In this Listener's Choice episode, Andrew & Lance answer a frequently asked listener question regarding starting a brass group.
We cover many areas, including:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
Jennifer Marotta is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. An active freelance musician based in Los Angeles, she regularly performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the St. Louis Symphony.
Marotta is currently a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival and the Music of the Baroque in Chicago. She was a member of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band from 2001 to 2005.
Originally from Naperville, Illinois, she earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and her Master of Music degree from DePaul University.
Marotta was a visiting trumpet professor at UCLA in 2016 and was Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Kennesaw State University from 2006 to 2012. She was also a visiting professor at Illinois State University in 2006 and was an artist-in-residence at Emory University from 2006 to 2010.
Jennifer, along with her husband Thomas Hooten, is the most recent editor for Arban’s Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet, published by Carl Fischer. She serves on the board for the International Women’s Brass Conference and is the editor for their bi-annual newsletter.
In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ95: TEM Takeover! In this crossover episode, we hear Andrew in conversation with Jeff Conner from The Entrepreneurial Musician podcast.
Jeff Conner has performed in over 30 countries on 4 continents with his brass quintet, Boston Brass. Jeff talks about how they went from a college group playing small gigs around the Boston area to an internationally touring, full-time ensemble.
Topics Covered:
How he got a powerful Boston businessman to financially support Boston Brass
The importance of having mentors that inspire you
Perseverance being a key to success
Not being afraid of the word no
Networking being a longterm process
Why developing your own brand is essential
The book he wrote with John Laverty, The Porfolio Musician, in which they detail the careers of over 40 different musicians
Links:
Books:
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Original episode produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass. This version lovingly produced by Will Houchin.
Dr. Gail Robertson serves as Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium/Jazz at the University of Central Arkansas where she is tubist in the Pinnacle Brass and teaches the Jazz Ensemble II. She earned her B.A. degree from the University of Central Florida and an M.M. in Euphonium Performance from Indiana University while serving as graduate assistant to Harvey Phillips. She postponed her doctoral studies at the University of Maryland with Dr. Brian Bowman to perform with the “Tubafours” at Walt Disney World, Orlando where she served as musical supervisor/chief arranger and produced a highly acclaimed CD, “Tubas Under the Boardwalk.” She has recently completed her D.M.A. as a University Distinguished Fellow at Michigan State University studying with Phil Sinder, Ava Ordman, and Ricardo Lorenz. She has taught on the faculties of Eastern Michigan University, the University of Central Florida, Bethune-Cookman University, the University of Florida, and remains active as a teacher, adjudicator, composer, arranger, and free-lance artist, both nationally and internationally.
I this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
Euphonium and Tuba artist (and long-time buddy of Lance) Matt Tropman shares incredible stories of music, survival, and mayhem. Not necessarily in that order.
Matt Tropman currently serves as Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Arizona and is an active freelancer, soloist, and chamber musician. His performances have been praised in numerous publications such as the New York Times, which stated: “Tropman makes a serious case for the euphonium as a solo instrument.” An active clinician and recitalist on both the euphonium and tuba, Matt has performed and taught throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Matt’s two commercially released two CD’s; Continuum and From the Balcony (Summit Records), have been featured on programs such as NPR’s “All Things Considered”. He has performed with numerous bands, orchestras and chamber groups including the San Francisco Symphony and the Detroit Symphony. In his early career as a member of the U.S. Marine Band (President’s Own), he frequently performed as a soloist throughout the U.S. on the band’s National concert tours.
Dr. Tropman received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in euphonium performance from the University of Michigan and Arizona State University, respectively, and the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in tuba performance from the University of Michigan.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ92: Jason Ayoub, Principal Horn in The US Navy Band on Dallas Brass, playing with Charlie Vernon and meeting a moose
Chief Musician Jason Ayoub is the Principal Horn in the Navy Band and teaches at Towson University.
Chief Musician Jason Ayoub, a native of El Paso, Texas, joined the Navy Band in 2006. He received his Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas (UNT), where he studied with William Scharnberg. During his final year at UNT, he joined the nationally acclaimed Dallas Brass. For four years he toured extensively with the ensemble throughout the United States and gave more than 300 performances and master classes. He has been a featured clinician and soloist at The Midwest Clinic as well as numerous Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) regional and national conferences.
Ayoub served as third horn with the Waco Symphony from 2001-2003 and third horn with the Delaware Symphony from 2003-2007 and has performed regularly with the Kennett and Baltimore Symphonies. He has also been a guest soloist with the Jackson, Scranton, Louisville and Utah Symphonies. He is featured as the solo horn on Ståle Kleiberg's "Requiem for the Victims of Nazi Persecution", recorded at Washington National Cathedral.
In this fun and lively episode, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
Canadian Tubist Jarrett McCourt is the Acting Principal Tuba of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Tubist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Prior to this, Jarrett was the Tuba Fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. Jarrett’s playing has been called “magnificent” by the Palm Beach Daily News and “warm, romantic and seamless” by the South Florida Classical Review. Jarrett has performed with a number of different high-level ensembles, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Flint Symphony Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed as Acting Principal Tuba with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Additionally, Jarrett has performed under classical conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Robert Spano, James Gaffigan, Susanna Mälkki and Leonard Slatkin, as well as alongside jazz heavyweights such as Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Bergeron, and Nicholas Payton.
In this fun and lively (and sometimes powerful and moving) conversation, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ90: New Seraph Brass trumpeter Raquel Rodriquez on her new gig at UNT, traveling to the Lieksa Brass Week and recovering from a chop sunburn.
