Euphonium Faculty
Blake birmingham
Blake Birmingham is an American Euphoniumist, Composer, and Educator.
Fortunate enough to study with two of his heroes; Blake earned both his Masters and Bachelors Degrees in Euphonium Performance from the University of North Texas where he studied under Dr. David Childs, and Dr. Brian Bowman, respectively. A winner of the prestigious Leonard Falcone Competition, Blake has regularly been featured as a guest soloist, and as a clinician at conferences, universities, and high schools throughout the United States. As a private teacher his students have gone on to study music at major universities and conservatories across the United States, and have earned numerous solo accolades including consistent superior ratings at contest and placing at the International Leonard Falcone Competition. His students have also consistently earned spots in the Texas and Oklahoma All-State Bands. As a band director Blake's bands have additionally won numerous accolades including Best Overall Group at the Heartland Music Competition and receiving straight Superior ratings at OSSAA contest. He currently resides in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma where he serves as a band director for Broken Arrow Public Schools. Blake is the director of the North Texas Low Brass Camp, and is proud to be an Adams Artist, as well as a Brass.Lab MOMO Artist. Blake plays exclusively on the Adams E3 euphonium, and MP-M2 MOMO mouthpiece. Dr. Danny Chapa
Dr. Danny Chapa is a Willson performing artist and has recently been appointed a Professor of Euphonium and Tuba position at Tyler Junior College. Dr. Chapa maintains an active solo performance and lecture schedule through several appearances at various universities and conferences for the International Tuba-Euphonium Association. He is also the euphonium section manager of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, principal trombonist of the McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra, and a member of the North Texas Euphonium Quartet.
Dr. Chapa has been featured as a guest artist at Baylor University, Oklahoma State University, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Sam Houston State University, Eastman School of Music, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Wesleyan University, University of Northern Iowa, Texas Tech University, Texas State University, University of Texas San Antonio, University of Texas Rio Grand Valley, Henderson State University, University of Memphis, St. Mary’s University, Washington State University, Texas Music Educators Association Convention, Texas Bandmaster Association Convention, the International Tuba Euphonium Conference, the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Tuba Euphonium Workshop, and the North East, Rocky Mountain, Great Plains, Midwest, South Central, and South East Regional Tuba Conferences. He was also runner-up for the United States Air Force Band audition and advanced to the final round of the Army “Pershing’s Own”, West Point, Navy and Naval Academy Band premier band auditions. Several of his arrangements and compositions have been published by Atticus Sounds Publications and can be purchased through www.sheetmusicplus.com. |
Donald Bruce
A native of Manchester New Hampshire, Donald Bruce began his musical studies in the 3rd grade with the violin, joining the elementary school band in the 5th grade on the alto saxophone. At the end of middle school Mr. Bruce joined the brass section on the trombone, before eventually finding the euphonium his junior year in high school. Mr. Bruce earned placement in the New Hampshire All-State band (2yrs), All New-England Band (2yrs), New Hampshire Youth Wind Symphony (2yrs), and performed with the University of New Hampshire Symphonic band as a senior in high school.
