• The challenges of giving Skype lessons
• His use of technology in lessons
• What to do if the chaps are at the cleaners (don't ask)
• The simplest setup to start messing with electronics (mic, cable, digital effects/multi-effects unit, into a keyboard or bass amp)
• Why delay and chorus effects are a good place to start
• How to get started with looping pedals
• How he sets up his musical improvs
• His influences including Reggie Watts, Matt Owen and David Wolf from Drums & Tuba
• How David Vining and Jan Kagarice helping him overcome challenges
• Playing with a drummer and a theremin at an Invent Room Pop gig and creating Amplituba
• Blow into the small end

TBJ73: Trombonist Weston Sprott on Performing with the Metropolitan Opera, the Diversity Issues Facing the Industry and Running Into One of His Heroes on the Streets of New York

Weston Sprott is the Acting Principal Trombone of the Metropolitan Opera and has appeared with major orchestras all over the world.

In this episode, we cover:

• His gig
• What the best subs have in common
• Coming up in TX
• Teaching
• Best student characteristics- “They do what I tell them to do”
• The acidic, dry and awesome John Rojak
• His website and resources
• Diversity issues in classical music
• Meeting Wynton Marsalis
• The McGurk Effect
• The Sphinx Organization

LINKS:

• Met Orchestra bio page
• Personal Site
• Sphinx Music
• The McGurk Effect video

From his website:

Weston Sprott enjoys an exciting career that includes orchestral, chamber, and solo performances, as well as numerous educational and outreach efforts. He is currently  Acting Principal Trombone of New York’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, of which he has been a member since 2005. He has been recognized as “an excellent trombonist” with a “sense of style and phrasing [that] takes a backseat to no one”.  

Sprott performs frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra, recently held a position with the Zurich Opera/Philharmonia, and has appeared with numerous other major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, and Oslo Philharmonic. He previously held principal positions with the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. His chamber music and festival engagements include the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Fesitval (SICMF), Classical Tahoe, Festival Napa Valley, Walla Chamber Music Festival, Chineke!, PRIZM Ensemble, and numerous others.
 
As a soloist, Sprott has been featured regularly throughout the United States, Europe, South Africa, and Asia. He made his Carnegie solo debut performing Lars-Erik Larsson’s Concertino for Trombone in 2007 and was a featured soloist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is 2017. Sprott’s debut album, Act I, was released in 2010 and hailed by the American Record Guide as “an outstanding recording” that “feels the emotion of every note and phrase”.
 
A dedicated and tireless teacher, Sprott maintains teaching studios at several New York area institutions. He currently heads the brass department at Mannes College and holds faculty positions at Bard College, Rutgers University, and Juilliard Pre-College. He also regularly serves on the faculties of SICMF, PRIZM, Curtis Institute of Music’s Summerfest, National Youth Orchestra-USA (NYO-USA) and NYO2. He has previously held faculty positions at Juilliard's Music Advancement Program and Purchase College. 
 
He recently appeared in Ben Niles’ documentary film Some Kind of Spark, which highlights the impact of music education in the lives of students as they attend Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program. Other documentary film credits include A Wayfarer's Journey:Listening to Mahler, and Rittenhouse Square. His thoughts are also quoted in Rhythms of the Game, a book by former New York Yankees star Bernie Williams. He also works regularly with organizations like Play On Philly and Music Kitchen, and has sponsored educational opportunities and solicited instrument donations for disadvantaged students. His philanthropic spirit was recently recognized in an article by the Wall Street Journal, and he was the recipient of the Atlanta Symphony Talent Development Program Aspire Award. Weston is an active speaker and collaborator as an advocate for diversity and inclusion efforts in classical music.

Weston Sprott is an artist/clinician for the Antoine Courtois Instrument Company. He performs exclusively on Courtois trombones and plays the Legend AC420BHW "New Yorker Model" trombone. Performances and interviews with Mr. Sprott have been seen and heard on PBS' Great Performances, NPR's Performance Today, MSNBC, and Sirius Satellite Radio. 
 

Trombonist Michael Clayville from Alarm Will Sound and Visiting Professor at Lawrence Conservatory

Michael Clayville is a musician who is passionate about drawing audiences deeply into the art of sound. His abilities as a trombone soloist, chamber musician, and improviser have taken him to prestigious venues around the world including Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Hall, the Barbican (London) and the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ (Amsterdam) and have led to him working with some of the most prominent classical and popular artists today including Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Steve Reich, John Adams, John Luther Adams, Charles Wuorinen, and David Lang, and experimental groups like Medeski Martin and Wood, and the Dirty Projectors.

