Re: Re: Is the Tuba a Solo Instrument??????


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Posted by Kelly O'Bryant on January 11, 2000 at 13:18:04:

In Reply to: Re: Is the Tuba a Solo Instrument?????? posted by Patrick Sheridan on January 11, 2000 at 10:51:12:

Pat makes several excellent points here. A few things I would like to stress:

I think the biggest "failure" would-be tuba soloists encounter is their lack
of knowledge in the realms of programming, presentation, and packaging. If we
want the tuba to thrive as a solo instrument, we must take the proper steps
to achieve that goal. And, for better or worse, that means getting away from
traditional tuba literature. Playing "standard" tuba concertos for an
audience of 17 tuba majors may be the accepted norm in an academic recital
situation, but it is this type of action that continues to hinder the
possibilities of the tuba as a solo instrument in the eyes of the general
public. Remember, the people who are running the Concert Series, Booking
Offices, etc., don't really care how well you can execute the cadenza in the
RVW Tuba Concerto, but they do care how well you can communicate with an
audience made up of a vast makeup of people, and if you have the ability to
fill the seats in the hall.

Now, this is NOT an excuse for people to sacrifice good playing and artistry
for the pursuit of commercial appeal. Definitely not! Our number one goal
as performers should be excellence. It is when you as a performer make the
journey into the business side of music and combine artistic excellence with
commercial appeal that you will enter the realm of "full time" solo playing,
etc. Look at folks who have done this - Yo Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Canadian
Brass, etc., etc., and you will see that they have mastered the combination
of artistic excellence and commercial appeal. They (and their "people") have
learned the art of packaging and presentation.

As I'm sure Pat could, I could go on about this for hours - but I won't ;-)

Is the tuba suitable as a solo instrument? Most definitely. For us to get
to the levels of other major concert artists (see above), we need to take
major steps. There is a handful of us already doing so. One of my biggest
goals as a soloist, and I think I can speak for Pat here as well, is to tear
down the prejudice and stereotypes that other folks in the music industry
have towards our beloved instrument. When we begin to change the current
attitudes of these folks, we will gain a stronger foothold in the
"major circuit" concert world.

I find that the public is incredibly accepting and enthusiastic about my
solo tuba shows. It is the "higher ups" in the music world who have their
eyes closed. We must take steps to change this. There is definitely a place
in the world for the tuba as a professional solo instrument. No, it isn't
very common, and no, I can tell you from experience that it isn't easy, but
it can be done.

Sermon over ;-)

Take care,

Kelly O'Bryant



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