In 2003 Mr. Bruce moved to the DFW area to study at the University of North Texas with world renowned euphonium performer and pedagogue, Dr. Brian Bowman. He graduated with his bachelor’s degrees in music education and euphonium performance in 2009, a master’s degree in 2015 and expects to finish his doctorate in euphonium performance in Spring of 2021. Mr Bruce has performed with the UNT Green Brigade Marching Band, UNT Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, UNT Concert Band, UNT Brass Band, UNT Symphonic band, and the University of North Texas Wind Symphony. In 2009 Mr. Bruce accepted a position as a band director in Frisco ISD. Mr. Bruce served as an assistant director at Stafford and Griffin middle schools for one year before joining the staff at Fowler middle school from 2010-2013, and from 2020-present. Mr. Bruce’s concert and jazz bands have earned numerous accolades including UIL sweepstakes, band of the day, and placement at regional jazz festivals. In addition to teaching band in the public schools, Mr. Bruce has served as a teaching fellow at the University of North Texas where he taught the brass methods course sequence for four years and has served as the professor of euphonium at the University of Texas at Arlington since 2015. In addition to his college work, Mr. Bruce has maintained a large private studio and has taught low brass lessons at schools throughout the DFW area. Mr. Bruce has performed as a euphonium soloist and section member throughout the United States and Europe. Currently Mr. Bruce performs with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Corporon and as a regular substitute with the Dallas Winds. Bruce has been a semi-finalist or finalist in the artist division at many of the most prestigious euphonium solo competitions in the world including, The Leonard Falcone Festival, The International Tuba-Euphonium Conference, The Potomac Festival, The Tubonium Regional ITEC, The Southwest Regional ITEC, and the University of North Texas Concerto Competition. Mr. Bruce has also been an invitee and finalist for several military band auditions including The United States Army Field Band and the United States Air Force Band. Dr. Wei-Chien (Sunny) Chou
|
TROMBONE Faculty
Dominick Viviano
Dominick Viviano has been described as a passionate performer and a versatile educator. He is currently serving as an Applied Trombone Instructor for Lewisville Independent School District where he maintains a private studio of seventy middle and high school students across multiple campuses. He has held teaching positions at the University of North Texas, University of Central Arkansas, Marcus High School, Flower Mound High School, and others. His students have gone on to attend top music institutions across the country.
As an educator, Dominick has worked tirelessly to refine his craft. He began teaching privately when he was in high school and has since developed his teaching method into a student centered, goal-oriented approach to private teaching. He believes that any student can create highly valuable music as long as they have the proper training. With this in mind, his approach to private teaching is highly motivating for the student while also being a positive learning environment. As a performer, Dominick has been heard all over the country. He is a founding member of The Odyssey Quartet, a professional trombone quartet based out of Denton, Texas. The Odyssey Quartet was named winner of the Ginger Turner National Chamber Music Competition in 2021 at the International Woman’s Brass Conference. The group was also named runner-up in the 2022 American Trombone Workshop National Quartet Competition hosted by the US Army Band. They also performed a concert at the 2023 Texas Music Educators Conference in San Antonio. The group recently recorded their debut album that will be released in the fall of 2023! Viviano has also performed at several notable festivals including the 2021 International Trombone Festival where he performed as a member of the North Texas Trombone Consortium, winners of the 2020 Emory Remington International Trombone Choir Competition. The 2018 International Trombone Festival in Iowa City, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. He can also be heard on Justin Cook’s debut album Connections. Dominick holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Missouri State University, a Masters Degree and Performance Certificate in Trombone Performance from the University of Central Arkansas, and is working toward his Doctoral Degree in Trombone Performance at the University of North Texas. His teachers include Dr. Natalie Mannix, Mr. Tony Baker, Dr. Justin Cook, Dr. Jason Hausback, and Mr. Timothy Myers. Dominick lives in Aubrey, Texas with his beautiful wife, Mackenzie and corgi, Coda. DR. JOYCE HSU
Dr. Joyce Hsu is an in-demand trombonist, clinician, and teacher. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Texas Tech University, a master’s degree in Trombone Performance and Pedagogy from Oklahoma State University. A native of Taiwan, she also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the oldest and most prestigious art college in her country, National Taiwan University of Arts. While in living in El Paso, Texas she had the pleasure of performing with the Rio Bravo Trombone Quartet, El Paso Jazz Collective, salsa group, Azúcar, and the El Paso Winds. She has also been a member of award-winning Oklahoma State Trombone Octet. As an educator Dr. Hsu has served as the Director of Trombone Ensembles at the University of Texas at El Paso, where she coached the UTEP Trombone choir. Under her tenure the group was invited to perform at the 2019 Big 12 Trombone Conference, in Lubbock, TX. She served as an adjudicator for low brass juries at New Mexico State University and Assistant Director of the El Paso Youth Jazz Ensemble. As of Fall 2019, Dr. Hsu and her husband have relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where she is currently a freelance trombonist and teacher. Her students often range from elementary school through University, where she maintains competitive piano and trombone studios. Dr. Hsu’s students are consistently ranked among the most proficient of their peers; they are performance scholarship recipients and are active participants in TMEA All-Region bands and State Solo and Ensemble Contests.
