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.