Mike Roylance, Principal Tuba of the Boston Symphony Orchestra on gigs during Covid-19, playing for Disney, and life as an orchestral tubist in a major symphony orchestra.
You can find show notes, links and this episode’s Easter eggs on the Pedal Note Media website: http://www.pedalnotemedia.com/tbj/blog/tbj146
Check out the offerings from Hitz Academy and see if it is right for you!: www.hitzacademy.com
For instant access to the complete back catalog of exclusive bonus content including extra interviews with guests, additional content from Lance and Andrew like the Music Practice Coach Show and the Jacobs Quotes Podcast, become a Patreon patron of the show today: https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies.
TBJ145: Tom Hooten, principal trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic on transparency, air direction and coyotes. Trumpet master Tom Hooten joined Andrew & Lance to discuss how he has taken advantage of his time during quarantine to become an even better player, teacher and musician.
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ144: Legendary horn player and teacher Marty Hackleman on All Star Brass, poetry and fire tornadoes. Marty joins The Brass Junkies for a second time to share some amazing stories, including a very honest explanation of how he decided to end his playing career.
LINKS
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ143: Brittany Lasch, Trombone Professor at Bowling Green State University on Covid recovery, Star Wars and Goal Setting. Brittany Lasch shared her incredible story about losing an Easter gig and getting Covid, a bad tradeoff.
LINKS
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ142: Chris Martin, Principal Trumpet with the New York Philharmonic on auditions, fundamentals, and 340 mouthpieces. Really. Master trumpeter Chris Martin joins Andrew & Lance to explain how he landed two of the best gigs in the world.
LINKS
Full show notes at pedalnotemedia.com (including Lance's show notes/Easter eggs).
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
TBJ141: Quotes from the 2020 TBJ Academy Summer Workshop. Andrew & Lance highlight some of their favorite quotes from Donna Parkes, JD Shaw, Mary Bowden, Tage Larsen, Jen Montone Demondrae Thurman, and Richard White.
We had an amazing week at The Brass Junkies Academy Summer Workshop! 20 amazing hours with the best of the best in an extremely informative and powerful five-day run.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!
We've decided to add an additional TBJASW BONUS DAY on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, featuring trumpet soloist Rex Richardson, Chris Castellanos, french horn with Boston Brass, and an additional hang with a special surprise guest! If you have already signed up for the course, this day is TOTALLY FREE for you! If not, head to brassjunkies.academy and sign up today, using the offer code summerbonus to get the live bonus day AND access to recordings of the previous 20 hours of content for $59 through September 1.
In case you forgot, here were the artists for the original workshop:
Now onto this episode.
We had a hard time picking from among a gazillion awesome quotes but found some we thought you'd enjoy. Here's the rundown:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ140: John Lofton, Bass Trombone with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on YOLO, diversity in the arts, and a crazy trip to Venezuela. John Lofton is a great guy and thoughtful musician and shared some great insights and ideas with Andrew & Lance.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
From his bio:
A native of Philadelphia and a graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, JOHN LOFTON began his professional career as Bass Trombonist with the State Orchestra of Mexico. After his years in Toluca, Mexico, Lofton moved to Hawaii to perform with the Honolulu Symphony and later became the Bass Trombonist of the Phoenix Symphony. In 2008 he was appointed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Bass Trombonist. In addition to his responsibilities with the LA Phil, he has toured and recorded with the Cleveland Orchestra and performed with the San Francisco Symphony as well as the Santa Fe Opera. Lofton’s musical interests also include chamber music; he has performed with several brass quintets and is a faculty member at the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute featuring the Summit Brass. He teaches at California State University Long Beach, and has students from several L.A. colleges. In addition to appearing on several sound stage recordings, Lofton has produced both solo and chamber recordings.
In today's episode, we cover:
LINKS:
NOTE: Weston Sprott also generously shared some resources for everyone hoping to learn more. Thank you, Weston!
