Meet our Past Clinicians
Craig Roberts- 2017 and 2015 MABBF ClinicianConductor, Project & Events manager, and Arts Management/Funding ConsultantCraig studied at the United Kingdom's University of Salford, gaining first his BA (Hons) then Masters degree there, studying with Dr Roy Newsome and Prof David King. Whilst at the university, Craig was awarded the Roy Newsome conducting prize as the outstanding undergraduate conductor of the academic year 2000.
Within the UK Craig has performed in most of the country’s finest concert halls including the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Royal Academy of Music, London; Symphony Hall, Birmingham; Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool; Brangwyn Hall, Swansea; Wales Millennium Centre, St David’s Hall, RWCMD Dora Stouzker Hall, BBC Hoddinott Hall, and Principality Stadium, Cardiff. Frequently working overseas, Craig has toured to Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Libya, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine and the United States of America. Craig has worked on a wide variety of large scale and innovative concert projects both at home and abroad, with numerous leading ensembles and artists. These include the Stadtorchester & Kreisverband Jugendblasorchester Ravensburg, Stadtkapelle Nurtingen, and Musikkapelle Thanheim of Germany, the Don Cossack and Russian Cossack State Dance Companies, Errollyn Wallen and the Welsh National Opera Company, Tim A. Duncan and the Imperial Ice Stars, Steve Bingham, Dr. Robert & David Childs, Shan Cothi, Rebecca Evans, Catrin Finch, Lesley Garrett, Joji Hirota & the Japanese Taiko Drummers, Claire Jones, John Owen-Jones, Peter Karrie, Sarah Lark, Paul Mealor, Andrew Powell, Katy Treharne, James Watson, and the Band of Her Majesty’s Grenadier Guards. Craig has directed in concert numerous leading bands and choirs which have included Black Dyke, Brighouse & Rastrick, Cory and Leyland brass bands; Cor Meibion Morlais, the Gentlemen Songsters, Only Men Aloud, Pendyrus and Treorchy Male Choirs, Richard Williams Singers, Vivace Singers and the Yurlov Russian State Academic Chorus. Within Wales he has conducted the majority of the top brass bands, including world number one brass band, the Cory Band, who Craig guest conducted for the Golden Jubilee procession through London of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He has been successful in competition at the highest level, winning the Welsh League Championship on three occasions (2006, 2009 and 2011) and has won every contest in the Welsh League Championships: the SWBBA Championships in 2006 with Parc & Dare, the WWBBA Championships in 2007 with Burry Port, and the SEWBBA Championships in 2011 with Abergavenny Borough. Craig was named Conductor of the Year by the SEWBBA and WWBBA in 2004. For a number of years Craig was Director of Music of the Woods Mfg Co Brass Band based in Stittsville, Ontario, Canada. He directed the band at several of the world’s largest military shows including the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Halifax, Canada; the Virginia International Tattoo in Norfolk, USA; the Netherlands Nationale Taptoe in Breda, Holland and the Polizei Show in Hamburg, Germany. In 2014, also in Canada, together with Dr Robert Childs, David Childs and with the support of the Buffet Group and Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo Society, Craig founded the successful North American Brass Band Summer School (NABBSS). Today Craig is Assistant Director of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, the world’s largest annual indoor show. He has also previously worked as Production Consultant to the Canadian Beating Retreat “Fortissimo”, held annually on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario (2007-10); travelled to Russia, to work with the Kremlin Zoria Festival on the first Tattoo held in Moscow's Red Square (2007); and Tripoli, Libya, where he acted as Director of Music and Production Consultant to the World Military Music Festival (a Tattoo and parade held in Green Square, Tripoli in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Libyan Arab Jamahereya). In 2010 & 2011 Craig travelled to Crete, Greece, acting as Director of Music and Production Consultant for the first Crete International Tattoo and Mediterranean International Festival of Arts. In 2013 he then visited Kharkiv, Ukraine to undertake a major parade and performances in the presence of the then Ukrainian President, marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the city and region in 1943. In 2015, Craig featured in and tour managed Grimethorpe Colliery Band's 10 date nationwide concert tour of Australia. Formerly Executive Officer of the UK National School Band Association (NSBA), Artistic Director of the Welsh Brass Arts Festival, and Wales Development Manager to Making Music, the national support body for UK voluntary music, Craig is now a leading freelance arts management consultant working with Owain Arwel Hughes CBE, Camerata Wales Cymru & the Welsh Proms Cymru, international soloists David Childs & Claire Jones and additional leading artists. In addition to all of the above Craig also still supplies brass tuition to numerous schools and young musicians in his home county of Rhondda Cynon Taf. For many years he was a member of the Executive Council of Music Centre Wales, Ty Cerdd, and a member of the Board of Directors of Community Music Wales. Today