remember that the last concert I played in Boston’s Symphony Hall in May, 2012, was the Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven conducted by Bernard Haitink (photo above). I had used BSO’s Kruspe bass trombone for that performance and my final bow in Symphony Hall with the orchestra.

Earlier this year, I played bass trombone with the Atlanta Symphony in performances of Beethoven Symphony No. 5. Acting principal trombonist Nathan Zgnoc played a Thein alto trombone and acting second trombonist Jason Robins played a Conn 8H (that instrument, now owned by Nathan, had previously been owned by Keith Brown). For those performances, I used my YAMAHA YBL-601 Vienna style bass trombone, a dual-bore, single valve bass trombone made in the classic German tradition that, unfortunately, is no longer part of YAMAHA’s trombone catalogue. Our blend worked very nicely in those performances, but knowing I would be returning to the ASO in May 2025 for performances of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, I began a quest to fulfill a dream and acquire a vintage bass trombone made by the workshop of Eduard Kruspe of Erfurt, Germany.

My bass trombone by Kruspe. There is no serial number on the instrument although the number “3” is stamped on the bell receiver.

The bell engraving on my Kruspe bass trombone.

Happily, my search didn’t take long, and in a short time a 100-year old Kruspe single valve bass trombone—of the same vintage as that Kruspe bass I played in the Boston Symphony Orchestra—arrived on my doorstep thanks to Noah Gladstone who runs The Brass Ark in California. Like the BSO’s Kruspe, this instrument is spectacular, and after a little TLC from both Noah and my local brass technician (no, he is much more than a technician, he is an artist, actually), Dana Hofer, I began to get to know my new instrument. Happy times.

The original wooden case for my Kruspe bass trombone.

My Kruspe bass trombone came in its original wooden case which works quite well but the case is extremely compact (photos above). When I travel by airplane with my trombone, I always bring it onboard (the case for my YAMAHA YBL-822G is very compact) and put it in an overhead compartment, but you never never know when a flight attendant will be less than thrilled to see a trombone in an overhead bin and I might be required to check my trombone as baggage. Because of this, I always pack my trombone in its case as if it had to be checked as baggage, just in case. Fortunately, my YAMAHA YBL-822G case travels very well as checked baggage (with the addition of a styrofoam cone in the bell, the instrument has never suffered damage when I check it as baggage; see my FAQ on my website about traveling with a trombone for some tips). However, while the original Kruspe case is great for normal use of the trombone, it is so compact that I am not confident it would protect my trombone well enough if it ended up as checked baggage.

The slide of my Kruspe bass trombone placed in my YAMAHA YBL-822G bass trombone case.

Unfortunately, solving this dilemma of how to transport my Kruspe bass trombone while flying is not as simple as putting my Kruspe bass trombone in my YAMAHA bass trombone case. As you can see in the photo above, the slide to my Kruspe bass trombone is very long; 35 1/2″ long. My YAMAHA trombone slide is 32″ long. This is typical of these vintage German trombones, and early Conn trombones as well. Their slides are long while their bell sections are short.

Three bass trombone slides, top to bottom: Kruspe bass trombone, Conn 70H bass trombone (made in 1921), Yamaha YBL-822G bass trombone. The black plastic attachment on the Kruspe and Yamaha slides supports a Neotech hand brace.

Trombonists who want a modern trombone case that will fit an historical German bass trombone with a long hand slide do not have many options. I searched a long time to find such a case and happily, Protec came to the rescue.

There are many manufacturers who make aftermarket trombone cases and gig bags. I’m not a fan of gig bags. The risk of damage to a trombone in a soft or semi-hard trombone case is simply too high. I use a rigid trombone case at all times.

My search to find an aftermarket trombone case to fit my Kruspe bass trombone took some time to reach a good result. Manufacturers make their cases to be as compact as possible. Bass trombone cases are manufactured to fit standard 32″ long trombone slides. The additional 3 1/2″ length of the Kruspe slide meant that a case had to be longer. Most bass trombone cases top out at 36″ length and with the padding inside the case, that’s just not long enough to accommodate a 35 1/2″ bass trombone slide. I searched up for a case that had a length that would accommodate the Kruspe slide. And I finally found one: the Protec MAX contoured case.

The Protec MAX bass trombone case. Photos courtesy of Protec.

The Protec MAX contoured case is made with EPS styrofoam covered with plush velvet; the outside is covered with durable nylon fabric. With the case’s 38″ length, I thought it might accommodate my Kruspe slide. I called Protec and spent some time talking with Michael Corter. We discussed all of the interior dimensions of the case. As manufactured, the Protec MAX’s compartment for the bass trombone slide was made for a standard 32″ slide. But Michael sent me some photos of the case and I saw that with a slight modification, I could lengthen the slide compartment by a few inches by cutting away some of the styrofoam. It was worth a try.

The interior of my Protec MAX case, showing the cutout I made to accommodate the long Kruspe bass trombone slide tenon.