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
Doc's bio:
Dr. Nickens was named the 2016 Faculty Member of the Year by the George Mason University Alumni Association. He served as a Faculty Representative to the Board of Visitors, Chair of the Faculty of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, Chair of the CVPA Diversity Committee, and as a member of the School of Music’s Graduate Committee. Having joined the faculty of Mason’s School of Music in fall 2006, he has taught courses in sight-singing/ear training, popular music in America, improvisatory music, brass methods, applied tuba, composition, chamber music, and jazz improvisation, as well as collaborations with Mason’s School of Dance. In addition, he was a co-founder and co-conductor of the Colonial Athletic Association’s “Breakfast with the Bands” intercollegiate pep band showcase.
TBJ138: Julie Landsman on being the first woman in the brass section of The Met, the teaching of Carmine Caruso and JFL. Legendary is a term that gets thrown around a lot. Sometimes, it is deserved. This is one of those times.
We're playing around with the show notes organization. Let us know your thoughts!
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
Julie's bio:
Principal horn with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for 25 years, Julie Landsman is a distinguished performing artist and educator. She received a bachelor of music degree from The Juilliard School in 1975 under the tutelage of James Chambers and Ranier De Intinis, and has served as a member of the Juilliard faculty since 1989.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Landsman achieved her dream of becoming principal of the MET in 1985 and held that position until 2010. She has also shared her talent to many other ensembles within the city as a current member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and having performed and recorded with the New York Philharmonic. Additionally, she has performed with numerous groups outside the city, including her co-principal position with the Houston Symphony, substitute principal position with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and recent performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra as Associate principal horn, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, principal horn.
She has recorded for RCA, Deutsche Gramophone, CRI, Nonesuch and Vanguard labels, and is most famous for her performance of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle as solo horn with the MET Opera under the direction of James Levine. Landsman has performed as chamber musician at many festivals and concert series, including the Marlboro Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she appeared as a guest artist with the Guarneri Quartet. In the summers she performs and teaches at the Music Academy of the West , the Sarasota Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival.
World renowned as a master teacher, Julie Landsman holds faculty positions at The Juilliard School and Bard College Conservatory, and teaches frequently as a guest at the Curtis Institute. She has presented master classes at such distinguished institutions as The Colburn School, Curtis Institute, Eastman School of Music, Mannes College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, USC Thornton School of Music, Cal State Long Beach, Rowan University, University of Oklahoma, and University of Southern Mississippi, to name a few. She is also a visiting master teacher at the New World Symphony in Miami. Her international presence includes master classes in Norway, Sweden, and Israel. In 2016 Landsman was an honored jury member at the ARD horn competition in Munich, Germany.
Her students hold positions in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera and Ballet Orchestras, Washington National Opera Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Colorado Symphony, and the American Brass Quintet. She recently received the “Pioneer Award” from the International Women’s Brass Conference and was a featured artist at the International Horn Society Conference in 2012 and 2015.
Her recent series of Carmine Caruso lessons on YouTube have led to further fame and renown among today’s generation of horn players. Landsman currently resides in Nyack, New York.
NOTE: Registration is open for The Brass Junkies Academy Summer Workshop, a five-day workshop with 15 of the best brass players in the world hosted by Andrew Hitz & Lance LaDuke. Each day features three clinics plus a daily hang with special guests hosted by The Brass Junkies. The workshop is open to all ages but recommended for high school and above. The workshop runs from June 22-26, 2020.
More information can be found at brassjunkies.academy including how to get $30 off the $109 price for a LIMITED TIME!!!
TBJ138: Demondrae Thurman on Sotto Voce, Indiana University AND the Brass Junkies Academy Summer Academy. Demondrae returns to share the origins of Sotto Voce and explains his unorthodox job offer from Indiana University.
From his website:
Demondrae Thurman is considered one of the stars of the formidable generation of brass soloists. His euphonium playing has been described as “awe inspiring”, and he is touted as “an amazing musician”. Demondrae has a firm international reputation as a euphonium soloist having performed in Europe, Asia and throughout North America. Many of Americas premiere colleges and universities have hosted him as a performer and teacher and he continues to be in extremely high demand. Over the last eighteen years, Demondrae has been an invited guest artist/clinician at many of the world’s prestigious low brass festivals including the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference, U.S. Army Band Tuba and Euphonium Conference and theLeonard Falcone Competition.