he is a member of the Board of Directors of Sound Affairs, a trustee of the famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band, and Musical Director of both Symphonic Brass Wales and Lewis-Merthyr Band. David Childs- 2018 and 2017 MABBF ClinicianInternational Euphonium Soloist, Conductor (Flowers Band)David Childs is regarded as one of the finest brass musicians of his generation. He has appeared as soloist with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, DCINY Symphony and BBC Philharmonic; made solo appearances at the Singapore International Festival, Welsh Proms, Harrogate International Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Melbourne International Festival, BBC Proms and New York Festival; performed solo recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and Bridgewater Hall; given Concerto performances at the Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Symphony Hall, New York’s Lincoln Center and London’s Royal Albert Hall; and regularly records as a solo artist for radio, television and commercial disc.
David tours extensively performing in Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Japan, Hong Kong, Europe and the U.S.A. He is a keen advocate of new music and has premièred ten concerti for euphonium including a Royal Albert Hall BBC Proms broadcast of Alun Hoddinott's, 'Sunne Rising - The King Will Ride’, a Carnegie Hall US première of Karl Jenkins’ Concerto for Euphonium & Orchestra, a televised première of Philip Wilby’s Concerto for Euphonium & Orchestra, and a UK première of Christian Lindberg’s Concerto for Euphonium & Orchestra directed by the composer. David is an Associate of the Royal College of Music London; a Professor at both the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and the Birmingham Conservatoire; an Artist for the Buffet Group Besson, Alliance and Reunion Blues; and is Director of Prima Vista Musikk publishing house. He is also a founder member of the highly successful brass quartet Eminence Brass and Artistic Director of Wales’ premiere wind orchestra Cardiff Symphonic Winds. David is undoubtedly leading the way for euphonium players worldwide. Through his own performances he continues to showcase the euphonium as a serious solo vehicle within the world of classical music. Dr. Keith Wilkinson- 2017 MABBF ClinicianConductor (Brass Band of the Western Reserve), Composer, Professor, and Music Publisher (Alum Creek Music)Dr. Keith M. Wilkinson moved to the United States with his wife, Audrey, and daughters, Debbie and Katie, in 1996.
Prior to his move Keith enjoyed long and successful periods as music director of leading championship bands, the GUS Band and William Davis Band. He was also in demand to travel, around Europe as well as in Britain, as a guest conductor and adjudicator. Among these appearances he was principal guest conductor of Newtongrange Silver Band (Scotland) and Brass Band Fribourg (Switzerland). Keith is still able to occasionally accept invitations to conduct in Britain, 2015 having been especially busy in this regard. In May he had the privilege of successfully directing Newtongrange Silver Band in the Spring Brass Band Festival. Regarding this appearance one commentator wrote “a welcome return to the UK of a conductor of proven 24 carat class “. (Iwan Fox, www.4barsrest.com.) Then in October he directed the William Davis Band in a special charity concert and in November he was the guest of Helston Town Band in Cornwall where he adjudicated their Annual Solo and Quartet Contest and directed the band in the town’s Remembrance Concert. He returned to Newtongrange this year to direct them at both the Scottish Championships and Spring Brass Band Festival. Since arriving in USA, Keith has had several opportunities to share his talents as guest conductor with bands in both USA and Canada and for a period he was principal guest conductor of St. Louis Brass Band. In March, 2008, Keith was presented the God And Country Music Award by The Salvation Army and Brass Band of Columbus for “his outstanding contributions to brass banding in USA, Britain and Europe”. Keith tried his hand at brass band orchestration while still in school and this aspect of banding has continued to hold his attention. He has more than 100 published arrangements with publishers in Britain, Switzerland and USA. Some of his arrangements have been used as test pieces at major championships. In order to make his arrangements available more rapidly he has now formed his own publishing company, Alum Creek Music (www.alumcreekmusic.com). Philip Harper- 2016 MABBF ClinicianConductor (Cory Band), Composer, Educator, and Music Editor (Wright and Round Music Publishers)Philip Harper became Musical Director of the Cory Band in 2012. Since then he has won all the major trophies, including an unprecedented Grand Slam of major titles in 2016: the European, the British Open, the Nationals and Brass in Concert, all won in a single calendar year. As well as becoming the only living conductor to have achieved a conventional Grand Slam, he became the only ever conductor to achieve what has since become known as the ‘Harper Slam’. Philip won the coveted 4barsrest.com Conductor of the Year Award in 2013, 2015 and 2016. In recent years he was a guest conductor of the Manger Musikklag Band in Norway, the National Youth Brass Band of Wales and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Symphonic Brass, amongst many others.
