OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

The bulk of the musical talk
Post Reply
User avatar
The Big Ben
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 3169
Joined: Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:54 am
Location: Port Townsend, WA

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by The Big Ben »

I won the sousaphone job in the "Kelvin Charvet Marching Band" back in 1969 with a bent King sousaphone. Does that count? We were the musical support for a kid who was running for student body president in junior high. Daily, for a week, we played a medley of our tune.
User avatar
bort
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 11222
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 11:08 pm
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by bort »

Interesting side note -- some professional tuba players spend nearly their entire career on a certain tuba, but I have no clue if they used it on the audition or not. That is, the audition just gets the player hired, and there's nothing saying they will continue to use that tuba throughout their career.

That's not to say they wouldn't have still won the audition with a different tuba, or that they couldn't have had a successful career with a different tuba.

It just means that while these are interesting stats and stories, they kind of don't mean anything. I think it's far more interesting to look at what's being used in orchestras right now, not what was won to use the jobs.
User avatar
hbcrandy
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 653
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 10:28 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland USA
Contact:

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by hbcrandy »

Leto:

Thank you for compiling this list. It obviously took some effort and time.

Just one thing, though, for the record. The orchestra that performs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is called the, "Philadelphia Orchestra" http://www.philorch.org/, not the "Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra". I know this. I studied with both Abe Torchinsky and Paul Krzywicki. The same goes for the "Cleveland Orchestra" http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/.

Again, thank you for your effort. It is a worthy endeavor.
Randy Harrison
Proprietor,
Harrison Brass
Baltimore, Maryland USA
http://www.harrisonbrass.com
Instructor of Applied Brass Performance
Maryland Conservatory of Music
Bel Air and Havre de Grace, Maryland USA
http://www.musicismagic.com
User avatar
cjk
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1915
Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 12:16 pm

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by cjk »

Should the runners up really be included? If you are looking for who won with what equipment, are the runners up really relevant?

I would bet that a lot of these folks also used F tubas in their auditions as well.
User avatar
Billy M.
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 667
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:23 pm
Location: Pensacola, Florida USA
Contact:

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Billy M. »

I think it would be fair to say something of the runner-ups considering that Alan Baer did win the Minnesota and National Symphony auditions before winning the New York Philharmonic audition.
Romans 3:23-24

Billy Morris
Rudolf Meinl Model 45, Musikmesse Horn
Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb (19" Bell)
1968 Besson New Standard Eb (15" Bell)
User avatar
Tim_Loehr
bugler
bugler
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Aug 05, 2013 7:38 pm
Location: San Antonio

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Tim_Loehr »

Here's a correction:
Mark Mordue won the Oklahoma Sym. audition in the '70s playing
a 186. I was at the audition.
The 188s came along years later,

Also:
Sumner Erickson won the Pittsburgh audition playing a 186 and a
Yamaha upright Eb.
That young man sure sounded great!
I guess Andre Previn (conductor) agreed.
Cerveny CC - CCB 488
King 2341 BBb two-piece
Reynolds Bell-Front Eb
Martin "Mammoth" Upright Eb
User avatar
Jay Bertolet
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 470
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2004 9:04 am
Location: South Florida

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Jay Bertolet »

Just to clear up any misinformation about my situation:

I won the job with the Florida Philharmonic in 1985. I played on a Rudy 4/4 and a Yamaha 321S Eb.

There wasn't much of an audition (more private than anything) but the last two jobs I've secured (which I'm still playing) are the Miami Symphony and Florida Grand Opera. For both, I'm using a Nirschl York Copy, a Willson 3400S Eb, and a M-W Eb Cimbasso (5 valve).

Obviously, equipment isn't the entire story with any winning audition. I do find it educational to know what the best in our field are selecting to use because plunking one's cash down is the most sincere endorsement out there.
My opinion for what it's worth...


