Adventures in Louisiana

So it's about three weeks after my recital. Naturally, I'm wondering, "What's next?" I've always had trouble keeping a high level of motivation for long term endeavors. Well, SCRTEC ('Sir-Tech) came around at just the right time.

For those of you who don't know, SCRTEC stands for South Central Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference. It's kind of like the auto show for tuba players... Well actually the regional auto show for tuba players. Every two years ITEC (International Tuba Euphonium Conference) is hosted some where in the world. And in between those years, regional conferences are held all over the USA. It's rumored that next year's ITEC will be back in Bloomington, Indiana on the Indiana University campus.

So anyway, SCRTEC. It was a cool experience; my first tuba conference. There were some great performers who gave inspiring performances. Some of the usual big names were there: Demondrae Thurman, Ben Pierce, and Adam Frey among them. But what inspired me most were some of the people who are not always included in that constant adoration of tuba-euph performance. The first of which was Justin Benavidez. He played a program of Piazzola (Etude No. 3), Tibault (3 Danses), and Romanyhi (Parallels). My favorite was the Romanyhi. It was full of musicality and effortless phrasing. It left me breathless at one point; the second movement I think it was. It was just really good music playing.

Another mesmerizing performance was that of Kevin Wass. He's the Tuba-Euph Prof. at  Texas Tech. He premiered a piece by Carson Cooman called Shadowbook (Three Songs in the Night) written for tuba, clarinet, and piano. It had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. The music itself is really interesting. But what made the performance excellent was the intensity of the players. They took on the character of the movements without crossing a line into the overly dramatic. Dr. Wass really showed off  with his abilities to play with so many colors in rapid succession. It was a demanding piece and it didn't seem so hard for Wass.

By far my two favorite performances. 

I wasn't a big fan of the lectures I attended. Between speakers that were too awkward in front of a group of people and straight up boring presentation, I did not leave most sessions with a lot on my mind besides how I could've gotten a beer instead. There was one discussion, however, that really caught my attention and kept it. Joe Skillen, LSU tuba/euph professor, gave a presentation on entrepreneurship in art music. It was enlightening and informative as well as affirming. He's direct but also easy-going; the kind of guy who loves sharing new ideas but also likes putting them into motion. Skillen has a lot of it figured out and I have a lot to learn from him.

One word: Crawfish. 

LSU SCRTEC hosts Brian Gallion and Joe Skillen had a crawfish boil for the attendees and guest artists. First time I've ever eaten crawfish and it definitely won't be the last. It was a lot of work but it was delicious.

Had some gator for the first time at The Chimes, a Louisiana staple. It was really good. Chimes was great for its beer too. It's got a ton of beer on tap (a lot like Ashley's in Ann Arbor but way bigger). Juke Joint IPA was my favorite local beer. It's hoppy but just a little bit sweet, unlike the sharp citrus tastes that IPAs often have. So, it's something a bit different as far as IPAs are concerned but very enjoyable.


Also got to meet Mike the Tiger, official mascot of LSU. 

Recording History

I'm starting a new project involving some of the tuba/euphonium community's most important figures. It is a mix of interviews and pedagogical articles. I started phase one with my first interview earlier this afternoon. Hopefully within the year, I'll be published!

I used something called Screenflow and I am crazy about it. It is a program that records your computer screen and audio. And since my first interview was done using Skype, it was perfect. The trial version is free (has a watermark on exported video) and the full version is $100. It is totally worth the money. So if you're into making instructional videos or tutoring or give music lessons online, this program is quite useful in documenting your work and/or your students' progress.

Screenflow's Website

Notes from the Underground, A Music Review

Of course I'm biased but it's hard to say that Ben Pierce's new project is anything short of impeccable. I love it. And, anyone who is into well-performed contemporary music will love it too.

There are several reasons why this album is a success. In general,  Kristy Mezines, did a superb job; she's the pianist. A lot of the music on the album is brand new. It's always hard being the first to collaborate on stuff that has never been performed in my opinion. She knocks it out of the park. Also, the very fact that there is so much new music is pretty cool. And even cooler is the fact that one of the new pieces is from University of Arkansas' own Dr. Robert Mueller (Professor of Composition and Theory).

Among the more specific things I admire about this project is the musicality that Pierce brings to every piece on the CD. Whether it's fast or slow, high or low, the music speaks. There is something human and expressive happening at all times.

The second reason why I love this album is the virtuosity presented in various pieces. Moto Perpetuo, op. 2 (Christoskov) shows a very traditional type of virtuosity and showmanship. It is glorious in its own right and Pierce executes it with unbelievable agility and intensity.

What is more impressive to me, however, is the Sonata in G Major (Eccles). 

He performs this, of course, on the tuba, as it is originally written for double bass. I like that it demands extreme dexterity like a "show piece" might. However, it is restrained and controlled; intelligible. Dr. Pierce has separated himself from a superficial approach to technique often heard from tuba artists (even some well-known ones). The way he plays the sonata combines showmanship with elegance and clarity.  Whereas, some tubists play showy things that ostensibly sound impressive: there are lots of notes, it hangs in an extended range, it is fast. Great. But when you listen further, the melody of these fast passages is more percussive than melodious. The musicality and calm is lost. It becomes more of a statement that, "I can play really fast, loud, and high. And you should applaud this because I'm a tuba player and most tuba players can't do this much." I feel that the Dr. Pierce's performance of this sonata makes tubists reconsider what it means to be a virtuosic tuba player. That's what it did for me at least.

This brings me to the third reason why I am a fan of Notes from the Underground. 

The repertoire.

It is both diversified and accessible. "New Music" often comes with a connotation of borderline tonal and just plain weird. For the selections on the album that could fall under this daunting category, they are offset by being accessible through their programmatic nature (Lebedeva) or through deeply lyrical melodies (Mueller). The Mueller piece actually puts me in the mind of Hindemith's sonatas a little bit. For those who don't like Hindemith, the connection I'm drawing between the two is my own opinion.  So give the Mueller piece a chance anyway. It's totally worth it.

There is something for everyone's musical comfort level on the album but also something to extend everyone's palette a little bit. Or at the very least, something that will make you think more highly of low brass solo music and performance.

Professor Pierce will be performing on Tuesday, February 12, 7:30 PM in the Stella Boyles Recital Hall on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. For more awe and wonder check out Ben Pierce's website. His albums are also available through iTunes.