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 Tubonium 7 was held April 3-4 on the campus of Gustavus-Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. Featured artists at the conference were David Zerkel and Demondrae Thurman.
Though the conference was officially held on April 3-4, things started off with the preliminary round of the tuba and euphonium solo competition on Thursday evening. After a few hours, the panel narrowed the field down to three finalists on each instrument. Later in the evening, the high school all-star ensemble got the chance to work in sectionals with the featured artists, David Zerkel and Demondrae Thurman. Friday morning started off with the host ensemble from Gustavus Adolphus College, conducted by conference host Paul Budde. Featured were a couple of familiar tuba ensemble pieces. Next up was the premiere performance of the recently named quartet Sweet Thunder featuring Jamie Lipton, Jennifer Jester, Mary MacKinnon and Stephanie Frye. Highlights of this performance was a very nicely done Contrapunctus IX and Moondance by John Stevens. The group had a nice balance and blend and featured some rock-solid playing. After this was a panel discussion on auditions with David Zerkel, Demondrae Thurman, Marty Erickson, Jerry Young, Steven Campbell and John Manning. This was an interesting discussion. Zerkel started things off on a humorous note saying, “Hi, I’m David Zerkel and I’ve lost more auditions than everyone else on this stage.” Shortly after that, Steve Campbell added, “I’d like to challenge Dave in the ‘lost auditions’ category.” This comment really highlights the value of perseverance for any musician who desires a performing job. Just like a baseball player who may strike out 20 times before nailing a home run; most tubists in a professional job have lost more auditions than they have won. There were lots of good comments from the panel about how to prepare for auditions. Many of them were things most of us have heard before...know the score, not just the tuba part; practice mentally before practicing on the horn; record yourself frequently (the ZOOM recorders were mentioned by name). Some of the more insightful comments made were on how to deal with the pressure of an audition and how to approach the audition environment. Dr. Jerry Young, who has just completed a very thorough study about the audition process via dozens of interviews, also had some interesting things to say. The main point he made about his research is that “everyone is trying to be fair.” Every committee, every orchestra and every band is trying to find the right person for the job and they are all trying to conduct auditions that are fair to those auditioning and that meet the needs of the group. Several of the panel members also chimed in and stressed the importance of being a good person and colleague that the members of the orchestra will feel comfortable working with for the next 10-20-40 years. After lunch was a masterclass with Demondrae Thurman, who handed out a sheet for everyone in attendance to play along with. The big topic of this masterclass was phrasing. After playing a completely straight (expressionless) version of the piece, Thurman sought ideas from the audience as well as using his own ideas. A lot was said about only a few bars of phrasing. Thurman pointed out, “you can change your mind later. That’s ok!” With his easygoing demeanor and keen musicianship, this was a very good class. Next up was the High School All-Star Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble conducted by Budde. This was the first chance for some of the participants to play in an ensemble like this one. They stepped up to the task and performed very well. Brian Frederiksen was on hand to present his always intriguing Arnold Jacobs: Almost Live presentation. With video clips, audio clips and photos, plus Brian’s knowledge of Jacobs and his teaching, this is rapidly becoming an important staple at tuba conferences. Much has been said about the legacy of Arnold Jacobs and his teaching; all of it is deserved and his profound influence cannot be understated. This video series presented by Mr. Frederiksen is an effective way to introduce new generations of musicians to Mr. Jacobs and his teaching. Next was the featured recital by David Zerkel. Along with his world-class tone and musicality, he also presented a varied and interesting program. He started with the familiar and beautiful Eccles Sonata. He demonstrated each of the elements of the Gregson Alarum before performing the piece which no doubt helped first-time listeners to understand the piece better. The Concerto for Tuba by Darrol Barry and the Sonate en 6 minutes 30 by Claude Pascal were both introduced as “quirky” pieces. Both were neat to listen to and provided an interesting contrast to the more familiar pieces on the program. Pianist Barbara Young provided spectacular piano to the program. Tubastone no. 1 by Andy Emler brought a nice funky element to the end of the program. After dinner was a fantastic all jazz concert by the BASSically BRASS ensemble from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire under the direction of UW-EC grad student Josh Pauly. This concert was very enjoyable for the listener. The rhythm section was tight and the brass playing was very good. One of the challenges of playing jazz with a tuba-euph ensemble is in getting a snappier jazz sound, as most tuba-euph ensembles lean towards mellow and round. The players did a good job of defying the stereotype and putting on a good show. For several of the students, it was their first time improvising solos in public and they performed admirably. They were joined onstage by Marty Erickson for a tune who performed with his usual fine musicianship and humor. Saturday morning began with the final round of the solo competition. The winners (announced at the final concert) were Matthew Shipes (University of North Texas) on euphonium and Blaine Cunningham (University of Iowa) on tuba. After that was a collaborative recital featuring the St. Olaf Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble and several artists from the region including Marty Erickson, Steve Campbell, John Manning, Gary Bird, Jim Lyon, Josh Calkin, Jamie Lipton, Dan Geldert, Chuck Wazanowski, Angelo Manzo, Stephen Oberheu and Brian Borovsky. This concert was a good mix of large ensembles, small ensembles and solos. David Zerkel put on a masterclass that focused on all the fundamental aspects of tuba performance. He had good things to say on moving air and sound production. He talked about honing the “default setting” for blowing air through the instrument. His teaching tool was Rochut Etude number 5. Using 8-count blocks of air, Zerkel was able to illustrate the importance of air as the fuel source for sound as well as describing the type of air that will produce the most consistent results. He covered other topics including the hierarchy of what’s important in playing music and what our emphasis should be on as musicians.
Next was a recital by Demondrae Thurman. Thurman’s beautiful singing style was in full effect. Every single musical line was well thought-out and beautifully performed. Starting with a work composed specifically for him, Thurman played the Sonata for Euphonium and Piano “Child’s Play” by Barbara York. He described his communication with Ms. York prior to the writing of the piece and how she kind of tailored the piece to reflect something of a portrait of Thurman and his life. Always keen to play music by friends of his, The RoonSonata by Patrick Schulz was a great piece to listen to. Barbara Young again provided sparkling piano work to the program. The familiar Party Piece by Philip Sparke was, as stated by Thurman, his standard piece of the day and brought the recital to an exciting conclusion. The final event of the conference was the last collaborative recital featuring many of the same faces from the previous one. In the face of an oncoming winter storm, the final concert was held in the recital hall instead of the chapel, as previously planned. This concert featured more ensemble and chamber work. The featured artists, Zerkel and Thurman, wrapped up the concert with the light-hearted Bayerische Polka, performed with Barbara Young at the piano. One of the comments I kept hearing from others and that I feel deserves comment here as well, was how well-organized the conference was. All the events ran smoothly and on time. There was a balanced variety of stuff without feeling that it was overpacked with things to see. The whole weekend was surrounded by a positive vibe that permeated the sea of attendees. Big kudos to Paul Budde for an outstanding job in organizing this conference. It’s easy to see why Tubonium is becoming the premiere tuba-euphonium conference of the upper midwest.
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