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I'm playing a Walter Sear duet on my Junior Recital and I am in the process of writing my program notes. I actually have 2 questions if anyone can answer them. 1. What years did he serve in the Philadelphia Orchestra? and 2. Is there any relevant information about the duets I should include about the duets in my program notes? Everything I find on him is more from a recording engineer and importer stand point, not much as a tubist. Thanks.

He attended Curtis and may have played in the orchestra on occasion but wasn't a member. It went Donnatelli, Clarence Karella for around six months, then Torchinsky followed by Paul K. I have nothing on the duets although I own a copy.Ed

Interesting. Everything I've researched on Sear said he was principal tubist. Looks like a lot of misinformation is on the internet. Go figure.

Tubamax7 wrote:Interesting. Everything I've researched on Sear said he was principal tubist. Looks like a lot of misinformation is on the internet. Go figure.

When reading online, one has to learn to read between the lines....

This following quote might lead to confusion, you might think that it means he had a position, but probably is that he would have subbed. Technically, he would then have been "employed" as "principal tubist" if only for one show...Notice that it doesn't say "appointed" or does it give any dates.

After 4 years at the Curtis Institute of Music, he was employed as principal tuba player for the Philadelphia Orchestra

From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Sear" target="_blank

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p.s. Biographies full of "stretched" truths are very common on university webpages, read a couple and ponder as to what is really meant...

I visited Sear Sound a few years ago by accident while looking for a rehearsal space in the basement of that building. I would imagine it is still there today!

According to the History of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Walter Sear was never a full time member. Here's a list of of musicians from 1900 (founding) until the Present:
http://www.stokowski.org/Philadelphia_O ... List.htm#S
Walter Sear's name does not appear. Hope this is useful in making your notes as accurate as possible.
Pete

Thanks everyone. Just saying principal tubist is very misleading. If anyone knows anything about the duets, it would still be appreciated.

Walter did study with Bill Bell, and did play in pit orchestras on Broadway. Starting in the late 1950s he had a tuba shop/studio in Manhattan with a fascinating stock of used tubas. He imported several new models made to his specifications in Belgium by Mahillon and DePrins, and eventually started importing Cervenys from Czechoslovakia. I remember when he introduced the "Piggy" to the USA.

I don't believe Walter Sear was principal in The Philadelphia Orchestra. He was in The US Air Force Band, played The Sound of Music on Broadway when Herb Wekselblatt got the job with the MET, and following that played at Radio City Music Hall. He was the money behind the Moog Synthesizer, from which digital music eventually came. He died a number of years ago.

John M. Taylor

I bought a Cerveny 601 BBb from Walter Sear in 1978. He spent the better part of the day with me, even had lunch with me. I tried out every 601 he had, plus quite a few 680-somethings (whatever they were designated as at the time). Such a gentleman, far more patient with me than I deserved. Somehow I am remembering he had a place very near the Paramount Hotel on 46th, but neither the address Snorlax provides nor the SearSound studio line up with that. Am I just misremembering? Re his duets, way too many in the first book sounded like "All the Things You Are," in my opinion, but I found that they're especially good to play with students. He told me the first book was for fun, and the second was for blood.

In 1975, when I bought a Cerveny CC tuba from Mr. Sear, His recording studio was on the mezzanine of the Century Paramount Hotel at 250 W. 46th St.