Demondrae’s conducting career began in 1999 when he co-founded the wind ensemble at Alabama State University. Since that time, he has appeared as a guest conductor with numerous wind bands, brass bands, and symphony orchestras. His symphony orchestra debut came in 2008 conducting Scheherazade by Rimsky Korsakov with the Huxford Symphony Orchestra of the University of Alabama where he also served as its conductor from 2011-2013. He is currently in his 7th season as Resident Assistant Conductor of the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra.
Demondrae is also an active chamber musician. He plays first euphonium and trombone in the highly regarded Sotto Voce Quartet which tours extensively. The quartet has released four recordings; all of which have received stellar reviews. Viva Voce!: The Complete Quartets of Johns Stevens won the International Tuba/Euphonium Association award for best chamber music recording in 2006. The quartet has been featured several times on American Public Media’s, Performance Today. He also plays first baritone horn in the Brass Band of Battle Creek, a British brass band comprised of many of the world’s best brass and percussion performers. In addition to his chamber music work, Demondrae is in high demand as a euphonium/bass trumpet specialist for symphony orchestras. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Eastern Music Festival Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
In addition to the Sotto Voce Quartet recordings, Demondrae released his first solo recording on the Summit Records label in 2005 entitled, Soliloquies. It received a 9/9 out of 10/10 from classicstoday.com and he was referred to as “having earned (his) stripes as one of the premiere euphonium players in the world”. Showing his dedication to new music, all of the music on the recording was written for him or with his playing in mind. His second album, Songs of a Wayfarer, was released in 2011. The latest recording, Snapshots: The Spirit of Collaboration, was released in March of 2014. Demondrae can also be heard on recordings with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the New South Jazz Orchestra.
Currently, Demondrae is Professor of Music at Samford University where he teaches low brass and conducting while serving as conductor of the wind ensemble and Director of Graduate Studies.
Demondrae Thurman is a Miraphone Performing Artist and plays exclusively the Miraphone 5050 Ambassador “Edition” euphonium which was designed specifically for him. He also plays the custom “Demondrae” model mouthpiece manufactured by Warburton Music Products and is a Shires Trombone Performing Artist.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ136: Boston Brass joins Andrew & Lance sharing stories both new and old. The five current members of Boston Brass catch us up with how the quintet is dealing with quarantine, swaps stories, and future plans.
From their website:
For 31 years, Boston Brass has set out to establish a one-of-a-kind musical experience. Performing exciting classical arrangements to burning jazz standards, Boston Brass treats audiences to a unique brand of entertainment captivating all ages. The ensemble’s lively repartee, touched with humor and personality, attempts to bridge the ocean of classical formality to delight audiences in an evening of great music and boisterous fun. The philosophy of Boston Brass is to provide audiences with a wide selection of musical styles in unique arrangements, provided in a friendly and fun atmosphere.
Through over 100 performances each year, the members of Boston Brass play to audiences at concerts, educational venues, and jazz festivals. In addition to solo performances, Boston Brass regularly performs with orchestras, wind ensemble, brass bands, marching bands, and a variety of other ensembles. They have performed in 49 states and 30 countries and have conducted master classes around the world including sessions and residencies at the Eastman School of Music, The Julliard School, Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Peabody Conservatory of Music, University of North Texas, Royal Academy of Music in London, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at the National University of Singapore, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and Mahidol University in Bangkok.
Boston Brass is a Yamaha Performing Group and has been featured educators and performers at the Mid West Band and Orchestra Clinic, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Japan Band Clinic, Music Educators National Conferences, American Bandmaster Association Conference, The American Band College, Western International Band Clinic and Texas Bandmasters Association Convention.
Boston Brass has been featured on The CBS Early Show, National Public Radio’s Performance Today, The Great American Brass Band Festival and has recorded many diverse albums. Their latest recording “Concerto Grosso” is a collaboration with Eric Rombach-Kendall and University of New Mexico Wind Ensemble, “Reminiscing” is a tribute to Rolf Smedvig of the Empire Brass, “Rewired” features new arrangements by the members of Boston Brass, Latin Nights, features a collection of some of the greatest classical and jazz works by Latin composers and performers and features the legendary drummer Steve Gadd, the beautiful voice of Talita Real, percussion and guitar. Other albums include Ya Gotta Try, featuring music from Horace Silver, Chick Corea and Dizzy Gillespie, produced by legendary jazz recording genius Rudy van Gelder and Within Earshot, featuring classical works by Shostakovich, Ginastera, Dvorak, Liszt, and others.