|
Amanda kana
A passionate trombonist and dedicated music educator, Amanda Kana maintains an active schedule in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and abroad. As a member of Center Stage Brass and the Coal Hill Quartet, she has appeared in recitals and performances throughout the state of Texas, including showcase performances at conferences of the Texas Music Educators Association, the International Trombone Festival, and the International Trumpet Guild. She has performed with a variety of ensembles such as the Irving Symphony Orchestra, the Plano Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Asian Wind Ensemble, and the Jazz Monsters of Fort Worth. In the summers, she tours Germany as a regular member of Eurobrass, a 12-person ensemble comprised of music professionals from Germany and the United States. Her recent performance highlights include featured solo performances with the Northeast Orchestra and Eurobrass. Ms. Kana maintains a successful private studio in the metroplex that boasts over seventy students who consistently earn top placement in region honor and all-state bands and regularly win awards at solo competitions. She frequently leads low-brass masterclasses in the area and serves as Camp Director for Center Stage Brass’s annual Summer Music Camp. Amanda has participated in numerous orchestral and chamber music festivals including those of the Brevard Music Center, the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific, and the Bayview Music Festival’s Spectrum Brass Seminar. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Baylor University, where she graduated summa cum laude, and a Master of Music in Trombone Performance from Texas Christian University. Amanda’s teachers include David Begnoche, Brent Phillips, and David Plumb, and she pursued additional studies with Gordon Cherry, Bill Zehfuss, Dan Satterwhite, and John Rutherford. Sarah Hatler
Sarah Hatler is a versatile trombonist based out of Dallas, Texas. In addition to maintaining a low brass studio at the renowned Booker T. Washington High School for Visual and Performing Arts in Dallas, she can be heard playing throughout the country with various Top 40 cover bands. She is one-third of the Wonder Horns, an all-female, high-energy horn section for hire that has played together since 2016.
Trained as a classical musician, she has performed with the Turtle Creek Chorale, Washington Concert Opera, Pan American Symphony Orchestra, the Chelsea Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, and as part of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s SOLUNA Festival, among others. She was assistant principal trombone of the Amazonas Filarmonica in Manaus, Brazil, from 2009-2011 and taught at the local music conservatory while living there. She enjoyed her summers spent at the Aspen Music Festival and at Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival. In March of 2019, Sarah launched My Mutebag, a new business that gives brass musicians a stylish and functional way to carry their mutes and other gear. Students, music teachers, and professional musicians around the world have loved My Mutebag for its durability, utility, and style. She earned her Bachelor of Music on euphonium and trombone from Northern Arizona University under Dr. Pete Vivona and her Master of Music on trombone from the Mannes College of Music in NYC where she studied with Dr. Per Brevig. Dr. Zachariah Davis
Zachariah Davis is thrilled to be a part of Texas Woman’s University’s team of world class musicians and
educators in the Division of Music. Prior to his appointment in 2022 he served as a Doctoral Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas, studying under internationally recognized trombonist Dr. Natalie Mannix. While pursuing his Doctorate in Musical Arts he gained a related field in Wind Conducting and spent three years in the North Texas Wind Symphony. Zachariah performed in a featured brass ensemble with the North Texas brass faculty and Canadian Brass for over 2,000 attendees of the Texas Music Educators Association annual convention. During his time at North Texas he was a featured soloist with the North Texas Trombone Consortium and a core member of the 2020 International Trombone Festival Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition winning ensemble. In 2019 Zachariah won the International Women’s Brass Conference Susan Slaughter Solo Competition and Mock Military Band audition and served as a judge at the 2022 conference. In 2020 he was a finalist in the American Trombone Workshop Solo Competition. Prior to his study at North Texas he served as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Arkansas with Dr. Cory Mixdorf and earned his undergraduate degree at Texas Tech University with Professor James T. Decker. In addition to his appointment at Texas Woman’s University Zachariah teaches across all academic levels as a private trombone instructor in the greater Dallas Fort Worth area. An advocate of the marching arts, Zachariah is also a sought after brass and marching band consultant. Zachariah is an active freelance musician, performing with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Opera Fayetteville, Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorus, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Lubbock Moonlight Musicals, and the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps. If he isn’t practicing, performing, or teaching Zachariah can be found cooking far too much food for his wife and friends at his home in Denton, Texas |
tuba Faculty
JUNG MOO LEE
Jung Moo Lee has achieved a Bachelor of Music in Tuba Performance from Kei-Myung University in South Korea, a Master of Music in Tuba Performance from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from Southern Methodist University and a Doctor of Musical Art (ABD) in Tuba Performance from the University of North Texas.