A resident of Gloucester, Philip was the Editor of Brass Band World magazine between 2009 and 2015 and, since 2005 has been the Music Editor of the historic Wright and Round publishing company. Philip is a prolific composer and his original works and arrangements are played all over the world. In 2016 he composed A Shakespearean Triptych for a 650-strong joint ensemble and choir conducting the first performance in a packed Royal Albert Hall at the Last Night of the Schools Prom. You can find out more detail and listen to audio excerpts of Philip's music at www.philipharper.co.uk. En route to this point in his life, Philip graduated from the University of Bristol in 1994 before going on to take a Masters Degree in Composition and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. He had a successful performing career and was the principal tenor horn of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and the Sun Life Band in Bristol, as well as winning through to the Brass Final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1991. Between 1996 and 1998 he lived in Japan and was a guest soloist with most of the 'British-style' brass bands with whom he still keeps a close connection, visiting annually. Dorothy Gates- 2015 MABBF ClinicianComposer (Salvation Army), Trombonist (New York Staff Band)Dorothy Gates was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Like her fellow countryman, George Bernard Shaw, she believes in the power of art to see your soul, and transform the world. Dorothy received her Bachelor of Music degree in Composition and Trombone Performance from Queens University Belfast, Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from the University of Michigan and her PhD in Composition from the University of Salford. Her principal composition teachers were Kevin Volans, George Wilson, Joseph Turrin and Peter Graham.
Dorothy has produced works in many genres. These compositions have been performed in concert halls throughout the world, including: Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, The O2, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto. In 2015 the New York Staff Band of The Salvation Army released a CD of Dorothy Gates' music entitled All Glorious (available on iTunes). Career highlights include the performance of The Lamb by Joseph Alessi in April 2010; the U.S. Army Field Band's performance of Hope at the International Trumpet Guild conference May 2014; the performance of War Cry with the New York Staff Band at Carnegie Hall March 2012 and the screening of her silent movei, The Salvation Army Lass in the O2, London, England July 2015. The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra & the Wortham Foundation recently commissioned and premiered Servant of Peace - Concerto for Trombone & Chamber Orchestra, April 2016 for trombone soloist Thomas Hulten and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. In 2016 the North American Brass Band Association selected her piece Ravenhill Suite as a test piece for their annual brass band contest for their youth section. Marie Speziale, Professor Emerita of Trumpet at Rice University said of Dorothy Gates' work Hope, "What an EXCITING piece! I must confess that it has been quite a long time since I've been this impressed with a piece for brass." Dorothy is the Senior Music Producer for The Salvation Army's Eastern Territory in New York and has been the Composer-in-Residence for the New York Staff Band since 2002. Dorothy is the first woman Composer/Editor to be employed by The Salvation Army in this role. In addition, she is the Director for the New York Staff Band Chorus. Dorothy, her husband Mark, and beagle Dougal live in Warwick, NY. Gordon Ward- 2015 MABBF ClinicianPrincipal Cornet (New York Staff Band)Gordon Ward is a past Principal cornet of the world-famous New York Staff Band and now serves as the Principal Gift Director.
Ronald Waiksnoris- 2015 MABBF ClinicianFormer Bandmaster (New York Staff Band)Bandmaster Ronald Waiksnoris has served as conductor and musical director of the New York Staff Band since 1992, taking the band to new heights in musical performance, programming, recordings and musical ministry. Under his leadership, the band has successfully toured Australia and Europe, impacting the brass band community with its imaginative concert style and programming.