Boston Brass has two holiday recordings, Christmas Bells are Swingin’, and The Stan Kenton Christmas Carols, featuring the Boston Brass All-Stars Big Band playing the truly phenomenal charts made popular by the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Boston Brass tours a vibrant holiday show each year featuring many of the charts from these two albums, combined with a variety of solo and combo selections and some fun surprises, which has quickly established the show as a perennial audience favorite.
2011 marked the 25th Anniversary of Boston Brass and was celebrated with the “25 Fanfares Project,” wherein 25 fanfares were premiered by composers from all over the country. Boston Brass also premiered a new major commission by noted wind ensemble composer Brian Balmages and new arrangements by the legendary Sam Pilafian. Additionally, Boston Brass was very excited to have the opportunity to collaborate in the 2010/2011 season with the fabulous Imani Winds in a program entitled “Sketches of Spain,” featuring the music of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. In the 2012/2013 season, the quintet began touring their “Notes from the Balcony” program with the Enso String Quartet. The program features music based on “Romeo and Juliet”.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ135: Jeff Nelsen on Fearless Performance, habit formation and how Canadian Brass is responding to the international quarantine. Horn performer, teacher, and magician Jeff Nelsen joins The Brass Junkies for the second time to catch us up on his efforts to make art and help others.
From his bio:
Having grown up on a Canadian pig-farm, Jeff Nelsen's multiple non-porcine professions show him to be living proof that if you want it enough, you can have any dream. Jeff is living his dreams out loud and fearlessly! Jeff's approach to life and life coaching is the same. When he teaches, he mentors. Every choice we make helps create what we ultimately share when we approach a job interview, audition, exam, product launch, or social gathering. It doesn't matter whether those choices are made while building or sharing our performance, choices matter...and we only ever choose fear or love. This website helps Jeff publish and provide his creative replacements to fear-based choices for you.
In this fun and lively discussion, we discuss:
Links:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ133: Christopher Bill on his amazing and amazingly powerful guide to remote music education. And bidets. Christopher is back for another interview with a deep dive discussion of how to learn and teach in the age of social isolation.
To save you some scrolling, here's a link to the oft-mentioned documents:
From his bio:
Christopher is best known as the most subscribed brass musician on YouTube. He’s a trombonist, singer, and multi-instrumentalist based outside of NYC.
Christopher’s YouTube Channel of all-trombone arrangements of popular songs has been gaining popularity since the spring of 2014 when a cover of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” where Christopher uses a looping station to compose the song on the spot went viral. His videos have amassed over 35 million views and a following of over 250,000 subscribers. In April of 2014, Christopher independently released his first cover album, Breakthrough, which was followed by his Christmas album, Smiling’s My Favorite. More recently, Christopher released an original pop album called Half Man, Half Machine which mixes acoustic sounds with electronic instruments. He is the Youth Workshop Coordinator of the International Trombone Festival and a marketing consultant for the International Trombone Association. In 2018, his collaboration with the International Trombone Festival of Bohemian Rhapsody went viral.
He has been playing piano since he was 6 years old, trombone since he was 10, and he has been composing/arranging since he was 12. Christopher has a Bachelor of Music for classical trombone performance from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music in New York. While at the conservatory he studied with critically acclaimed trombonists Weston Sprott (Metropolitan Opera), Denson Paul-Pollard (Metropolitan Opera), John Fedchock (Grammy Nominated Jazz Trombonist), and the absolutely incomparable Timothy Albright (Atlantic Brass Quintet).
Christopher enjoys a busy schedule of performances, clinics, and masterclasses. In addition to producing a new video every Saturday for his YouTube Channel, he often performs at festivals such as the American Trombone Workshop, Midwest Clinic, Texas Bandmasters Association, Con Brio Festivals, Conn-Selmer Institute, Western International Band Clinic, TMEA, the NAMM Show, and the International Trombone Festival.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ132: Phil Snedecor on diagnosing playing issues, his new publications and the challenges of small-holed instruments. Phil returns to the show to share even more wisdom and shares takeaways from his studies with Arnold Jacobs.