Jung Moo Lee is an active freelance tuba player, low brass instructor, and conductor. As a teacher, he maintains a studio of over 85 students in Prosper, and Coppell ISD. His students are selected consistently and placed at the top of their all-State and region band auditions and have received superior ratings at solo and ensemble festivals. He has presented master classes and summer camps with college and high school students in Seoul, Daegu, Daejeon, Jeju in South Korea, and DFW metroplex. As a teaching fellow at UNT, he taught private lessons at the undergraduate and graduate level as well as coaching brass quintets. As a teaching assistant at UNT, the taught undergraduate conducting class. Jung Moo is the tuba player of the Center Stage Brass (www.centerstagebrass.com) and Sounding Brass (www.texasdixielandband.com). He has performed with Daegu Symphony Orchestra, Daegu wind Orchestra, Dallas Pops, North Texas Wind Symphony, North Texas Symphony Orchestra, and Meadows Wind Ensemble. He was 3rd place winner of Pusan MBC Music Competition and finalist of UNT Concerto Competition. He also played as a tuba player with large and small ensembles at international music conferences and festivals, such as PASIC, ITEC, TMEA, WASBE, and Crested Butte Music Festival. Jung Moo Lee can be heard in Klavier Wind Project, Mark Records, and Crystal Records on works with the North Texas Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra. Also, he recorded the solo for the Korean Movie, “Homicide Sonata (2011).” He studied the tuba with Don Little (UNT), Matt Good (Dallas Symphony Orchestra), Dr. Brian Bowman (UNT), and he studied conducting with Dr. Jack Delaney (SMU), Eugene Migliaro Corporon (UNT), and Dennis Fisher (UNT). Dr. Jeff Baker
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. |
KEITH PACKMAN
Keith Packman is a passionate musician and considerate educator looking to inspire all people by means of his tuba. Whether performing as a concert soloist on stage or backing a band downtown, Keith aims to break down barriers for how music can speak to an audience. He is currently the professor of tuba and euphonium at both Texas Woman’s University and at Collin College.
As a performer, Keith has had an active freelance career in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for over a decade. He can regularly be heard performing with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, one of the few professional wind bands in the country, and as principal tuba with the McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra. Also a specialist in chamber music, Keith is a part of two professional tuba-euphonium quartets, fLOW Quartet and Isomer Quartet, that have recorded albums and performed across the United States and Japan. In various competitive settings, Keith has been a prize-winner at multiple prestigious international tuba competitions including those hosted by the International Tuba Euphonium Association and the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival. He can also be heard in the viral video "Down in the River to Pray" with the University of Texas at Austin tuba-euphonium studio, which has recently surpassed 1.6 million views on YouTube. As an educator, Keith has taught at all academic levels from pre-middle school to collegiate graduate students. His pedagogical practice revolves around developing a high-level of musicality and the best possible sound quality, all while instilling a strong sense of the students’ individuality. His college students have gone on to start their careers as various types of music educators and his younger students have achieved many accolades including the coveted TMEA All-State status. Keith holds degrees from the University of North Texas (BM - Performance, BM - Music Theory) and the University of Texas at Austin (MM - Performance). He has had extended tuba studies with Don Little, Charles Villarrubia and Matt Good. For more information, please visit www.keithpackman.com |
collaborative artist
Astrid Morales
Born in Mexico City, pianist Astrid Morales is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at Arizona State University with Robert Hamilton. Astrid holds a master’s degrees in Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy and a Performer’s Diploma in Piano from Southern Methodist University, where she studied with Joaquín Achúcarro. In 2012, she graduated from the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City under the guidance of Héctor Rojas.
