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GUEST ARTISTS
LOW BRASS DAY
DR. MARTIN McCAIN
Texas State University
S.E. Shires Performing Artist
FivE QUARTET
Professional Euphonium Quartet
Besson Performing Artists
DR. GENEVIEVE CLARKSON
Oklahoma City University
B&S Performing Artist
Bass trombonist Martin McCain’s career spans an impressive range of musical genres. He is a four-time winner of the Global Music Awards and was featured as their “Emerging Artist” in Billboard magazine. A third-generation musician, Martin maintains a versatile performance schedule as a soloist, recording artist, chamber, orchestral, jazz/commercial musician and educator. With performances described as "solid and masterful," (International Trombone Association Journal) with a “warm and beautiful,” tone (Glissando Magazine).
McCain’s international recital credits include concerts at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory (Singapore), Mahidol University in (Thailand), the Zagreb Academy of Music in (Croatia), and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. His performances and arrangements have been broadcast on CKWR Toronto, Radio Television Hong Kong, and NPR's "Performance Today."
As a recording artist, Martin has released three CDs, Trombone Czar: Russian Treasures Recorded Live! (2012), Shades (2014) and Trombone Czar: The Extended Version (2015). As a soloist, Martin has performed with the Croatian Army Wind Band, United States Army Concert Band "Pershing's Own" and the United States Army Brass Quintet. And as an orchestral player, he has performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Utah Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Symphony Orchestra.
Martin is an Artist/Teacher of Trombone and the youngest faculty member to hold the rank of full professor at Texas State University. In addition to his duties at Texas State, Martin has spent summers on the faculty of the Austin Chamber Music Festival, the Interharmony International Music Festival (Italy), the PRIZM International Chamber Music Festival, the SliderAsia Music Festival (Hong Kong) and the English Brass Academy (Croatia).
Martin McCain is a performing artist for S.E. Shires, Reunion Blues Gig Bags and plays on the "McCain" signature mouthpiece series manufactured by Pickett Brass. In his spare time, Martin is an avid BBQ pitmaster and sports enthusiast.
For more information, visit www.martinmccain.com
An accomplished knitter, bundt pan aficionado, and Arlington, Virginia native, Dr. Genevieve Clarkson joined the faculty of Oklahoma City University in the fall of 2018.
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An active soloist and teacher, Genevieve has been featured at the International Women’s Brass Conferences in 2012 and 2014, as well as International Tuba-Euphonium Regional Conferences in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Her most recent recital and masterclass engagements have taken her to the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee and the Army Tuba-Euphonium Workshop in Fort Myer, Virginia where she gave a performance celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Woman’s Suffrage.
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Genevieve plays contrabass tuba in the In Motus Quartet, a tuba-euphonium quartet made up of professional players and teachers from across the country. Assisted by a recording artist grant, the In Motus Quartet released their first CD in the spring of 2016 through Emeritus Recordings and their second CD - featuring music inspired by Octubaween - in the summer of 2018. The quartet has given recitals in Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and was invited to perform as part of the 2019 International Tuba and Euphonium Conference in Iowa City, Iowa.
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Genevieve has performed with various symphony orchestras across the United States and has participated in music festivals around the world including the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, and the Spoleto Festival in Spoleto, Italy. In the summer of 2017, Genevieve’s tuba playing took her on a three-week tour of China where she ate her fill of dumplings and green onion pancakes, and tried cow throat for the first and last time.
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In addition to her experience as a performer, Genevieve is also a well-recognized clinician. She has presented at Regional and International Tuba and Euphonium Conferences in 2016 and 2017, the 2018 AMEA (Arizona) and TMEA (Texas) Clinics, and the 2020 OkMEA (Oklahoma) Winter Conference.
Genevieve received her DM in tuba performance from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music (2017), her MM in tuba performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (2011), and her BM in music education from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA (2009) where she graduated Magna cum laude and served as banner bearer for the School of Visual and Performing Arts. Her past teachers have included Daniel Perantoni, Timothy Northcut, Kevin Stees, John Cradler, and John Mueller.