Principal Tuba - Miami Symphony, Kravis Pops
Tuba/Euphonium Instructor - Florida International University,
Broward College, Miami Summer Music Festival
User avatar
Leto Cruise
bugler
bugler
Posts: 226
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:52 pm
Location: Hollywood

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Leto Cruise »

Stryk wrote:CLEAREST HORN
We have a winner. :lol:
bort wrote:That's not to say they wouldn't have still won the audition with a different tuba, or that they couldn't have had a successful career with a different tuba.
While there is definite truth to this, the patterns show a very clear trend for players to gravitate to such instrument equipment. Could Alan Baer have won Fort Worth, National, and NY Phil in a row with a 186? Perhaps...or even more likely, he took off when he found the "correct" equipment to audition. The player is certainly the most important, yet the horn has to play a part in the overall product. Why do the winning players choose to play on a Gronitz PCK as opposed to a Thor? Clearly the Thor is a great instrument based on its popularity...yet perhaps better suited to play in the orchestra than win the gig. Food for thought...
hbcrandy wrote:Thank you for compiling this list. It obviously took some effort and time.
My pleasure, Randy. Thanks for the corrections. I'll fix it.
Billy M. wrote:I think it would be fair to say something of the runner-ups considering that Alan Baer did win the Minnesota and National Symphony auditions before winning the New York Philharmonic audition.
Agreed. The runner-ups IMHO are notable because of their success in making it to the final round and most often are professionals of high-caliber (David Zerkel & Alessandro Fossi in Philly, Edmund Jones in Fort Worth). Considering the number of big name professionals (a high number already occupying an orchestral job) who "lost" to Alan Baer during his streak, I am of the opinion it deserves its own merit.
Leto Cruise
Professional Tubist/Actor
YamaYork CC
MRP F
User avatar
Leto Cruise
bugler
bugler
Posts: 226
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:52 pm
Location: Hollywood

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Leto Cruise »

Tim_Loehr wrote:Mark Mordue won the Oklahoma Sym. audition in the '70s playing
a 186. Sumner Erickson won the Pittsburgh audition playing a 186
Fixed. Do you know when Sumner won the audition? Google isn't yielding much.
Jay Bertolet wrote:I do find it educational to know what the best in our field are selecting to use because plunking one's cash down is the most sincere endorsement out there.
Thanks for the contribution, Jay. Agreed. While it's 100% up to the player making it work, certain equipment must have more desirable traits than others. (Just to clear up, you won Miami Symphony and Grand Opera on the Nirschl, Willson, M-W?)
Leto Cruise
Professional Tubist/Actor
YamaYork CC
MRP F
User avatar
Ben
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 718
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 7:37 pm
Location: NYC

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Ben »

Didn't Floyd Cooley win SFO on a small F tuba? I heard the story years ago, and don't recall precisely the details.
Ben Vokits
NYC/Philly area Freelancer
Nautilus Brass Quintet
Alex 164C, 163C, 155F; HB1P
toobagrowl
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1525
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 3:12 pm
Location: USA

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by toobagrowl »

Leto Cruise wrote:
Tim_Loehr wrote:Mark Mordue won the Oklahoma Sym. audition in the '70s playing
a 186. Sumner Erickson won the Pittsburgh audition playing a 186
Fixed. Do you know when Sumner won the audition? Google isn't yielding much.
- Sumner Erickson got the Pittsburgh Symphony job in 1981.
- Stephen Dumaine (runner-up) eventually got the National Symphony job on a PT-6, I believe.
- Norm Pearson eventually got the Los Angeles Philharmonic job (Yorkbrunner?)
- Mike Saunders got the St. Louis Symphony job in 1991 on a Yorkbrunner.

If any of my info is incorrect, please feel free to correct it :tuba:
User avatar
bort
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 11222
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 11:08 pm
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by bort »

Aah, one of the legends of the tuba world. I've seen that asked here before, but not really answered. :tuba:
User avatar
Leto Cruise
bugler
bugler
Posts: 226
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:52 pm
Location: Hollywood

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Leto Cruise »

tooba wrote: - Sumner Erickson got the Pittsburgh Symphony job in 1981.
- Stephen Dumaine (runner-up) eventually got the National Symphony job on a PT-6, I believe.
- Norm Pearson eventually got the Los Angeles Philharmonic job (Yorkbrunner?)
- Mike Saunders got the St. Louis Symphony job in 1991 on a Yorkbrunner.

