Masters of the Euphonium
One of the best things you can do for yourself as a musician is to listen to examples of great music making on your instrument. This will give you an idea of what kind of sound you should be emulating when you play, as well as give you some inspiration of the incredible things that can be achieved on your instrument. The following masters of euphonium are some of the best players in the world on this great instrument. Here are some links to professional webpages and exemplary performances for these great musicians.
David ChildsDavid Childs is a professional British euphoniumist and is one of the premier soloists of his generation. David comes from a family of great euphoniumists going back to his grandfather, John, his uncle, Nicholas, and his father, Robert. In the year 2000 he became the first euphonium soloist to win the brass final of the televised BBC Young Musician of the Year program. David toured as a soloist in Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Japan, Hong Kong, Europe and the United States. He is an avid supporter of new music, and has premiered several new pieces by Alun Hoddinott, Karl Jenkins, and Christian Lindberg, among others. David's blossoming career has already seen him perform with groups like the Royal Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra, and the DCINY Symphony, as well as perform at locations such as London's Royal Albert Hall, New York's Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. In this clip he is playing the technically challenging piece Czárdás by Vittorio Monti.
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Robert ChildsRobert Childs began his career on the euphonium at the young age of 9, where he was under the direction of his father, John, another euphoniumist, in their local ensembles the Crosskeys Silver Band and the Tredegar Town Band. He quickly excelled at the euphonium, moving from the County Youth Band to the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. After a year in the GUS Footwear Band, where he studied with Trevor Groom, he would begin his 22 career with the finest bands in Yorkshire and join the renowned Grimethorpe Colliery Band. For nearly 10 years Robert would work as an engineer and a euphoniumist until 1986 when he would become a full time musician and teacher. Eventually Robert would direct bands and teach at the university level. To this day, Robert continues to perform, direct, and educate. His tone and technique are considered to have had a revolutionary impact in the euphonium world. Here he is performing Geroges Bizet's Pearl Fishers Duet with his son, David.
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Adam FreyAdam Frey is an American professional euphonium soloist who has performed with dozens of professional and college ensembles around the world. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Adam received his formal training on euphonium at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. Adam has thrived as a euphonium soloist, with more than 70 compositions created specifically for him. He has toured all over the world, performing with Boston Pops, US Army Orchestra, and the Cheju Syphony Orchestra of South Korea, as well as performances with wind bands from Singapore, Germany, and Hong Kong. As an avid ambassador of the euphonium, Adam has advocated for a strong musical education for young euphonium players and has had published articles internationally, as well as served as the assistant editor for the Euphonium Source Book. In addition to performing, he also serves as Adjunct Professor of Euphonium at Georgia State Univeristy and Emory University. In this clip Adam is having some fun performing an encore of Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumble Bee.
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Steven MeadSteven Mead is a professional British euphoniumist known the world over. Steven has an almost constant international touring schedule, averaging more than 75 performances a year with some of the world's finest brass, wind, and symphonic ensembles. He is also considered one of the most recorded solo brass artists, with over 65 CDs to his credit. If that doesn't keep him busy enough, he has also served as the Artistic Director for all six of the National Tuba/Euphonium Conferences held in the UK, as well as the International Tuba Euphonium Conference (ITEC) held in Linz, Austria in 2012. As an educator, Steven is respected for his work in brass pedagogy. He is the Professor of Euphonium at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, where he recently was given the award of Fellow. He has taught at schools in Europe and Japan, and given master classes in Italy, Portugal, Lithuania, Slovenia, Russia, Austria, and Croatia. In this clip he's having fun demonstrating some of the more obscure brass techniques on the euphonium.
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Demondrae ThurmanDemondrae Thurman is a professional American euphoniumist who has been described as "awe inspiring" and "an amazing musician." He has toured throughout Europe, Asia, and North America as a soloist and has been invited as a guest artist/clinician to the International Tuba Euphonium Conference, the U.S. Army Band Tuba and Euphonium Conference, and the Leonard Falcone Competition. Demondrae has also had success as a chamber musician, performing as a member of the renowned chamber group Sotto Voce Quartet, and first euphonium of the Brass Band of Battle Creek. As an educator, Demondrae teaches as an Associate Professor of Music at Samford University in Alabama, where he teaches low brass, conducts the Wind Ensemble, and is the director of Graduate Studies. He is also on the faculty of the Southeastern Tuba Euphonium Workshop, the Miraphone Academy, and the National Music Festival Euphonium Workshop. Here is Demondrae demonstrating beautiful tone and musicianship on the traditional American spiritual Deep River.
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David WerdenDavid Werden is an American professional euphoniumist who is known just as much for his educational contributions to music as he is for his performances. After graduating from the University of Iowa, David would spend 26 years in the United States Coast Guard Band. In his career he has performed throughout the United States, as well as Canada, England, Japan, and the former Soviet Union. His chamber ensemble work includes work with USCG Band Euphonium/Tuba Quartet, the Atlantic Tuba Quartet, the Saints Brass Quintet, and the Classic Brass Band. His efforts to expand the recognition of the euphonium are unmatched, serving as Euphonium Coordinator and being appointed to the Honorary Board of Advisors for the International Tuba/Euphonium Association. David has been published in several music education magazines, and has authored and co-authored several books for brass education. Here he gives a quick lesson on the Double Belled Euphonium using an excerpt from Percy Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy before performing Franz Schubert's lied An Die Musik.
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