From his bio:
Phil Snedecor is Associate Professor of Trumpet at the Hartt School (of the University of Hartford) in Hartford, CT, and a former faculty member at The Peabody Conservatory, George Mason University and at Towson University. He has written a series of brass etude books that are required repertoire at many colleges and conservatories. His arrangements and compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Phil attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he received the prestigious Performers Certificate and was a member of the premiere brass quintet, the Canterbury Brass. While earning his degrees in trumpet performance and literature, he also studied arranging and composition with Professor Rayburn Wright, formerly arranger for Radio City Music Hall. Mr. Snedecor is a former member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and has held one-year positions with the National Symphony, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and the Baltimore Opera. He is Principal Trumpet in the Harrisburg (PA) Symphony Orchestra and former Co-Principal Trumpet in the Concert Artists of Baltimore. Mr. Snedecor has performed and toured throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
In 1993 Mr. Snedecor and National Symphony Principal Trombonist Milton Stevens co-founded The Washington Symphonic Brass, a 17-piece professional brass ensemble. They perform regularly for the Washington National Cathedral, St. Matthew’s Cathedral, the Basilica at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and with the Washington Choral Arts Society at the Kennedy Center. They were the official instrumental ensemble for the Papal visit of 2008 in Washington DC and are heard regularly in their own concert series in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Their critically acclaimed CDs are available on the Summit and Warner Classics labels. Phil’s innovative programming and arranging for the WSB has led to several guest conductor appearances, most recently with the River City Brass Band (Pittsburgh) and the Breckenridge (CO) Brass.
As a show player, he has performed in the touring productions of Guys & Dolls, Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Evita and West Side Story. He has recorded under the RCA, CBS, Gothic, Koss, and Summit labels. Phil’s solo CDs, The Lyrical Trumpet I and II are also available on the Summit Label.
In 2012, Mr. Snedecor founded the DC Pops Orchestra, a 30-piece ensemble featuring some of the best Jazz and crossover artists in the region. This group has provided music for the elite of Washington in prestigious venues such as the National Building Museum and Mellon Auditorium.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ131: Listener's Choice: Andrew & Lance warm up to the idea of warming up and other brass nerd stuff. Two listeners' questions are featured, covering warmups and practice routines.
Thank you to Susan and Mark for these great questions!
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ130: Gretchen Renshaw James on conducting, diversity and playing tuba in Seraph Brass. She eloquently explains how she balances teaching low brass, conducting, arranging and touring.
From her bio:
Gretchen Renshaw James enjoys a multifaceted career as a conductor, tuba and euphonium performer, and arranger. She is the Director of Bands/Applied Low Brass at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas; tubist with the internationally acclaimed Seraph Brass; Music Director of the award-winning Natural State Brass Band, based in Little Rock; and a published arranger with Potenza Music and Tuba-Euphonium Press. Prior to her time in central Arkansas, Gretchen completed a D.M.A. in Tuba Performance and M.M. in Wind/Orchestral Conducting at Michigan State University, where she was a University Distinguished Fellow. Previously, she earned degrees in Euphonium Performance from the University of Arkansas and Penn State University. As a tuba and euphonium performer, Gretchen has enjoyed success in major solo competitions including being a finalist in the Artist Tuba Competition at the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival and being named the Low Brass Winner of the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition. As an arranger, Gretchen has contributed a number of works for tuba-euphonium ensemble, solo tuba, and solo euphonium. Gretchen looks forward to continuing her varied musical career by remaining active as a tuba and euphonium performer and conductor of both bands and orchestras.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ129: Martin McCain on travel, creating new repertoire and BBQ. Trombone player and educator Martin McCain gives us a peek at his diverse and prolific career.
