New Hire: Adam Frey, Georgia State University and University of North Georgia

Adam Frey has begun a new position as graduate euphonium professor at Georgia State University through a Dual Appointment with the University of North Georgia. His duties at Georgia State will include teaching graduate euphonium students, while he also serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Studies at UNG. Adam is internationally recognized as a euphonium performer and educator, hosts the International Euphonium Tuba (IET) Festival at Emory University each summer, and maintains www.euphonium.com, which contains a multitude of low brass music. Adam is a Yamaha Performing Artist. For the complete news release, visit the Georgia State University News Hub.

New Hire: Justin Gruber, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Justin Gruber will be the new tubist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra after winning their international audition in September 2022. He will begin performing with the orchestra in January 2023. Justin is originally from Mount Kisco, NY where he began his tuba studies at age 9. At age 12 he moved to Parkland, FL where his love for music took off. He is currently completing his Bachelor's degree at the University of Miami where he studies under Dr. Aaron Tindall. Before winning the Winnipeg tuba audition, Justin became an Associate Member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, and won and held the tuba position for the 2021-22 season with the New Mexico Philharmonic.

New Hire: Kevin Flanagan, West Point Band

Kevin Flanagan has won a tuba position with the West Point Band. He will begin performing with this ensemble in March 2023. Duties in this role include performing for local, national, and international audiences in support of the West Point community, the U.S. Military Academy, and the U.S. Army. Kevin is an active tubist currently based out of Miami, Florida. He is completing his Masters of Tuba Performance degree at the University of Miami, Frost School of Music, where he studies with Aaron Tindall. Outside of his duties at Frost, Kevin has seen success at competitions. Most recently, he was named the silver medalist at the 2022 Leonard Falcone International Tuba Euphonium Festival.

New Hire: Zack Corpus, University of Memphis

Zack Corpus is the new Assistant Professor of Practice in Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Memphis - Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. He began serving in this role in August 2022. His duties include teaching tuba and euphonium applied lessons, conducting tuba/euphonium ensemble, teaching classes as needed, and performing with the Memphis Brass Quintet. Prior to his appointment, Zack spent seven years in the secondary education classrooms of Tennessee and Alabama teaching band, orchestra, and music theory. He holds degrees from Kansas State University, the University of North Texas, and is currently ABD at the University of Memphis. His primary teachers include Phillip Black, Steven Maxwell, Don Little, Brian Bowman, and Kevin Sanders.

New Hire: Aaron Tindall, Naples Philharmonic

Aaron Tindall recently won the principal tuba audition for the Naples Philharmonic at the end of May 2022. He began playing with the organization in September. Aaron is also the Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the Frost School of Music - University of Miami. In the summers he teaches and performs at the Festival Napa Valley in Napa, CA and at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC, where he also serves as Principal Tuba with the EMF Festival Orchestra under the direction of Gerard Schwarz. He has previously served as the acting principal tubist of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra; held the principal tuba position with the Aspen Festival Orchestra where he was an orchestral fellow; and has collaborated as guest tubist with orchestras such as the Teatro alla Scala Opera and Ballet Orchestra - Milan Italy, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra - Australia, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra-Kennedy Center, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Utah Symphony.

New Hire: Will Sutton, Northwest Missouri State University

Will Sutton is the new Lecturer of Low Brass/Music Theory at Northwest Missouri State University. He begins serving in this role in Fall 2022. His duties include leading the low brass studio, teaching music theory, and conducting the Concert Band. Prior to Northwest, Will held teaching positions at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, Mott Community College, Saginaw Valley State University, Olivet College, The Michigan State University Community Music School, and The Flint Institute of Music. Will’s teachers include Philip Sinder, Ava Ordman, Charles Guy, Mark Hartman, Michael Wilkinson, and Michael Meidenbauer. He is a Willson Performing Artist, playing the 2900 TA and 3400 FA-5.

New Hire: Patrick Young, Idaho State University

Dr. Patrick Young has recently been appointed as the new Assistant Professor of Low Brass and Director of Bands at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. He will direct the ISU Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, and teach low brass lessons, conducting courses, and music education courses. He will also perform in the faculty brass quintet. Patrick holds degrees from the University of Colorado-Boulder, the University of Georgia, and Young Harris College. His primary tuba teachers include Michael Dunn, David Zerkel, Dr. David McLemore, and Dr. Simon Wildman. His conducting influences are Dr. Don McKinney, Dr. Daniel Bara, Dr. Jaclyn Hartenberger, Dr. Mary Land, Dr. Mike Campbell, and Dr. John Lynch. In addition to his responsibilities at ISU, Patrick also currently serves as the principal tubist with Opera Colorado, based in Denver. He has performed at the Moscow Conservatory, the Gnessin Musical College, and the St. Petersburg Conservatory with the Fortress Brass Quintet on their 2019 tour in Russia. Patrick is on call to perform with the Colorado Symphony, the Colorado Ballet, Boise Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Boulder Philharmonic.