FivE is a creative and innovative new quartet that pushes the boundaries of low brass chamber music. Combining comedy and theater with outstanding musicianship, FivE brings fresh energy to a unique musical product. Conceived in 2012, FivE has attracted national attention for its distinguished sound, popular YouTube videos, and success in chamber music competitions. In 2013, FivE was selected internationally as one of twelve ensembles to compete in the 40th Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, the largest of its kind in the world. FivE is the only euphonium quartet ever to advance to the Fischoff quarterfinals.
The recent emergence of euphonium quartet as a serious performing ensemble coincides with a need to expand the canon of original repertoire. As a result, FivE composes, arranges, and adapts new music and old favorites specifically tailored to the strengths of the ensemble while combating the difficulties of arranging for homogeneous instruments.
FivE performed their popular shows “NEON”, “#hashtags”, and “FivE Years of FivE” in over a dozen cities since 2015. Highlight performances include a featured recital at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference, a showcase at the TMEA convention, and four keynote appearances at ITEA conferences. The quartet also regularly gives clinics and has toured through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Florida, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Individually, the members of FivE have excelled in prestigious solo and composition competitions. Their successes include first prizes in the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival, the MTNA Young Artist Solo and Composition Competitions, ITEC Young Artist Competition, Euphoniumcommissions.org, and University Concerto Competitions.
In the Fall of 2017, FivE released their first full album titled “Play” on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and other popular media platforms. FivE is a performing ensemble with Buffet Crampon and plays exclusively on Besson instruments.
ONLINE SUMMER WORKSHOP
DR. MARTIN McCAIN
Texas State University
S.E. Shires Performing Artist
Bass trombonist Martin McCain’s career spans an impressive range of musical genres. He is a four-time winner of the Global Music Awards and was featured as their “Emerging Artist” in Billboard magazine. A third-generation musician, Martin maintains a versatile performance schedule as a soloist, recording artist, chamber, orchestral, jazz/commercial musician and educator. With performances described as "solid and masterful," (International Trombone Association Journal) with a “warm and beautiful,” tone (Glissando Magazine).
McCain’s international recital credits include concerts at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory (Singapore), Mahidol University in (Thailand), the Zagreb Academy of Music in (Croatia), and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. His performances and arrangements have been broadcast on CKWR Toronto, Radio Television Hong Kong, and NPR's "Performance Today."
As a recording artist, Martin has released three CDs, Trombone Czar: Russian Treasures Recorded Live! (2012), Shades (2014) and Trombone Czar: The Extended Version (2015). As a soloist, Martin has performed with the Croatian Army Wind Band, United States Army Concert Band "Pershing's Own" and the United States Army Brass Quintet. And as an orchestral player, he has performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Utah Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Symphony Orchestra.
Martin is an Artist/Teacher of Trombone and the youngest faculty member to hold the rank of full professor at Texas State University. In addition to his duties at Texas State, Martin has spent summers on the faculty of the Austin Chamber Music Festival, the Interharmony International Music Festival (Italy), the PRIZM International Chamber Music Festival, the SliderAsia Music Festival (Hong Kong) and the English Brass Academy (Croatia).
Martin McCain is a performing artist for S.E. Shires, Reunion Blues Gig Bags and plays on the "McCain" signature mouthpiece series manufactured by Pickett Brass. In his spare time, Martin is an avid BBQ pitmaster and sports enthusiast.
For more information, visit www.martinmccain.com
STEVEN MEAD
Royal Northern College of Music (UK)
Besson Performing Artist
Steven Mead is well known and respected by his high profile work in brass performance and pedagogy. He is Professor of Euphonium at the Royal Northern College of Music, and also teaches at several specialist schools across Europe, and in Japan. He was given the prestigious award of Fellow of the RNCM in 2008.
He needs no introduction to brass enthusiasts around the world as his playing and teaching have become known to virtually all who have a love for the instrument known as the euphonium.
This remarkable solo career followed on from the successes he achieved as a member of several of the UK’s leading brass bands. Nowadays he travels and performs regularly with some of the finest brass, wind and symphonic ensembles in the world.
He has played solo concerti with symphony orchestras in many countries of the world including Norway, Finland, Poland , USA, Canada, Italy, Japan, Lithuania and Germany. As a soloist he has played with most of the leading military bands in the world including Band of the Garde Republicaine (Paris, France) The Central Band of the RAF (London, UK) The Italian Police Band (Rome, Italy), The Dutch Marine Band (Rotterdam,Netherlands) The US Army Band (Washington DC, USA).