Raquel Rodriquez is the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of North Texas (Fall of 2018). Prior to that, she was the Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Tennessee Tech University. Dr. Rodriquez maintains a versatile career as a performing artist, clinician, educator, and scholar. She has performed throughout China, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States. Raquel is a member of Seraph Brass, a brass quintet comprised of top female brass players in North America. The group performs frequently around the country and abroad.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ89: David Gordon of the Seattle Symphony on Boston, Mahler and giving it your all.
David Gordon, whose playing has been described as “spectacular” by the Chicago Tribune, is Principal Trumpet of the Seattle Symphony and Chicago's Grant Park Symphony Orchestra.
As a soloist, Gordon has appeared with the symphony orchestras of Seattle, Grant Park, and Charleston (with whom he performed as soloist every season of his tenure), the National Repertory Orchestra and the Lake George Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as Principal Trumpet of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed, recorded and toured as Principal Trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra and as Trompette Solo of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ88: St. Louis Symphony trumpeter Jeff Strong on preparation, playing with the Marine Band and having an air blowing epiphany.
Jeffrey Strong of the St. Louis Symphony and formerly of the “President’s Own” US Marine Band, joined Andrew & Lance to detail his current gig, playing Taps in inclement weather and what he learned from Chris Martin.
In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ87: Craig Knox of the Pittsburgh Symphony on premiering the Jennifer Higdon Tuba Concerto, European road stories and the joys of palinka.
Craig Knox is Principal Tuba of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and a founding member of the Center City Brass Quintet. With these ensembles and others, he has performed for audiences across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and been heard on recordings, and radio, television, and internet broadcasts around the world.
Mr. Knox works regularly with music students through his teaching positions at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music in Pittsburgh, and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, as well as at music festivals, seminars, and conservatories around the world, where he appears as a guest clinician.
In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ86: Listener's Choice - The Falcone Festival
Lance and Andrew take up another Listeners' Choice episode to talk about the history and development of the Falcone Festival at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan.
Form the website:
The Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival has gained recognition as the premier event of its kind. Born in 1986 as a competition for both student and artist level euphonium performers, the event evolved into a true festival in 1991 when its sponsoring committee expanded its offerings to include lessons, ensembles, seminars, and clinics with some of the world's greatest euphonium virtuosi. The sponsoring committee again expanded the festival 1996 to include a full range of festival activities for tuba.
Student and artist level competitions remain integral to the Festival. The competition has a truly international flavor, with contestants attending from countries around the world.
The Falcone Festival is held each summer, over a four day period, and has been housed since its inception at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. In addition to the competition aspect of the Festival, participants are offered the opportunity to attend master classes and recitals provided by internationally recognized euphonium/tuba artists. For more information about Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, please visit their web site at www.bluelake.org.
In this episode, we discuss:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ85: Tom McCaslin, Tubist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra on audition prep, recording yourself and all things Canada.
Tom McCaslin, Tubist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Soloist, Teacher, and Clinician has been described by Fanfare Magazine as “one of the contemporary tuba virtuosos”. Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan Tom’s playing and teaching have taken him around the globe. He has performed and taught in Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Portugal, Finland, New Zealand and Australia.
As an orchestral musician he has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the Regina Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony, the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música (Portugal), the Lahti Symphony (Finland) and was acting Principal Tuba in the Auckland Philharmonia (New Zealand). In the summers he teaches at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC, where he serves Principal Tuba with the EMF Festival Orchestra under the direction of Gerard Schwarz.
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ84: Brass legend Mark Gould boldly goes where no other guests have gone before!
Mark Gould, the former Principal trumpet of The Met, the mastermind behind Pink Baby Monster and author of the hilarious new book, "Orchestra Confidential" joins Andrew & Lance in an episode filled with laughs, stories and swear words. Like, a lot of swear words.
WARNING: As mentioned in the above description, this interview is more "adult" than our usual fare. If you are sensitive to this sort of thing, maybe sit this one out. You've been warned.
In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:
LINKS:
Mark's new book, Orchestra Confidential
Pink Baby Monster YouTube channel
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ83: Trombonist Donna Parkes of the Louisville Orchestra on having a “Yes!” attitude, sleeping bags and growing up in Australia
Donna Parkes, Principal Trombone with Louisville Orchestra joins Andrew & Lance to detail her amazing career, from Australia to Kentucky, with stops in Chicago, Alaska and Doha, Qatar.
In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
TBJ82: Geoffrey Pilkington, Principal Horn for the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra on yoga, humility and the Long Call
Geoffrey Pilkington, Principal Horn for the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra joins Andrew & Lance to talk about working with Don Greene, dealing with the effects of a pinched nerve and gives us a great behind-the-scenes look at what goes into preparing for and playing the Ring Cycle.
In this fun and lively conversation, we cover:
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
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:
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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:
LINKS:
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!
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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:
LINKS:
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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:
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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:
LINKS:
Want to help the show? Here are some ways:
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
LINKS:
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/
Last but not least, we are now on Instagram! Follow us at instagram.com/pray4jens/ TODAY!
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
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
Want to help the show? Take a minute to leave us a rating and a review on iTunes HERE!
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/
Last but not least, we are now on Instagram! Follow us at instagram.com/pray4jens/ TODAY!
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
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/
Last but not least, we are now on Instagram! Follow us at instagram.com/pray4jens/ TODAY!
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
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:
LINKS:
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.
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/
Last but not least, we are now on Instagram! Follow us at instagram.com/pray4jens/ TODAY!
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.