Misa Mead
Euphonium
Misa Mead Misa was born in Kumamoto city, in the south west of Japan. She graduated from Tokyo College of Music. Misa won the unanimous Gold Medal at the European Solo Competition for Young Soloists in Luxembourg, as well as winning many other solo competitions. Misa graduated with Honors at the Regional Conservatory of Paris. After Misa returned to Japan, she appeared as a guest artist at festivals in Thailand and the USA. Since 2013, Misa moved to the UK, and performed many concerts in more than twenty countries and with more than forty ensembles. In 2014, her debut album Journey, was released and in 2018 her second solo album Souvenir was also met with great critical acclaim. Since 2016, she contributes regularly to the Japanese brass magazine 'Pipers'. In 2017, the duet CD with Steven Mead, Love’s Joy was released. This CD was voted Duet CD of the Year 2017 by the UK’s Brass Band World Magazine. Misa is active as a freelance composer and orchestrator. Many of her works are published by ASKS Winds (Japan) and Bocchino Music (UK) and distributed word-wide. Misa has also served as a jury member at several prestigious international solo competitions. In May 2019 Misa released her book Misa's Technicals which has become a much sought-after book by students and teachers. Misa is a Besson Euphonium Artist and a Denis Wick Performing Artist and they support many of her activities including workshops and masterclasses around the world.
Steven Menard
Tenor Trombone
Steve Menard has enjoyed an extensive performing career throughout the United States and South America. Mr. Menard is currently principal trombone of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Utah Festival Opera Orchestra. He has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic and many others. In addition to his orchestral work, Mr. Menard has performed many Broadway shows, as well as recording sessions for television and film. In 2006, Mr. Menard performed with the first national tour of Chita Rivera: A Dancer’s Life, and in 2009 he performed with the national tour of Fiddler on the Roof, starring Chaim Topol.
Mr. Menard is an active pedagogue, having presented master classes and solo recitals at universities around the country. He has performed as a guest artist and adjudicated solo competitions at the American Trombone Workshop, presented by the U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C. In 2013, Mr. Menard served on the faculty at the Alfredo De Saint Malo Music Festival in Panama City, Panama. In 2008, he was a finalist for the Lewis van Haney Orchestral Excerpt Competition and winner of the Frank Smith Solo Competition at the International Trombone Festival.
Mr. Menard holds a bachelor of music degree in trombone performance from Northwestern University, and a master of music degree in trombone performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers have been Michael Mulcahy, Mark Lawrence, and Richard Erb. Prior to his appointment at the University of North Texas, he served for 5 years on the faculty at Louisiana State University. His students have enjoyed success as orchestral audition winners, as prominent freelance musicians and arts administrators.
Mr. Menard is an active pedagogue, having presented master classes and solo recitals at universities around the country. He has performed as a guest artist and adjudicated solo competitions at the American Trombone Workshop, presented by the U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C. In 2013, Mr. Menard served on the faculty at the Alfredo De Saint Malo Music Festival in Panama City, Panama. In 2008, he was a finalist for the Lewis van Haney Orchestral Excerpt Competition and winner of the Frank Smith Solo Competition at the International Trombone Festival.
Mr. Menard holds a bachelor of music degree in trombone performance from Northwestern University, and a master of music degree in trombone performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers have been Michael Mulcahy, Mark Lawrence, and Richard Erb. Prior to his appointment at the University of North Texas, he served for 5 years on the faculty at Louisiana State University. His students have enjoyed success as orchestral audition winners, as prominent freelance musicians and arts administrators.
Dr. Chris Sharpe
Bass trombone
Dr. Christopher Sharpe is currently serving as Adjunct Instructor of Trombone at the University of Central Arkansas. He holds DMA and MM degrees in Trombone Performance from the University of North Texas as well as a BM in Trombone Performance and Music Education from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Sharpe’s performance experience includes performances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Opera Orchestra, three years with the GRAMMY-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band, and performances with solo artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Doc Severinsen, Wycliffe Gordon, and James Morrison. He can be heard on recordings with the One O’Clock Lab Band, the Keith Karns Big Band, the Toshi Clinch Big Band, and Natalie Mannix. Dr. Sharpe is the founder of C. Sharpe Editions, a sheet music publishing company specializing in music for solo trombone and trombone ensembles, and he is an avid composer and arranger under the name Chris M. Sharpe. He is also the author of Bass Trombone Double Valve Technique, a method book for bass trombonists looking to develop advanced technique with both valves, available at www.CSharpeEditions.com. For more information on Dr. Sharpe, visit his website at www.chrismsharpe.com.
dr. jeff baker
tuba
Jeff Baker is Associate Professor of Tuba & Euphonium at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Dr. Baker received music degrees from the University of Oklahoma (BM) and the University of North Texas (MM and DMA). He has served as an adjunct instructor at the University of North Texas and Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, and taught private lessons in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex for almost 20 years.
Dr. Baker is the Principal Tuba/Cimbasso for the Dallas Opera Orchestra. As a freelance musician, he has performed with numerous ensembles including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Winds, the Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, and the Wichita Grand Opera. Dr. Baker has also been a part of over twenty recording projects on the Dallas Opera, Ft. Worth Symphony, EPR, Klavier, Mark, and Naxos labels. He has performed as a featured soloist with a variety of groups in the United States and Brazil, most notably the US Army Orchestra (Pershing’s Own) and as a concerto competition winner with the University of North Texas Symphonic Band.
In 2018, Dr. Baker received the H.M. Lafferty Distinguished Faculty Award, the highest research honor offered by Texas A&M University-Commerce, and in 2019 he was recognized as a Global Fellow for his teaching, service, and research in South America.
Dr. Baker serves as the coordinator for the Dallas, Ft. Worth, Allen, and Commerce TUBACHRISTMAS events and is the master of ceremonies for the Denton TUBACHRISTMAS. These annual holiday concerts involve over 700 tuba and euphonium players from the North Texas area and total audience attendance numbers in the thousands. He is the creator and artistic director for the Texas Tuba Camp and a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the International Tuba and Euphonium Association, the International Trombone Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Dr. Baker is the Principal Tuba/Cimbasso for the Dallas Opera Orchestra. As a freelance musician, he has performed with numerous ensembles including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Winds, the Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, and the Wichita Grand Opera. Dr. Baker has also been a part of over twenty recording projects on the Dallas Opera, Ft. Worth Symphony, EPR, Klavier, Mark, and Naxos labels. He has performed as a featured soloist with a variety of groups in the United States and Brazil, most notably the US Army Orchestra (Pershing’s Own) and as a concerto competition winner with the University of North Texas Symphonic Band.
In 2018, Dr. Baker received the H.M. Lafferty Distinguished Faculty Award, the highest research honor offered by Texas A&M University-Commerce, and in 2019 he was recognized as a Global Fellow for his teaching, service, and research in South America.
Dr. Baker serves as the coordinator for the Dallas, Ft. Worth, Allen, and Commerce TUBACHRISTMAS events and is the master of ceremonies for the Denton TUBACHRISTMAS. These annual holiday concerts involve over 700 tuba and euphonium players from the North Texas area and total audience attendance numbers in the thousands. He is the creator and artistic director for the Texas Tuba Camp and a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the International Tuba and Euphonium Association, the International Trombone Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.