TBJ81: Matthew Murchison, Sexiest Euphonium Player in West Virginia on playing, writing and charting your own course in music

Composer, tuba and euphonium soloist and all-around fellow knucklehead Matthew Murchison joins Andrew & Lance to discuss his bands Mainspring and the Matthew Murchison Mutiny, studies with Brian Bowman and being yourself as an artist.

In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:

• Being the Sexiest Euphonium Player in West Virginia
• That he is, in fact, a Doctor
• Teaching at Marshall University
• Former Solo Euphonium with River City Brass
• Workin’ on (p)stuff
• Breaking a spring
• His method book for teaching euphonium players to play tuba
• Studies with Brian Bowman in undergrad
• His band Mainspring: (flute, euphonium and rhythm section)
• Composing and arranging
• No preconceived notion of what euphonium music should be to regular audiences which is a huge opportunity
• Expanding his writing to include electronics
• Chewy
• Being yourself as an artist
• Who is doing interesting stuff right now (Demondrae Thurmon, Ben Pierce, Fernando Deddos)
• Whether competitions help or hurt young players
• Asking for feedback after competitions

LINKS:

• Personal site
• XO Brass bio page
• Matthew's Bandcamp page
• TEM 19: Ron Davis

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

• Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
• Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
• Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
• Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.

TBJ80: Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Horn Jennifer Montone on playing, meditating and telling your own story

Jennifer Montone has played with the Philadelphia Orchestra for 11 years. Prior to that, she spent time in the Dallas, St. Louis and New Jersey Symphonies and teaches at both Curtis and Juilliard.

In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:

• Playing at Tanglewood as a student in the Empire Brass Seminar
• Lance playing w/Jennifer in Philly (it had such a lasting impact on her)
• Dealing with pressure
• Meditation and yoga, the influence of “Soprano on Her Head,” the work of Noa Kageyama and Don Greene
• Concentrating energy from your Chi
• Headspace app, Hittleman yoga book, Mt. Fuji meditation, Jack Kornfield, Kripalu website, lava lamp meditation
• Self-talk/affirmations
• Playing while 7 1/2 months pregnant
• Re-evaluating her breath work, via Arnold Jacobs’ concepts and teachings
• The effect of posture on her approach
• Taking a positive approach to challenges in music and in life (and passing those concepts on to her students)
• Giving students permission to make musical decisions, then encouraging them to do so
• Being a female principal horn player, how things are changing and evolving
• How she wanted to be a nun up to the age of 14
• Developing leadership skills, being assertive and confident
• National Brass Ensemble

LINKS:

• Personal website
• Philly Orchestra bio page
• National Brass Ensemble Facebook Page
• Jeff Conner chicken foot video

Don't miss the South Central Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference featuring SSG Chris Buckley, Tim Buzbee, Ben Pierce and Charles Villarubia March 15-17 at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. Holy crap that's a lineup! Visit www.scrtec2018.weebly.com for more details!

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

• Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
• Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
• Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
• Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.

TBJ79: Euphonium Ambassador Adam Frey on what it is like to be the Ambassador of Euphonium. Like that is a thing.

Adam Frey has had a great career as a soloist, publisher, teacher and major proponent of the euphonium and has endured Lance's hump-busting for over twenty years.

He is also the mastermind behind both the fantastic International Euphonium-Tuba (IET) Festival and euphonium.com. He currently teaches at the University of North Georgia.

In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:

• Euphonium jokes
• How Adam and Lance met in the Brass Band of Battle Creek
• Tales of the Badger (dearly departed mega friend, Chris Matten)
• Meeting James Gourlay
• Teaching at the University of North Georgia
• Playing in Macau
• IET Festival, 15th anniversary in the summer of 2018
• How he started the festival and how it is organized
• The importance of good coffee when running a festival
• Being an ambassador of the euphonium and the Ambassador of Euphonium
• Fernando Deddos, David Childs, and other influential current players
• Creating opportunities and the importance of collaboration
• Working with Patricio Cosentino, Scott Hartman, and Jeff Nelsen
• Having good ideas vs. having good ideas and acting on them
• Starting and running euphonium.com

LINKS:

• euphonium.com
• Adam's artist page at Yamaha
• UNG bio page
• IET Festival

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

• Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
• Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
• Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
• Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm

TBJ78: Chip Crotts on playing trumpet with Ray Charles, prosthetic robot arms for musicians and his comeback from Bells Palsy

Chip Crotts has played trumpet with an incredible array of stars, from Natalie Cole to Maynard Ferguson and has been involved with building an innovative program from the ground up at Georgia Tech.

In this episode, we cover:

• The integration of music and technology at Georgia Tech
• Building the undergraduate degree from the ground up
• The development of a prosthetic robotic hand and arm to allow folks to play piano of drums
• Playing with Ray Charles and Maynard Ferguson (and an amazing array of other artists)
• “You never know when your shot’s gonna come, so you have to be ready”
• Natalie Cole, the Tuscaloosa Horns (T-Horns)
• Lance’s water pipes freezing and bursting mid-show, FUN!
• Working with Santa Clara Vanguard
• Dealing with Bells Palsy which paralyzed the left side of his face, and his documentation of the recovery process on video at his Facebook page

LINKS:

• Yamaha artist page
• Georgia Tech bio page
• Tuscaloosa Horns
• Santa Clara Vanguard
• Chip's Facebook page
• TBJ52: Billy Bargetzi
• Prosthetic arm vid

LINKS:

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

• Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
• Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
• Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
• Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.

TBJ77: Tubist Deanna Swoboda on her gig at ASU, Brass Rap and the difference between entertainment and art

Deanna Swoboda has been a longtime friend and colleague to both Andrew & Lance and has had a great career as a performer, teacher and leader from her days with Dallas Brass to her current gig at Arizona State University.

In this episode, we cover:

• The value of studying music at the college level
• Her gig at ASU
• Her five years with the Dallas Brass
• The difference in approach between playing in the Dallas Brass and the Western Michigan University brass quintet
• Working with trumpeter Scott Thornburg
• The difference between entertainment and art
• Dan Perantoni “When the phone rings, are you ready?”
• Deanna’s Wonderland
• Brass Rap
• Band Blastoff!
• Tuba Tex How the West Was Fun (a project Lance participated in and forgot for 15 years. He's old.)
• Eastman tubas
• Eastman Company Tuba Euphonium Workshop in the summer of 2018

LINKS:

• Deanna's personal site
• ASU Tuba/Euphonium studio page
• ASU bio page
• Eastman Music Company Tuba Euphonium Workshop
• Deanna's Wonderland album
• Band Blast Off DVD

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

• Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
• Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
• Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
• Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
• Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.

• Starting on euphonium
• Going to Bremen Germany to get a bass trumpet
• Playing with The New World Symphony
• Playing the full Ring Cycle
• His blog, "Inside the Arts"
• His challenges overcoming issues the Valsalva maneuver
• Being an openly gay brass player
• #thouhgtsandprayers for Jens

LINKS:

In this special Listener's Choice episode, Andrew & Lance talk about the ins and outs of auditioning for college as a brass player. This is the second time we've tried this format. Let us know what you think! In terms of structure, we decided to tackle the:

10 Top Brass College Audition Questions

• TBJ Brian Hecht episode
• TBJ Denis Askew episode
• Carnegie Mellon University School of Music
• Shenandoah Conservatory 

• 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.