From his bio:
Global Music Award Gold Medal Winner and Grammy Award-nominated trombonist Martin McCain enjoys a career that spans an impressive scope of genres. A third-generation musician, he maintains a versatile performance schedule as a soloist, recording artist, chamber, orchestral and commercial musician. According to the International Trombone Association Journal, his playing has been described as "solid and masterful". McCain is in high demand as a performer and clinician throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia. His performances and arrangements have been broadcast on Austin, Knoxville, Tucson, Chicago, Toronto and Hong Kong's radio stations in addition to NPR's "Performance Today". Martin has appeared as a guest artist at the International Trombone Festival, Great American Brass Band Festival, Zagreb Brass Festival, Brazilian Trombone Festival and American Trombone Workshop. He is the leader of the award-winning jazz trombone ensemble, JazzBonez, a member of the highly-acclaimed Minor 4th Trombone Quartet and an Associate Artist with the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass. Martin regularly performs in recital programs both as a soloist and as the McCain Duo with his wife, pianist Artina McCain. As an orchestral musician, Martin holds the position of Principal Bass Trombone for the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra. McCain regularly performs with the IRIS Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Austin Symphony and Memphis Symphony Orchestra in addition to several summer festival orchestras. He has performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Amarillo Symphony, Charleston Symphony Orchestra and many regional orchestras. As a commercial musician, he performs with the NOW Jazz Orchestra, Memphis Jazz Orchestra and several national touring ensembles in addition to performances with the Frank Sinatra Jr. Orchestra.
McCain was a prize - winner twice in both the International Trombone Association's Donald Yaxley Solo Bass Trombone Competition and Kai Winding Jazz Trombone Ensemble Competition and twice in both of the American Trombone Workshop's National Bass Trombone Solo Competition and Jazz Trombone Ensemble Competition. He has been a featured soloist with the Croatian Army Wind Band, United States Army Concert Band "Pershing's Own" and the United States Army Brass Quintet. In addition to being heard on various recordings on the Summit Records, Naxos and Equilibrium labels, Martin has released three solo CDs Trombone Czar: Russian Treasures Recorded Live! (2012), Shades (2014) and Trombone Czar: The Extended Version(2015). Other recording credits include numerous movie and video game soundtracks in addition to commercial jingles. He is a four-time winner of the Global Music Awards and was featured as their “Emerging Artist” in an edition of Billboard magazine.
Martin is an Artist/Teacher of Trombone and the youngest faculty member to hold the rank of full professor at Texas State University. Under his leadership, the Trombone Choir and Jazz Trombone Ensembles have been invited to perform at the International Trombone Festival, American Trombone Workshop, Big 12 Trombone Conference and Texas Music Educators Association Convention on numerous occasions and have released two commercial recordings. Dr. McCain’s students have also been extremely successful in solo and ensemble competitions including the International Trombone Association competitions, the American Trombone Workshop competitions and the Big 12 Trombone Solo Competitions. In recognition of his teaching, he has received several citations including the 2019 College Achievement Award in Teaching, 2016 Presidential Distinction Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2013 Dean Nominee for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching. His students have been accepted into some of the nation's most prestigious graduate programs such as the Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Yale University, Northwestern University, Manhattan School of Music and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He is also the founder/director of the Texas State Trombone Symposium. In addition to his duties at Texas State, Martin spends the summer on the faculty for the Austin Chamber Music Festival, Interharmony International Music Festival (Italy), Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, PRIZM International Chamber Music Festival, SliderAsia Music Festival (Hong Kong) and the English Brass Academy (Croatia).
Martin McCain is a performing artist for S.E. Shires, Reunion Blues Gig Bags and plays on the "McCain" signature mouthpiece series manufactured by Pickett Brass.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ128: Euphoniumist Chris Buckley of the US Army Band on growing up in Laredo, Texas, euphonium repertoire and his love of cooking. Chris Buckley is a great player and a great guy. This wide-ranging conversation included great information on the Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Workshop. That's a lot of greats.
From his bio:
SFC Christopher Buckley is one of the newest members of the United States Army Band. He grew up in a large family on the South Texas border. While in Texas he competed in several international euphonium solo competitions, including the Leonard Falcone International Solo Competition where he won 1st place in 2009. While at the University of North Texas he played in many professional ensembles including the Dallas Wind Symphony, Lone Star Wind Ensemble, and the Dallas Civic Wind Ensemble. He also performs on tuba and trombone in many jazz ensembles. He lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife Leah where they are constantly searching for Mexican food as good as the food in Texas. They live with two crazy cats named Oscar and Battle Cat.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
A "distilled and refined" Patrick Sheridan returns to the show to share his thoughts on passion projects and reflects on the loss of Sam Pilafian.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ126: Trumpeter Susan Rider of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band on overcoming doubt, the importance of focus and jamming with her dad. Susan dropped serious conversation ninja on Andrew & Lance and made them have a normal conversation. Weird.