New Hire: Michael Fleming, U.S. Naval Academy Band

Michael Fleming has recently won a tuba position with the United States Naval Academy Band. He began performing with the band in August 2022. His duties include playing in the concert band and chamber ensembles. Michael began playing the tuba at age 13 in his hometown of Curwensville, Pennsylvania. He attended Carnegie Mellon University where he studied with Craig Knox and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and Education. He then attended Yale University where he studied with Carol Jantsch. He has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Canton Symphony, Westmoreland Symphony, and the River City Brass Band.

New Hire: David Saltzman, Oberlin Conservatory

David Saltzman is the new Visiting Associate Professor of Tuba at Oberlin Conservatory. The appointment began in July 2022. His duties include teaching weekly undergraduate tuba lessons, coaching small ensembles, and leading a repertoire class. David is also the Associate Teaching Professor of Tuba & Euphonium at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, and he will be continuing in this role while teaching simultaneously at Oberlin. David is the Principal Tubist with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the Glimmerglass Opera Festival. He lives at home with his amazing wife, three children, two standard poodles, and two adorable but mischievous cats.

New Hire: Jacob Fulkerson, The King's Brass

Jacob Fulkerson is the new tubist of The King’s Brass. He joined the group in March 2022. His duties include performing music with choreography from memory, assisting in live sound, and helping in other supportive roles. The King's Brass is a touring sacred brass group and has been performing for over forty years. Jacob is a student at the University of North Texas pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Tuba Performance. He holds a Master of Music degree from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with honors, from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a licensed music educator, published composer, and his primary tuba instructors are Craig Knox, Dave Saltzman, and Don Little.

New Hire: Ross Knight, Haute École de Musique de Genève

Ross Knight is the new Professor of Tuba at the Haute École de Musique de Genève. He will begin serving in this role in September 2022. His duties will be to teach and mentor the tuba students to guide them in their musical careers, whether that be as an orchestral musician, soloist, chamber music player, teacher, etc. In addition to this new position, Ross is the Solo Tuba player of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva. Before joining the OSR, he was an Academist of the prestigious Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic and has performed with several of the world’s top orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Tonhalle Orchestra, to name a few. He has also performed as soloist with some of Europe’s top orchestras and brass bands including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the BBC Concert Orchestra, Grimethorpe Colliery Band, and Tredegar Band, with whom he recently recorded Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Tuba Concerto on an album to be released in August this year. Ross is also an instrumental artist with B&S, Melton, and Yamaha.

New Hire: Fabien Wallerand, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris

Fabien Wallerand is the new tuba teacher at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. He will begin serving in this role in September 2022. His duties will include teaching tuba students pursuing Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the conservatory. Unanimously awarded first prize for tuba at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon (the class of Melvin Culbertson), Fabien Wallerand won prizes at the international competitions of Guebwiller (France) and Markneukirchen (Germany). He has played in the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestre National de Bordeaux, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, the Orchestre National de Toulouse and the Orchestre de Lausanne (Switzerland). He was appointed as Tuba soloist to the Orchestre of the Youth Academy "Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival,” led by Mstislav Rostropovitch and Christoph Eschenbach. Permanent guest member of the Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Lyon 2000 to 2004, he has also performed in concerts throughout the world and given masterclasses in Colombia, Venezuela, China, Japan, USA, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Mayotte, New Caledonia. Tuba Soloist with the Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris (Musical director Gustavo Dudamel) since 2004, he is also a member of the brass quintet of the Opéra National de Paris. In 2015, he was appointed professor of tuba at the High Music School in Geneva. After recording his first disc, "Art of the Tuba" (Indesens label), he released his second disc, "Vibrations" (Momistri) in 2014, for tuba and string quartet with original works and creations. Along with his activity as an instrumentalist, Fabien composes works for tuba (Éditions Billaudot) and received a commission for the international competition of Tours (France) in 2015 (Éditions Klarthe). Since 2013, he has developed his knowledge with the MELTON brand of tubas and has just created his own TITAN 2 model of tuba (2250FW).

New Hire: Michael Waddell, Longwood University

Michael Waddell has recently accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Music at Longwood University. He will begin serving in this role in Fall 2022. His duties include conducting the Longwood University Wind Symphony and teaching applied lessons on euphonium, tuba, and trombone. Prior to joining Longwood’s faculty, Michael served as Director of Bands at Hiram College since 2018, where he directed the Wind Ensemble, Pep Band, Jazz Ensemble, taught low brass lessons, and many other courses, such as music entrepreneurship. Active as a performer, he can be heard on several recordings, including Sweet Appalachia by the Keystone Quartet, Versatile Southern Rock and Roll by Rye, Chronicle by Zach Collins, and several recordings with the Keystone Wind Ensemble. Michael holds a DMA in Low Brass Performance from West Virginia University, MM in Euphonium Performance from Georgia State University, and BS in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His primary studies have been with Mark Mitchell, Zach Collins, Christian Dickinson, Carson McTeer, Hakeem Bilal, and Adam Frey.