The result turned out to be exactly what I wanted. With a razor blade, I cut away some of the slide compartment foam so it would fit the long slide tenon of my Kruspe bass trombone. Then, I covered the exposed styrofoam with self-adhesive velvet flocked fabric. This is available from amazon.com for $12.99 for 20 sheets, in black and many other colors. After I cut and applied this fabric to the case, everything looked clean and neat and my Kruspe trombone slide fit nicely in the case. The Protec MAX case also has two storage compartments inside the case, a large storage pocket on the outside of the case, backpack straps (that can be hidden under a fabric panel), and a shoulder strap. Most of all, my Kruspe bass trombone is well protected, ready for my next flight.

My Protec MAX case with my Kruspe bass trombone.

If you have a vintage Conn bass trombone or an historical German bass trombone that has a long slide that will not fit in your modern bass trombone case, Protec has a case for you. I also want to say this as well: My experience with Protec was superb in every way. My conversation with Michael Corter was extremely helpful and informative. Protec’s customer service was outstanding. The case was well packed for shipment and it arrived on my doorstep in perfect condition. The workmanship of the Protec case is also superb. The zippers work easily, the interior storage compartments open and close smoothly, and look at the price of the Protec MAX bass trombone case (it comes with free shipping!) on the Protec website—it is a very affordable product. Props to Protec for making this case, and for manufacturing it in such a way that a user can make modifications to it very easily.

Protec also makes a full line of trombone cases (and cases for other instruments) and case accessories. Visit their website to see all of their products.

Now, it’s time to get back to practicing my part for Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. As an aside, I recently wrote an article about Missa solemnis for the blog hosted by my church, New Covenant Church of Naperville, Illinois. The article is titled, The Nicene Creed, Beethoven, and the Power of a Small Word. Have a look. There is something about how Beethoven set the Credo to his Missa solemnis that I find truly remarkable.

Beethoven. Kruspe. Protec. A good combination!

It’s Super Bowl Sunday!

by Douglas Yeo (February 9, 2025)

It’s that time of year again. The National Football League’s Super Bowl will kick off in a few hours. Millions of people around the world will be watching, whether on television, through a streaming service, or the internet. Even people who are not football fans will be watching. The game is just that big, such a big part of life for so many people. Whether your team is playing (mine isn’t. . .) or not, whether you tune in just to watch the commercials or the halftime show, my guess is most readers of these words will be watching or have watched Super Bowl LIX – Super Bowl 59.

The Super Bowl is one of those unique events—like a World Cup soccer final, or a college football championship final—that is bigger than life. When I was young and living in Valley Stream, New York (just a few miles across the border of Queens, New York City, where I spent the first few years of my life), I remember watching Super Bowl III in January 1969. I was in eighth grade, but I remember the thrill of watching the game (on our family’s black and white television) and seeing our team, the New York Jets win. It was thrilling. I wish I still had my Joe Namath rookie football card. Yup, I had one. But after the Super Bowl III, I took that card and did what all of my friends and I did with all of our football and baseball cards: We got a clothespin and attached them to the back frame of our bicycles to make a fluttering sound. Seriously. I just looked: a Joe Namath rookie football card in near mint/mint condition is selling on eBay right now. For $48,500. I’ll pass. (No pun intended.)

Over the years, I’ve attended three Super Bowls. Each one of them are indelibly imprinted in my memory, historical events in my life that I’ll never forget.

Panoramic photos of Super Bowls XXXVI (New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams), XLIX (New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks), and LIV (Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers).

SUPER BOWL XXXVI – February 3, 20020

I was a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1985-2012. In December 2001, we began to hear rumors that the Boston Pops Orchestra—which IS the Boston Symphony Orchestra minus most of the principal players in the BSO—would be playing in the pregame show at Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans on February 3, 2002. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks turned the world upside down, and the next Super Bowl after the attacks was scheduled to be played in New Orleans, with a typical Mardi Gras type theme. 9/11 changed that and the theme of the game was switched to a patriotic theme.

Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, was on the NFL’s Super Bowl entertainment committee and he suggested that the Boston Pops—”America’s Orchestra”—be involved in the game. That got set many weeks before any of us in Boston knew that the New England Patriots would actually be playing in the game.

I told the story of how that all happened in a long article on my website: The New England Patriots and the Boston Pops: A Super Bowl XXXVI Diary, January/February 2002. You can read that article HERE.

Tom Rolfs, Douglas Yeo, and Ronald Barron at Super Bowl XXXVI

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave each member of the orchestra a ticket for the game. Amazing. I sat between two great friends, BSO trumpet player Tom Rolfs (he is now principal trumpet in the orchestra) and Principal trombonist Ronald Barron.

My view from the end zone at Super Bowl XXXVI.

We were seated in an end zone; little did we know that we would watch the winning field goal come off Patriots’ kicker Adam Vinatieri’s foot and come right to us. Unforgettable.