He has also given concert tours with several leading professional chamber ensembles in Europe, including Sound-Inn-Brass (Austria), Spanish Brass Quintet, Classic Quintet (Bolzano,Italy),Trombonisti Italiani (Italy) and London Brass.
His innovation is also evident with his premiere performances of new concerti and major works by Martin Ellerby, Philip Sparke, Torstein Aagaard Nilsen, Tadeusz Kassatti, John Reeman, Derek Bourgeois, Vladimir Cosma, Rolf Rudin, Thomas Dos, Howard Snell, Hermann Pallhuber, Stephen Roberts, to name but a few. To date he has given over 500 world premiere performances. He has been described as one of the world’s most recorded solo brass artists with over 75 CDs to his credit. In addition, his strong contribution to education literature for the euphonium is unmatched, such as specialist publications by publishers such as DeHaske and Studio Music and Band Press. He is the owner of a music label, Bocchino Music which produces and distributes his albums.
As an innovator for the whole low brass world in general, he has been the Artistic Director of all six of the National Tuba Euphonium Conferences, held in the UK. He was also the Artistic Director of the highly successful International Tuba Euphonium Conference (ITEC), held in Linz, Austria in June 2012.
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He was Artistic Director of the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival, South Korea 2013-2020 and is currently Artistic Director of the Bolsover International Brass Band Summer School.
As a designer and instrument consultant Steven has worked with Besson for over thirty years and feels honoured to have an important role of Ambassador with Besson under the control of Buffet Crampon. His collaboration with the Denis Wick company has resulted is several lines of personalized products and accessories.
His webstore www.euphoniumstore.net is very popular with brass enthusiasts.
He has also been an adjudicator at some of the leading brass band, wind band and solo contests, including the British Open Brass Band Championships in 2007 and now spearheads a movement to introduce more criteria-based adjudication to brass band competitions worldwide.
It has recently been announced that Steven is to be presented with the 2021 ‘Mortimer Medal’ for his lifelong services and dedication to the Brass Band movement.
Deanna Swoboda is Associate Professor of Music at Arizona State University, where she teaches tuba and euphonium, Entrepreneurship and Music courses, coaches chamber music, and designs creative music performances.
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Prior to joining the ASU music faculty, Swoboda was Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Western Michigan University where she was a full time member of the Western Brass Quintet. Prior to WMU, Ms. Swoboda was tubist of the Dallas Brass, a 6-piece ensemble that travels the United States and Europe presenting hundreds of concerts each year and working extensively in the public schools and at colleges and universities. Swoboda is also the creator and performer of a motivational recruiting video and music workshop called “Band Blast Off.”
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Swoboda has taught at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, at the University of Northern Iowa, University of Denver, University of Idaho. As an international performer and clinician she has been a guest at the National Conservatory of Madrid (Spain), Deutschen Tubaforum–Hammelberg (Germany), The Higher School for the Arts in Porto, Portugal, and the St Petersburg Conservatory in St Petersburg, Russia. As a clinician and performer, Swoboda has appeared at the national and northwest regional conventions of Music Educators National Conference (MENC) on numerous occasions, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, International Women’s Brass Conference, The Army Band Tuba Euphonium Conference, International Tuba-Euphonium Conferences, and for state music educator associations. Deanna Swoboda is a Past President for I.T.E.A., the International Tuba Euphonium Association.
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Her mentors are Roberts Spevacek, Rex Martin and Sam Pilafian.
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Her solo CD, “Deanna’s Wonderland,” was released on Summit Records in 1999. Her solo CD is entitled “Shamanic Journey” and features the music of women composers. “Table for Three” is a CD featuring music for low brass trio, recorded with ASU brass colleagues John Ericson and Douglas Yeo. It is available at Summit Records. “Fanfare and Flourish” is a tuba euphonium quartet recording featuring the music of women composers. It is published by Potenza Music and available at CD Baby.
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Deanna Swoboda is a Tuba Artist for:
Eastman Music Company and plays the EBC632 CC tuba.