From her bio:
Trumpeter/cornetist Master Gunnery Sergeant Susan Rider joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in July 1997. Master Gunnery Sgt. Rider began her musical instruction at age 10. Upon graduating in 1985 from Northern University High School in Cedar Falls, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 1989 from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. She continued her studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, where in 1991 she earned a master’s degree in music and in 2000 earned a doctorate of music in brass pedagogy. Her trumpet instructors were Keith Johnson and Randy Grabowski of the University of Northern Iowa, and Charles Gorham and Edmund Cord of Indiana University.
Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Master Gunnery Sgt. Rider performed with the Midland/Odessa Symphony in Texas, the Owensboro Symphony in Kentucky, and the Evansville Philharmonic and Columbus Indiana Philharmonic in Indiana. She also played in the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra in Charleston, S.C., and was a substitute with the New World Symphony in Miami. In addition to performing, she also taught studio trumpet in Odessa and at Purdue University in Indiana, and was an associate instructor at Indiana University for the brass and music education departments.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Rider has appeared as a Marine Band guest soloist with various groups including the Louisville Male High School Symphonic Band from Kentucky in 2001, and the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony in 2005, both at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. She has performed with Monarch Brass at the International Women’s Brass Conferences in Toronto, Canada in 2010 and Cincinnati, Ohio in 2014; the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Columbus, Ohio in 2015; and the International Trombone Festival in New York in 2016. In addition to her musical duties, Master Gunnery Sgt. Rider has served as a Tour Coordinator since 2003, advancing and serving as on-site manager during the band’s annual concert tour.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
Links:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ125: Andrew & Lance Give Thanks. Lance drops a bunch of questions on Andrew, testing his ability to be thankful. Hilarity ensues.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover their gratitude related to their favorite or most memorable:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ124: Alan Baylock on arranging for the Airmen of Note, running the One O'Clock Lab Band at UNT and falling in love with the F Major 7 chord. Alan is an amazing arranger and bandleader and still manages to be a great guy!
From his bio:
Born and raised in a small town in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Alan Baylock has composed music that is performed throughout the world. One of the most respected and sought-after jazz composers and educators in the industry today, he is the director of the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas, and previously served 20 years as Chief Arranger for the USAF Airmen of Note in Washington, D.C. The Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra recorded three critically-acclaimed CDs and performed throughout the US for 15 years. Baylock graduated from Shenandoah University (BME f1990), where he later became Jazz Composer-in-Residence, and the University of North Texas (MM 1994).
Baylock travels extensively as guest conductor and clinician and has been featured with close to 100 professional, collegiate, high school (all-state and regional) and middle school jazz ensembles. Alan is on faculty at the National Jazz Workshop (NJW) and directed the NJW All-Star Big Band in performances on the east and west coast. He is an active member of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) where he mentors recipients of the annual Young Composers Award and is a guest clinician for the JENerations Jazz Festival. Thanks to the Nu Psi chapter, Alan became an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha in 2016 and became an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi (Kappa Epsilon chapter) in 2017.
Alan’s music has been performed and/or recorded by jazz greats Freddie Hubbard, Michael Brecker, Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinsen, Joe Lovano, Paquito D’Rivera, Phil Woods, Arturo Sandoval, David Liebman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kenny Werner, Joshua Redman, Stefon Harris, Jerry Bergonzi, Nicholas Payton, Sean Jones, Tierney Sutton, Kurt Elling and many more. His eclectic talents have also led him to writing music for Roy Clark, Lee Greenwood, Wynonna, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Spyro Gyra, Ronan Tynan, and symphony orchestras throughout the United States and abroad. His music is published by Alfred Music and ProJazzCharts.com.
