CHRIS McSHANE

[The Deep End]

Just to announce that, as from today, Chris McShane has officially retired from his post as Principal Tuba of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He has had to leave the orchestra & quit tuba playing due to developing the neurological condition Focal Dystonia. He joined the BBC SSO in 1998 after 10 years as Principal Tuba of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. He leaves behind many spectacular recordings, including a stunning rendition of Jabba the Hutt with the BBC SSO !

[AndyCat]

Is the job opening or might it be given to Andy D?

[The Deep End]

The BBC are under obligation to advertise the post and will do so at some stage.

[rodgeman]

Sorry to hear he had to step down due to a physical ailment. He had a good career and hopefully teaches the next generations.

Good luck to the next position holder.

[Chuck Jackson]

As a sufferer of this malady, my heart goes out to Mr. McShane. HOWEVER, I was cruising through Youtube the other day and came upon a series of videos of some work a gentleman from, IIRC, Spain, who has done some INCREDIBLE work helping brass players afflicted with FD. If I were a younger man and closer to the source, I would search this guy out. I encourage Mr. McShane to leave no stone unturned. I am aware of the extreme mental distress that FD causes and have been treated for the same, but if there is even a glimmer of hope that ones playing can be returned to normal, I say GO FOR IT.

EDIT: The gentlemans name is Dr. J. Fabra and there are a set of 12 interviews on youtube outlining the cause and treatment, both mental AND physical, of FD. Just type in "Focal Dystonia" in the youtube search engine and you will have a plethora of information. As soon as I can get to my other computer, I will post the link to his website. The before and after videos brought tears to my eyes and led me to believe that there was hope on the horizon.

EDIT 2: http://www.musiciandystonia.com" target="_blank

Please pass this along to Mr. McShane if you feel it is relevant.

Chuck

[craig2000]

So sad! Iv been freelancing with the BBC SSO for nearly 16 years now and have had the pleasure of sitting next to Chris and hearing the orchestra and him on many occassions live. WHAT A SOUND!!!!
A brilliant mucician and genuinely nice man. Good luck for the future Chris. Cheers

[The Deep End]

Focal Dystonia is a cruel & debilitating condition. When it becomes secondary and spreads to your speech & everyday life I don't think there is anything that even Mr Fabra could do. But I am glad that the condition is more widely known about now & that players are being helped in different ways by people like Mr Fabra. I think another important point to be made here is that it is crucial to know the difference between FD ( or Task Specific Focal Dystonia to give its full title ), which is a Neurological condition, and other muscular conditions which are often confused with being FD. Often players think that they have FD when it may, in fact, be a technical/breathing issue or a muscular complaint that needs to be dealt with. Fortunately, there is increasingly more information available about this condition as more research is done across the world.

[Wyvern]

When it becomes secondary and spreads to your speech & everyday life

I was wondering if it had an effect beyond brass playing. We hear a lot about this debilitating condition in professional musicians, but I wonder does it particularly strike those people? In other word, is it something brought on by a lot of brass playing, or would strike anyway due to some other cause?

I am so sorry for Chris McShane - I hope he can find another rewarding outlet for his undoubted musical talent!

[The Deep End]

For more information about Focal Dystonia visit the Musicians with Dystonia/Dystonia Foundation website at http://www.dystonia-foundation.org" target="_blank.
There is a section on Embouchure Dystonia here too.

[The Deep End]

Just to say that in reply to the earlier post, the job has now been officially advertised and details can be found on Musical Chairs. Closing Date = 28 May
Auditions in Glasgow in July ( probably end of July )

[olaness]

Is the job opening or might it be given to Andy D?

The BBC are under obligation to advertise the post and will do so at some stage.

I have a feeling that Andy Cat's question was more aimed towards something like: 'Will the audition be a genuine one for those who apply, or will it be yet another tick-box exercise to satisfy union/employment regulations while the job has, for all practical purposes, been given to someone before the process has even begun, like is usual in a great many cases?'
Andy's way of writing it sounds a little snappier though, but is perhaps not pedantic enough for the readers of this board...

[AndyCat]

I spoke to "a prospective candidate who has done a lot of work recently with them" this weekend at a band contest, and he might not even apply. Doesn't know if he wants the commitment!

[The Deep End]

There is always endless speculation whenever a new job comes up. I remember all the talk about the big jobs in the USA when they came up a few years ago !
Knowing the integrity of the panel & players of the BBC SSO, I know that they will go through this process fairly and conduct a thorough audition and trial procedure. I don't think there is any particular favourite at the moment. With the " Curse of the Deputy ", it is often the case that the players who have done most of the regular extra work get overlooked anyway. ( Anyone remember Kyle Turner with the NYPO and Rex Martin with the CSO amongst others ? By the way, I'm not making any judgement as to whether those players should or shouldn't have necessarily got those jobs, but just making the point in response to the previous comments on this post ! )

[olaness]

I'm glad to hear this. There's often speculation, but also often reason for speculation. I was just looking at my schedule over the next few months and not relishing the prospect of lots of extra practise inserted into it for the sake of an audition that was pre-determined. If that is not the case, then I won't begrudge it...

[The Deep End]

IMHO, I think it is always good to have something specific to work/aim for.
I also think that if it is your eventual aim to become an orchestral tuba player then you should basically know all the standard excerpts ( and then some ) back to front, so that it is just a question of fine-tuning and researching the style of that particular orchestra/section when it comes to approaching the audition.