A framed box of Super Bowl XXXVI highlights.

SUPER BOWL XLIX – February 1, 2015

I retired from the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and when we moved to Arizona, my wife and I became season ticket holders for Arizona Cardinals (and Arizona State University—where I was trombone professor) football. That said, we still followed the Patriots; after all, one does not give up a nearly 30 year fandom overnight. In 2015, the Patriots were in the Super Bowl again, and Super Bowl XLIX was held at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the home of the Arizona Cardinals. Just a 30 minute drive from our home.

Naturally we wanted to go to the game but ticket prices were out of this world. But then, the most unexpected thing happened. A friend in Boston, whose family had many season ticket seats to Patriots football, called and said that their family had two extra tickets. Would I like them? WOULD I LIKE THEM?!?!? YES! This was a remarkable gift, one I could not wholly accept without paying something. My friend didn’t want money for the tickets, but she said her family had supported an Christian ministry in Haiti for many years and if we wanted to make a donation to that group of selfless workers who served the poor, that would be great. So I sent a donation to the ministry and my wife and I went to the game.

Douglas and Patricia Yeo outside University of Phoenix Stadium before Super Bowl XLIX

Our seats were five rows from the field, right on a goal line. It was WILD to be in the stadium—where we had seen so many Arizona Cardinals football games—and don our old Patriots gear for another game for the first time in several years.

At our seats for Super Bowl XLIX

I had never sat so close to the field for the game and I confess I never thought such a view right next to the end zone would be that interesting. But it was! At one point in the game, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski caught a touchdown at the other side of the end zone. A week later, a photo of that touchdown that showed Pat and me across the end zone appeared in Sports Illustrated.

Rob Gronkowski catching a touchdown at Super Bowl XLIX. Douglas and Patricia Yeo are circled in red, across the end zone. I’m wearing a white baseball hat and Pat is next to me, on my left.

This was a wild, back and forth game. And at the end, the Patriots won in a stunning way, when Malcolm Butler intercepted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line. I wrote about my experience at Super Bowl XLIX and how I apply a very important lesson that was in evidence at the end of that game to my trombone playing and teaching in an article on TheLastTrombone. The article is titled: Stay disciplined: a lesson from Super Bowl XLIX. You can read that article HERE.

Patricia and Douglas Yeo celebrating the end of Super Bowl XLIX.

SUPER BOWL LIV – February 2, 2020

After Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona, the thought of attending another Super Bowl never entered my mind. I had been to two. Another one? I never really thought about it. But I DID go to another Super Bowl. And that is quite a story in itself.

Pat and I moved from Arizona to the Chicago area in 2018 in order to live closer to our grandchildren. One of the first things we did was get Chicago Bears season tickets. New town, new team.

Douglas and Patricia Yeo at Soldier Field, Chicago, September 8, 2024.

In 2019, the Chicago Bears ran a contest. The winner would receive an all-expenses paid trip to Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida. The contest was this: Write an essay of 100 words or less on the subject, “Who would you take to the Super Bowl and why?” I wrote an essay about my son-in-law, Chad, who is a hospice chaplain. My essay was exactly 100 words. And I won the contest. Unbelievable.

Douglas Yeo and Chad Leonard on the field at Super Bowl LIV.

Two fans from each of the NFL’s32 teams were given this remarkable experience. Each team decided how to award the two tickets allowed to them. The Bears had a contest. Some teams sent their “fan of the year.” Others had a random drawing. Going to Miami, staying at the Biltmore Hotel, going to the NFL Experience, NFL Honors, and Super Bols LIV was a truly remarkable experience, made all the better because we were with super fans from all teams.

Fans from all 32 NFL teams at the 2020 Super Bowl LIV fan experience. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Once again, I found myself seated in the end zone at a Super Bowl, just like I had been at Super Bowl XXXVI. Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey came up to say hello to Chad and me and we watched a memorable game as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers. We witnessed the beginning of the Kansas City Chief’s NFL dynasty as they won their first Super Bowl since they won Super Bowl IV in 1970.

Douglas Yeo, Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey, and Chad Leonard at Super Bowl LIV.

I wrote several posts on TheLastTrombone about this remarkable experience. You can read my article, 100 Words – Super Bowl LIV which tells the story of the contest and has my winning essay HERE. And you can read my long article about the whole experience at Super Bowl LIV, Super Bowl LIV – an exceptional fan experience thanks to the Chicago Bears and the NFL, HERE.

Today, when I’m watching Super Bowl LIV with Pat and our oldest daughter, Linda, her husband, Chad, and our two grandchildren, all of these live-in-person memories of past Super Bowls will be in my mind. The Super Bowl. It’s a special experience every year. Here’s hoping we’ll see a great game later today.

UPDATE: The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIV. Congratulations to the Eagles. And now we’re on to next season. But first, baseball! Go Cubs, Go!