Michael is a founding member of Alarm Will Sound, a group that has been awarded the ASCAP Concert Music Award for “the virtuosity, passion and commitment with which they perform and champion the repertory for the 21st century” and which has been called the “future of classical music” by the New York Times. In addition to being its trombonist, Michael is also the Director of Marketing for Alarm Will Sound.

In this episode, we cover:

• Playing with Medeski, Martin and Wood
• Picking repertoire in Alarm Will Sound by quasi-democratic methods
• Marketing efforts/social media for AWS
• Splitting Adams CD
• The Mizzou International Composers Festival
• Georg Friedrich Haas
• Teaching at Lawrence, working for/with Brian Pertl

LINKS:

Jonathan Dorn has played tuba for everyone from Leon Redbone to The Philadelphia Orchestra and got to hang out with John Belushi in the 70s, 'nuff said. He shares incredible (and hilarious stories) from over 50 years in the business.

Some of the crazy things he shares in this interview:

• How he got started on the tuba as a kid and worked his way through the ranks in Philly
• What it was like taking lessons with the legendary Abe Torchinsky
• Playing 16 shows (16!) a week with Ringling Brothers Circus (think bleeding chops) and getting to work with legendary cornet player and bandleader Merle Evans
• How he learned changes on the fly
• Passing off his regular gig with Your Father's Mustache to the legendary Bob Stewart
• What it was like performing on Saturday Night Live four times with Leon Redbone and partying with John Belushi and Chevy Chase in the '70's
• And how he became a professional chef after 30 years of playing the tuba professionally!

LINKS:

TBJ70: Listener's Choice: Where Andrew & Lance share stories related to questions submitted by YOU!

This is the first in what may become a recurring episode type (depending on whether you nice folks like the format.) We get lots of questions on a variety of topics and thought we'd try answering some of them.

In this episode, we talk about our early influences and share stories from our formative years. We close out the episode explaining how we ended up in music school and will be unpacking the process of college applications/auditions for the next installment of the "Listener's Choice."

Let us know what you think!

LINKS:

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

The Brass Area of the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh PA is our new partner (and Lance has been teaching euphonium there since 2000). If you are interested in learning more about the program, visit the site HERE!

Check out Parker Mouthpieces fine offerings (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models) by clicking PARKER!

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Last but not least, we are now on Instagram! Follow us at instagram.com/pray4jens/ TODAY!

Expertly produced by Joey Santillo with love, care, and enthusiasm. This episode is the last produced by Joey. HUGE buckets of thanks to him for being a great partner in making these shows happen!

• Personal site
• Atlanta Symphony bio
• Kennesaw State bio

TBJ 67: Denise Tryon, low horn specialist and former member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, joins Andrew & Lance and unpacks following your gut to pursue your dreams.

Boston Symphony trumpeter Michael Martin joins Andrew & Lance to talk his career as a player, and composer. Michael joined the BSO in 2010 and has had great success there, building on the training which began with his dad (Freddy Martin). We discuss his days at Interlochen and Northwestern, touring with his brother (Chris Martin) and the Chicago Symphony and how his composing career got off the ground at an early age. He also discusses his favorite conductors, what it takes to be a good section player, how to listen and how to learn new repertoire really quickly.

Oh, and he shares a hilarious rookie error story during a rehearsal of Mahler 2 under Michael Tilson Thomas. "20!"

LINKS:

Michael's site

BSO bio page

Video interview

New England Conservatory bio page

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

The Brass Area of the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh PA is our new partner (and Lance has been teaching euphonium there since 2000). If you are interested in learning more about the program, visit the site HERE!

Check out Parker Mouthpieces fine offerings (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models) at http://www.parkermouthpieces.com/

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Last but not least, we are now on Instagram! Follow us at instagram.com/pray4jens/ TODAY!

Expertly produced by Joey Santillo with love, care and enthusiasm.

Trumpeter and former Boston Brass colleague Rich Kelley joins Andrew & Lance in a fun conversation about life on and after the road. Rich dropped out of Juilliard, where he studied with Mark Gould, because he had too many gigs! He has played on Broadway, with Meridian Arts Ensemble and Boston Brass and regularly plays with the Boston Pops and the Brass Band of Battle Creek. Shockingly, he’s also a really great guy! We get some great Boston Brass stories along the way, he talks about having perfect pitch and how much fun it is to play in a trio with his two daughters. 

Rich also may or may not have had a mistaken identity run in with the authorities in Altus, Oklahoma. 

Rich's NEC Bio

NEW SPONSOR!!!

Thanks to the Mary Pappert School of Music for becoming a sponsor! Find out about the brass goings-on at Duquesne HERE!

Check out Parker Mouthpieces fine offerings (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models) at http://www.parkermouthpieces.com/

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Lastly, you can do us a huge favor just by sharing the show with your friends!

