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I am pleased to let everyone know that I will be performing Martin Ellerby's Tuba Concerto with the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra next weekend. Here are the details:

Friday, October 14th, 2011 at 7:30PM
Foellinger Great Hall in Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The program is:
G. Rossini: Overture to William Tell
M. Ellerby: Tuba Concerto
J. Tower: Made in America
P.I. Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

I heard the orchestra's first concert of the season, which included Petroushka and Brahms 1, and they sound absolutely fantastic. I'm hoping I don't muck it up!

I hope you will be able to make it out for the performance. See you all there!

Bump for the concert tomorrow night!

I have had two rehearsals with the orchestra, and they sound absolutely fantastic. I admit that I had not heard the orchestra version of the Ellerby before this week, and I have been very pleased with the writing. Ellerby's lush writing for the strings really compliments the winds and brass very well. I have had to be careful to not get caught up in the music and miss my entrance!

I hope you all will be able to make it down/up/over for this concert. I am incredibly honored to have this opportunity to solo with the orchestra. From what my teacher, Professor Mark Moore, has told me, I am the first student tuba player to have the opportunity to perform with the orchestra since Ron Bishop performed the Vaughan Williams in 1963. I am not 100% on the validity of the statement (just because we haven't heard of anyone else since then, doesn't mean there necessarily wasn't anyone...), so don't quote me on that, but it goes to show how much of a privilege and an honor it is to have been selected as a winner of the 2010 University of Illinois Concerto Competition.

If you come, please don't forget to stop backstage afterwards to say hi. We'll also likely be going out to Crane Alley afterwards to celebrate.

I didn't handle the renting myself, but from my understanding, Maecenas Music Publishing has all three versions of the concerto: brass band, concert band, and orchestra. The orchestral parts are the only parts that are rental only, the rest are available for purchase.