Baylock lives in Denton, Texas with his wife, cellist Maria Baylock. In his spare time, Alan is an avid table tennis player.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
Links
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ123: Sam Pilafian Tribute
On October 25, 2019, Sam Pilafian would have turned 70. To mark this special occasion we decided to reach out to some of Sam's best friends to ask for stories, thoughts, reflections, and impressions. Mark Gould, Marty Hackleman, Jose Sibaja, Michael Sachs, JD Shaw, Patrick Sheridan, and Jose Sibaja shared stories ranging from hilarious to moving and we hope you find it as therapeutic as we have.
Happy Birthday, Sam!
#yeahman
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We are happy to announce the next offering from Pedal Note Media: The Brass Legacy Project! Each season will feature stories from people around the music business about a different brass legend.
Who better to feature in Season One of the Brass Legacy Project than Sam Pilafian!
Sign up for the Brass Junkies newsletter and be the first to learn about when Season One will launch. Yeah man!
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Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ122: Shelagh Abate on playing horn on Broadway, meeting Sting and the importance of networking. She gives us a great overview of life in a Broadway pit and what it takes to get (and stay) there.
From her bio:
SHELAGH ABATE is unquestionably one of New York’s most sought-after musicians. Shelagh’s love for the horn is almost as old as her love for music itself. Known for her simultaneously warm and assertive sound, her versatility and musical intuition has earned her a place in the lexicon of NYC’s busiest performers.
Shelagh has opened more than one dozen Broadway productions. Among them are Mary Poppins, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, South Pacific, Honeymoon in Vegas, Evita, Fiddler on the Roof, Anastasia, and most currently Disney’s Frozen. Since arriving in New York in 2006, she has performed regularly with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The Mostly Mozart Festival, The American Ballet Theater, The American Symphony Orchestra, The Opera Orchestra of New York, is third horn with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra and has been principal horn of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra under the artistic direction of Jaime Laredo since 1999. During the course of her career, she has been conducted by some of the great musicians of our time; Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, Andre Previn, James Conlon, Gunther Schuller, James DePriest, Robert Spano, Carl St. Clair, John Williams, Marin Alsop, Jaime Laredo, Keith Lockhart, and Placido Domingo, to name a few.
Shelagh has established fluency in the commercial realm as well as the classical, having performed as part of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Michel Legrand, the ensembles of Earl McDonald, Gary Morgan, Jamie Baum, John Allmark, John Vanore and Greg Hopkins. Shelagh has recorded, performed live in concert, as well as on televised events with Sting, The Who, Tony Bennett, Rufus Wainwright, Lady Gaga, Barry Manilow, Joni Mitchell, Trey Anastasio, Club d’Elf, Josh Groban, Brian Wilson, Linda Ronstadt, and most recently with the 2019 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.
Chamber music has been at the very core of Shelagh’s success as a musician. A winner of the Coleman Competition (2000), and a founding member of the award-winning Triton Brass (Fischoff, Lyon & Concert Artist’s Guild, 2005), Shelagh has collaborated with her world-class and longtime colleagues in order to achieve what is only artistically possible through such an intimate medium. Together they have shared their gifts with many thousands of others through live performances, recordings, and through education. Shelagh will be returning as faculty with Triton Brass to the Boston University Tanglewood Institute for their 2019 season. She also served as faculty for more than a decade with the renown Atlantic Brass Quintet International Summer Seminar. Through these summer programs, Shelagh is proud to have influenced, shaped and enriched the lives of many dozens of tomorrow’s musicians. Shelagh is an Artist in Residence at Boston College, and The Boston Conservatory of Music where she has performed and conducted clinics and masterclasses on a regular basis since 2003.
Shelagh’s early musical influences include extensive study with the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Richard Sebring, Toronto Symphony’s principal horn Neil Deland, and renowned pedagogue and performer Laura Klock. She has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and with The National Repertory Orchestra. Shelagh holds a B.A. from Boston College, an M.M. from The University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she was a recipient of the Howard W. Lebow Scholarship, and an Artist Diploma from The New England Conservatory of Music, where she was a Walkenier Scholar. Shelagh is proud to be a Stephens Horns artist, playing one of the very first horns handcrafted by Stephen Shires https://www.stephenshorns.com.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
LINKS:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.