General Tuba-Euphonium Blog

For many years I have been advising euphonium players to connect with a local church and volunteer to perform euphonium solos now and then (plus play in a brass ensemble if they have one). This is a great way to gain experience and it's a nice contribution to the church. Euphonium is a great fit for a worship service!

Some of you who are not associated with a church may find it uncomfortable to approach them. Don't worry - in most cases they will be glad to hear from you! "But," I hear ...

This is the 3rd (final) movement of the Halsey Stevens Sonatina, originally written for Donald Waldrop.

The video here is from my euphonium recital at University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, on Feb. 10, 2013. I heard Don perform this is L.A. in 1978. I had heard this on tuba previously, but I was struck by how nice it sounded on a smaller instrument (Waldrop used a 6-valve French tuba, pitched one step higher than the euphonium). Performing with me is Dr. Barbara Young.

Sheet ...

I was browsing some of the videos on my Euphonium Videos page, and found an interesting contrast between performances of the same music by Lyndon Baglin, Adam Frey, and Steven Mead.

Lyndon performs in a very traditional British style. Steven also shows a British style, but sounds quite different. And Adam plays with a mostly-American style, although one can hear the British influence in his sound. Because they are all playing the same arrangement (mostly), it is a great opportunity ...

This was part of my weekend at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, in February, 2013. On Saturday I did a master class with Dr. Jerry Young's euphonium-tuba studio. Before the class started, I wanted to start with a simple song. I was demonstrating how one might choose a song to do as an instrumental. One requirement is that the melody be interesting even without the lyrics. I believe this song demonstrates that well. The Burt Bacharach melody (originally sung by Dionne Warwick) is pretty, ...

Attached Thumbnails

 

After years of putting it off, in 2007 I finally got around to arranging the "missing" first movement of the Capuzzi concerto. I followed the general style of Catelinet's "Andante and Rondo" (movements two and three of the same concerto). Then earlier this year I had a chance to perform all three movements as the complete concerto.

The playlist below should automatically play all three movements of the concerto from my euphonium recital at University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, on Feb. ...

Competition season is fast approaching. A few days ago I posted the music for the Falcone International Competition. But there is also an international competition from the International Tuba-Euphonium Association (ITEA). Deadlines and registration details can be found at the link here: http://www.iteaonline.org/conference...e=Competitions

Below is the music required, with links to as many as I could find online.

SOLO EUPHONIUM-YOUNG ARTIST DIVISION
...

In previous posts I have covered some of the fundamentals of preparing for an audition. Now let's look in more depth at some of the other considerations of preparation and also consider some of the actual "performance" considerations of auditioning. In many ways, auditions are like performances. Both require careful practice and preparation. Both can involve stress, and with stress can come an "oops!" moment or two. Most importantly, your mental attitude and its effect on your appearance matter! ...

Here is the music for the Falcone competition. In the case of the books listed, a piece will be selected from the book. Even if you are not entering this year, it is good material to practice!

Links will take you to online resources to purchase:

Student, Euphonium

Preliminary Round (recorded with piano accompaniment)
Guilmant: Morceau Symphonique for Trombone and Piano
Sheet Music Plus

Semi-Final Round (unaccompanied)
Charlier, ...