Recordings during his tenure –featuring Hollywood composers Bruce and Bill Broughton and trumpeter Philip Smith – have been artistically and critically acclaimed. Conducting the New York Staff Band is only part of Bandmaster Waiksnoris’ responsibilities as Territorial Music Secretary of The Salvation Army’s Eastern Territory, a position he has held since 1984. As Music Secretary, he oversees music and arts programs in a 12-state area, including music publications and music education programs. Like many Salvationist musicians, he received his early training in The Salvation Army before studying trumpet at Hartt College of Music. Following his graduation from Boston State College (University of Massachusetts, Boston) he enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a cornet soloist with the New York Staff Band prior to becoming its bandmaster. Note: Ron Waiksnoris concluded his amazing tenure as Bandmaster of the New York Staff Band in August 2016. He is followed in this prestigious position by its new Bandmaster: Derek W. Lance. He stepped to the podium after 14 years in the cornet section. Brett Baker- 2014 MABBF ClinicianEducator, Trombone Soloist, Conductor, AdjudicatorEnglishman Brett Baker (B. 1973) is viewed as one of Europe’s leading brass performers and educators. He is passionate about encouraging new composers to write pioneering new repertoire for the trombone having been involved in over 100 commissions. Brett is Programme Leader for Musical Arts at the University of Salford, Greater Manchester, an ambassador for Michael Rath Brass Instruments, Principal Trombone of the famous Black Dyke Band, Course Director of the Singapore and Thailand Low Brass Festivals. He is a Past-President of the British Trombone Society and Chairman of the Awards Committee for the International Trombone Association.
Brett has performed with celebrated singers such as Alison Goldfrapp and Hayley Westenra, as well as other world-renowned soloists Bousfield, Alison Balsom, Wycliffe Gordon, Christian Lindberg and Joseph Alessi. He is one of the most recorded brass soloists, as well as making numerous broadcasts and TV appearances. He is also a former Trombone Solo Champion of Great Britain and an Associate of the Royal College of Music, London. Brett’s area of research includes american civial war trombone solo repertoire, instrument design through modular arrangement and the psychology of performance. He has produced over 30 solo CDs, 8 under his own label of White River Evocations, Brett features on a further 46 CDs as guest soloist. He has four sheet music solo albums with Kirklees Music and published many arrangements for trombone and piano with Studio Music. Originally from the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, Brett Baker was encouraged to play trombone by his father. His early teachers included Bryan Nelmes, David Rudge, Robert Morgan and Ken Harmon, whilst his early ensembles included the Bream and Lydbrook Silver Bands. In 1989, he moved to Flowers Band and joined the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, of which he was principal trombone for two years. His teachers at this time were Danny Hannaby of the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra, Steve Walkley of Sun Life Band and euphonium virtuoso, Lyndon Baglin. In 1992, Brett was a Brass semi-finalist in BBC’s Young Musician of the Year in Manchester and shortly afterwards he studied at Salford University, simultaneously joining Williams Fairey Band under Major Peter Parkes. At Fairey, his reputation as one of the finest players of his generation was firmly established. He was British Open Trombone Solo Champion in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and trombone tutor at Salford University from 1993 to 1996. He studied performance with Professor David King, whilst also taking Business Economics. His first solo recording, Bone Idyll, accompanied by Williams Fairey in 1996 gained much critical acclaim. His advisor at the time was Denis Wick. In 2000, Brett was invited to join Black Dyke Band under the direction of Dr. Nicholas Childs. At ‘Dyke’, he has played on over 100 CDs, and highlights included trips to the USA, Japan, Bermuda and Australia. Brett Baker, has had some impressive contest successes, gaining first place at Brass in Concert whilst being the featured soloist, winning the Grand Shield, the All-England Masters and Australian ‘National’ competitions twice, the European Championships three times, the English Nationals and British Open Championships four times, and the Yorkshire Area and the National Championships of Great Britain in London, five times. Pursuing a hectic performing schedule of around 60 concerts a year, Brett Baker enjoys presenting workshops specialising in performance. He has been guest trombone tutor at The Salvation Army’s Star Lake Music Camp near New York, the National Youth Brass Band of Switzerland and the National Youth Band