New Hire: Mason Soria, Los Angeles Philharmonic

Mason Soria will be the new tubist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and he will begin performing with the orchestra in September 2022. Mason is originally from Burbank, CA but grew up in Frisco, TX where he began his tuba studies at the age of 10. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance from the University of North Texas and a Master’s degree in Music Performance from the University of Miami. His main teachers include Dr. Aaron Tindall, Donald Little, Matthew Good, and Warren Deck. Before winning the LA Phil tuba audition, Mason held the principal tuba position with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony.

New Hire: Alec Mawrence, West Point Brass Quintet

Alec Mawrence has recently won a position as tubist with the West Point Brass Quintet at the United States Military Academy. He will begin serving in this role in November 2022. The West Point Brass Quintet is the ceremonial brass quintet for the West Point Band. The quintet provides support for West Point ceremonies as well as other outreach events throughout the greater New York City area. Alec received a master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 2022 and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 2020. He spent three summers at the Aspen Music Festival, where he studied with Warren Deck, and he toured Europe with the National Youth Orchestra of the USA in 2016. His past teachers include David Zerkel, Gene Pokorny, Matthew Gaunt, Rex Martin and Jared Bulmer.

New Hire: Ricardo Carvalhoso, University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar

Ricardo Carvalhoso is the new Tuba Instructor at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar in Germany. He began teaching in this role in October 2021. Ricardo is a Portuguese tuba player who is the Solo-Tuba with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also been Solo-Tuba of the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra in France and the Orchestra of the Zürich Opera House - Philharmonia Zürich. In addition he has performed regularly as a featured artist in several Music Festivals and Masterclasses in Europe, South and North America, and Asia. Ricardo is a Yamaha performing artist.

New Hire: Jean Xhonneaux, Brussels Philharmonic

Jean Xhonneux has recently won the Tuba Solo Position with the Brussels Philharmonic. He had already been performing with this ensemble as Guest Solo Tuba since December 2014. His new contract began in February 2022. His duties include playing the bass tuba, contrabass tuba, and cimbasso. Prior to winning this position, Jean earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees while studying with Hans Nickel in Maastricht, the Netherlands. He has won several prizes and competitions, including 3rd (2012) and 2nd (2016) prizes at the Concorso Internazionale Città di Porcia in Pordenone, Italy. He was also a finalist at the XVI Tchaikovsky Competition, the inaugural year for brass participants, in St. Petersburg, Russia. In addition, he is a member of the brass quintet called Eburon Quintet, with whom he won the 1st Prize at the 2012 Concours International de Musique de Chambre in Lyon, France. In addition to his competition success, Jean has performed with a number of different high-level orchestras in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Germany, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra Köln, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, the Belgian National Orchestra, the Opera House of La Monnaie, and more. As a teacher, Jean has been the tuba professor at the Institut Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie IMEP in Namur, Belgium since September 2012 and at the LUCA School of Arts in Leuven, Belgium since September 2018.

New Hire: Klemens Vetter, Leopold-Mozart-Zentrum

Klemens Vetter is the new Lecturer for Euphonium at Leopold-Mozart-Zentrum at the University of Augsburg. He began teaching in this role in December 2021. His duties include teaching euphonium, with a goal of preparing students to win jobs in the police bands or to be able to teach or conduct, along with playing euphonium. Klemens’s students will also study historical instruments, such as the serpent and ophicleide, along with orchestral instruments, such as the bass trumpet and German Bariton. Klemens studied at the renowned University of Luzern with Professor Thomas Rüedi where he finished his Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy in 2019. Since then, he has lived and worked in Germany, playing in the Landespolizeiorchester of Rheinland-Pfalz. He has played as substitute in the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra.

New Hire: Marc Placencia, U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" Ceremonial Band

Marc Placencia has won a tuba position with the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Ceremonial Band, where his duties will involve performing for funerals at Arlington National Cemetery as well as various other ceremonies at locations such as the Pentagon and the White House. He plans to begin performing with the band in Fall 2022. Currently, Marc is a tubist with the Navy Band Northwest of the Navy Fleet Bands located in Silverdale, Washington. Before joining the Navy, he was a freelance musician in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a graduate of Arizona State University and has been fortunate to be primarily mentored by Sam Pilafian, Dr. Deanna Swoboda, Patrick Sheridan and Gabriel Sears.

New Hire: John Mangonon, U.S. Navy Band

John Mangonon has won a tuba position with the United States Navy Band in Washington D.C. He will begin performing with the band in April 2022. The primary mission for the Navy Band is to provide musical support to the President of the United States, the Department of the Navy, and other military and government functions. Duties include national and regional tours, public concerts and recordings, and various ceremonies in the greater Capital region including support for full honor funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. An avid performer and educator, John is a rising professional musician as both soloist and ensemble member. He has received degrees in Tuba Performance, Music Education, and Wind Conducting from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and is currently working towards his Master’s degree in Tuba Performance at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. His primary tuba instructors include Dr. Aaron Tindall, Mr. Daniel Perantoni, and Mr. Sérgio Carolino.