Winner of the 2014 General Concerto Competition at the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, TX, Astrid performed with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dr. Paul Phillips. Morales has an intensive soloist career and has performed with well-known orchestras and conductors such as: Mexico State Symphony Orchestra (Enrique Bátiz, Virgilio Valle and Gabriela Díaz Alatriste), Nuevo León University Symphony (Eduardo Diazmuñoz), Querétaro Philharmonic (José Guadalupe Flores), Mexico City Philharmonic (José Areán), National Polytechnic Institute Symphony Orchestra (Alfredo Ibarra and Enrique Barrios), Aguascalientes Symphony (Stephano Mazzoleni), Women’s Orchestra of Arizona (Livia Gho), among many others.
As a recitalist, Astrid has performed in the United States, Holland, Germany, Italy, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Canada. In addition, Astrid has performed recitals in the most important venues in Mexico. Morales has been awarded several prizes and scholarships including the Actos de Confianza Grant from the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures 2021, the 2011 Youth Mexican Prize and Grand Prix to Exceptional Talents and Best Interpretation of Mexican Music at the Second National Piano Competition “Petrof – Symphony – Pearl River”. In 2021, she was recognized as a Kawai Medallion Educator.
Astrid has always been an active and passionate performer of Mexican music. She recorded her first CD “Rimero Musical” with music of the Mexican composer Ladislao Juárez. Furthermore, Morales collaborated in “El Oficio Mío” with music of the Mexican composer Armando Rosas. As an active chamber musician, Morales won the first prize at the 2022 Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano – Professional Division and has collaborated with world-renowned musicians including cellist Andrés Díaz and violinist Matt Albert. In 2018 and 2019, she also served as Fellow Pianist at the NorCal Music Festival. She currently serves as principal keyboardist at Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra.
Astrid Morales served on the piano faculty at the Community Music School and as Faculty Associate at Arizona State University. Morales has appeared in international
TV shows, newspapers and radio interviews. Astrid serves as an active member of the Binational Cultural Forum of Mexican Artists and as a committee member at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. In addition, she is the 4th Vice President of the Arizona State Music Teachers Association.
Winner of the 2014 General Concerto Competition at the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, TX, Astrid performed with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dr. Paul Phillips. Morales has an intensive soloist career and has performed with well-known orchestras and conductors such as: Mexico State Symphony Orchestra (Enrique Bátiz, Virgilio Valle and Gabriela Díaz Alatriste), Nuevo León University Symphony (Eduardo Diazmuñoz), Querétaro Philharmonic (José Guadalupe Flores), Mexico City Philharmonic (José Areán), National Polytechnic Institute Symphony Orchestra (Alfredo Ibarra and Enrique Barrios), Aguascalientes Symphony (Stephano Mazzoleni), Women’s Orchestra of Arizona (Livia Gho), among many others.
As a recitalist, Astrid has performed in the United States, Holland, Germany, Italy, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Canada. In addition, Astrid has performed recitals in the most important venues in Mexico. Morales has been awarded several prizes and scholarships including the Actos de Confianza Grant from the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures 2021, the 2011 Youth Mexican Prize and Grand Prix to Exceptional Talents and Best Interpretation of Mexican Music at the Second National Piano Competition “Petrof – Symphony – Pearl River”. In 2021, she was recognized as a Kawai Medallion Educator.
Astrid has always been an active and passionate performer of Mexican music. She recorded her first CD “Rimero Musical” with music of the Mexican composer Ladislao Juárez. Furthermore, Morales collaborated in “El Oficio Mío” with music of the Mexican composer Armando Rosas. As an active chamber musician, Morales won the first prize at the 2022 Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano – Professional Division and has collaborated with world-renowned musicians including cellist Andrés Díaz and violinist Matt Albert. In 2018 and 2019, she also served as Fellow Pianist at the NorCal Music Festival. She currently serves as principal keyboardist at Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra.
Astrid Morales served on the piano faculty at the Community Music School and as Faculty Associate at Arizona State University. Morales has appeared in international
TV shows, newspapers and radio interviews. Astrid serves as an active member of the Binational Cultural Forum of Mexican Artists and as a committee member at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. In addition, she is the 4th Vice President of the Arizona State Music Teachers Association.