Produced by Joey Santillo

Charles Lazarus, 4th/utility trumpet in the Minnesota Orchestra joins Andrew & Lance in an interview to discuss everything from producing concerts to Gestalt dream analysis. Charles has grown beyond the typical role of orchestra member to someone who produces concerts for the orchestra on a regular basis. We talk about the long and painful lockout experienced by the Minnesota Orchestra, the ideas of Michael Kiser, and (believe it or not) Esquivel. Charles also explains the importance of clarifying your goals, and the importance of tenacity, access and influence. 

Additionally, we hear some legendary stories from Charles’ time in Dallas Brass including a standoff with the cops and a story about “The Nub.”

Links:

Charles' website

Charles' Minnesota Orchestra bio page

New album! Lovejoy

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

We are proud to announce we have a new sponsor for the The Brass Junkies! The Brass Area of the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh PA is our new partner (and Lance has been teaching euphonium there since 2000). If you are interested in learning more about the program, visit the site HERE!

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Last but not least, we are now on Instagram! Follow us at instagram.com/pray4jens/ TODAY!

Produced by Joey Santillo

JD Shaw & David Cutler join Andrew & Lance in a slightly chaotic exploration of the group Cones and Tones. Both on faculty at the University of South Carolina, JD and David also make up (along with Andrew & Lance) a new group called Cones and Tones. The group has had a couple performances and is heading into the recording studio in late Spring of 2017 to record an album which will attempt to cover the multiple styles and diverse personalities these four knuckleheads bring to the table. JD (making his third appearance on TBJ) tells how the group got started and talks about programming a “musical variety show.” 

David (author of the great books The Savvy Musician and The Savvy Music Teacher) also takes some time to talk about The Savvy Arts Venture Challenge, the world's leading experiential entrepreneurship workshop for musicians, performing artists and educators (formerly known as The SAVVY Musician in Action).

Additionally, we spend more than a few minutes busting each other's chops. 

Links:

Savvy Arts Venture Challenge

JD's arrangements

JD's USC faculty bio

David's website

David's USC faculty bio

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Joey Santillo

Trombonist Billy Bargetzi joins Andrew & Lance in an interview that is both entertaining and powerful. Billy is a journeyman who has played with an incredible array of some of the most amazing players of our time. Additionally, he teachers at the University of Alabama- Hunstsville, which is celebrating 50 years of existence. Both his parents were avid opera singers and his dad was also a big band singer, which informed Billy’s interest in music that crosses genres and styles. 

He went to school with prior TBJ guest Harry Watters and his brother (and future TBJ) Ken, performed with Dick Nailer and discusses the importance of attitude. 

Speaking of which, Billy talks at length about his six-month bout with Bell’s Palsey. Why he persevered, how he came back and how this attitude made all the difference.

Links:

Billy's Conn-Selmer bio page

University of Alabama at Huntsville 50th Anniversary Celebration

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Joey Santillo

David Childs, phenomenal euphonium soloist, recording artist, teacher, publisher and magazine editor joins Andrew & Lance to talk about his career up to this point and where he’s headed.

We talk to David about studying with his father (Robert Childs who along with Nicholas, made up the groundbreaking Childs Brothers euphonium duet), inspiring younger players and his explorations into electro-acoustic music, specifically his experiments with adding sensors to his horn. Additionally, we share our admiration for Demondrae Thurman (he's dreamy), portfolio careers and Richard Strauss.

Finally, David is a regular part of the North American Brass Band Summer School in Nova Scotia each summer, is a Manchester United fan and has inspired Lance to start using the term “X, Y, Zed” more frequently. Although for no clear reason.

Links:

Personal site, davechilds.com
North American Brass Band Summer School, nabbss.com
Prima Vista Musikk, primavistamusikk.com
Brass Band World Magazine, brassbandworld.co.uk

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Joey Santillo

Alex Lapins, Assistant Professor of Tuba/Euphonium at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Tony Tortora, a senior music education major and virtuosic vuvuzela-ist from Alex’ studio, join Andrew & Lance to discuss what happened and why.

The email subject heading was “Challenge Accepted” and referred to the offhanded comment made in the TBJ Joy Tartell interview. Blind auditions and vuvuzelas were mentioned. There may or may not be video. Which looks like this:

YouTube Awesomeness!

Additionally, based on a request from one of our great Patreon Patrons, Russell Etters, we unpack the ins and outs of preparing for a college audition. Thanks Russell!

Links:

Alex's Miraphone page
Alex's UTK bio page
UTK Tuba studio page
Tony's YouTube channel

Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes.

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Joey Santillo