If any of my info is incorrect, please feel free to correct it :tuba:
Added. PT-6 rotor? In regards to Norm eventually winning, was he originally a runner up?
Leto Cruise
Professional Tubist/Actor
YamaYork CC
MRP F
Gator
bugler
bugler
Posts: 84
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2004 9:00 am

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Gator »

Add these and a few corrections

HB2P
Mark Tetrault Toronto Symphony 1986
Chris Hall Metropolitan Opera 1996

Hirsbrunner HB6
Utah Symphony won by Gary Ofenloch 1984
Los Angeles Philharmonic won by Norm Pearson 1993
Milwaukee Symphony won by Alan Baer 1995

YorkBrunner:
Indianapolis Symphony won by Tony Kniffen 1997

Alexander 163
San Antonio Symphony won by Lee Hipp 1991

(correction)
MW 2165
Dallas Symphony won by Matt Good 1995
Ferguson
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 380
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 11:34 am
Location: Los Angeles

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Ferguson »

Long Beach Symphony (California) - Douglas Tornquist 1998(?) HB2P
User avatar
Mojo workin'
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 782
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:44 pm
Location: made of teflon, behind the bull's eye

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Mojo workin' »

What did all of these players drink before going to bed the night before their respective auditions?

We have a right to know.
toobagrowl
5 valves
5 valves
Posts: 1525
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 3:12 pm
Location: USA

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by toobagrowl »

Leto Cruise wrote:
Added. PT-6 rotor? In regards to Norm eventually winning, was he originally a runner up?
Yes, rotor PT-6.
Norm won the L.A. Phil. audition the second time around, in 1993, on a HB-6. Gator has it in his list.



Here is a link to a previous orchestra/player list:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=50014
eutubabone
3 valves
3 valves
Posts: 324
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:42 pm
Location: Stone Mountain, Georgia

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by eutubabone »

Not only what did they drink, but what brand was it? Was it something you could get from a grocery store or an online vitamin-drink catalogue,(you know, those special ones with all the neat colorful pictures) . Also, what about their sleep positions? Sleeping on your right side all night could possibly could affect how fast and fluid you could play- thatis, if you're using a right handed tuba as opposed to, you know, the other type of tuba. :wink:
User avatar
Leto Cruise
bugler
bugler
Posts: 226
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:52 pm
Location: Hollywood

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Leto Cruise »

Ferguson wrote:Long Beach Symphony
Gator wrote:Add these and a few corrections
Added those and corrected Matthias Good from Holton 6/4 to 2165.

Thanks to everyone for the contributions. Let's keep them coming!
Leto Cruise
Professional Tubist/Actor
YamaYork CC
MRP F
User avatar
Jay Bertolet
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 470
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2004 9:04 am
Location: South Florida

Re: OFFICIAL LIST of horns/players that won a job

Post by Jay Bertolet »

Leto Cruise wrote:Thanks for the contribution, Jay. Agreed. While it's 100% up to the player making it work, certain equipment must have more desirable traits than others. (Just to clear up, you won Miami Symphony and Grand Opera on the Nirschl, Willson, M-W?)
Yes, I played those three horns to win both of those jobs. I don't use the Nirschl much with the opera (except when playing with the Palm Beach Symphony, which is the same orchestra) but the Willson and M-W are used every season.

The runners-up in my audition for the Florida Phil in 1985 were Lee Hipp (played matching Alexander CC & F, IIRC) and another fellow whose name I can't quite remember. I keep wanting to say Salzman or Salzberg, something like that. Really good player, played on a HB2 I think, or something like that.
My opinion for what it's worth...


Principal Tuba - Miami Symphony, Kravis Pops
Tuba/Euphonium Instructor - Florida International University,
Broward College, Miami Summer Music Festival
Post Reply