of Great Britain. He is trombone tutor of the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain, Dartington International Summer School and the International Brass Band Summer School, he has been trombone tutor of the Northern Brass Band Trust since 1992, having been its Course Director since 2000. From 2014-2017 he was Course Director of the Bolsover Summer School and from 2015 Artistic Director for the Singapore and Thailand Low Brass Festivals. Brett was Chair and Vice-President of the British Trombone Society (BTS) and in 2010 he became the societies President. Brett is Chair of the Awards committee of the International Trombone Association after previously serving as the executive’s Secretary from 2005-2010. As a brass clinician he has toured from Brazil to the USA and from the Antipodes to Western Europe. He has given workshops and recitals at numerous educational establishments including Birmingham Conservatory, Trinity Laban College, London, and Leeds University. During his trips abroad, he has performed at The Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington DC, The Brazilian Trombone Festival, The University of Western Australia in Perth, Sydney & Wollongong Conservatorium's in Australia, Melbourne School of Music, Australia, the New York Brass Conference USA, Cincinnatti and Cleveland Schools of Music USA, and the University of Toronto, Canada. He has been a guest soloist with bands in Australia, New Zealand, Western Europe, South America, North America and Japan. Future trips include Argentina, the Philippines and Thailand. Brett Baker has been a guest player with Grimethorpe Colliery, Foden’s, YBS and Leyland bands, and has performed in Las Vegas, Chicago, Cleveland and New Orleans in the USA, Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and Wembly Arena in London, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, The Sage, Gateshead and the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. In addition to his work as a performer, he is also acquiring a reputation as a conductor and adjudicator. Having associations with many youth bands in the North of England Brett has also achieved contest success with Northop, Ratby and Longridge bands. Brett conducted Tongwynlais Temperance at the National Finals in 2014 and he has been guest conductor of the Royal Northern College of Music Brass Band, the University of Salford Brass Band, Carlton Main Frickley Colliery and Thorsby Colliery. He is currently preofessional conductor of the University of Salford Symphonic Wind Band and Royal Buckley Silver Band in North Wales. As an adjudicator, Brett, has judged many competitions and festivals including the International Trombone Association in the USA and the National Solo Championships in Switzerland. He has adjudicated at the Netherlands, Australian and New Zealand Nationals, many association contests and numerous Regional Championships. For over 20 years, Brett Baker has been keen to promote new music for the trombone, commissioning over one hundred works from composers and arrangers such as Barry, Broughton, Clarke, Davoren, Dewhurst, Duncan, Ellerby, Farr, Fernie, Forgie, Graham, Gregson, Harper, Higgins, Lovatt-Cooper, Newton, Pankhurst, Price, Sparke, Wilby, Wiffin, Wills and Wilkinson. Brett lives with his wife, Sarah, in Cheshire, England. Dr. Bryan Appleby-Wineberg- 2014 MABBF ClinicianProfessor of Trumpet and Head of Brass at Rowan University, Principal Cornet (Atlantic Brass Band)Dr. Bryan Appleby-Wineberg is Associate Professor of Trumpet and Head of Brass. At Rowan he teaches Studio Trumpet and Trumpet Class for Music Education majors, and plays with the Faculty Brass Quintet. For the 2009/2010 academic year, Bryan and his family were on sabbatical in the United Kingdom, where Bryan played solo cornet with the world famous Brighouse and Rastrick Band, as well as The Lindley Band in West Yorkshire, UK.
Bryan is currently Principal Trumpet of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony and Principal Cornet/Assistant Conductor of the Atlantic Brass Band (Ensemble-in-Residence at Rowan University), and a founding member of the professional trumpet ensemble Tromba Mundi. He has performed with many ensembles including the Cleveland Orchestra, The Jupiter Symphony (NYC), The Indianapolis Symphony, the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra, The Kent Blossom Festival, Rutgers Summerfest, and Manhattan Chamber Orchestras, the DaCappo Opera Theater (NYC), The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Riverside Symphonia, The Opera Company of Philadelphia, as a guest with the Kent Blossom (OH) Festival Alumni Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Slatkin, and was Principal Trumpet of the Haddonfield Symphony and Brass Quintet for four seasons. Prior to moving to New Jersey for graduate school, Dr. Appleby-Wineberg was Principal Trumpet of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra in Evansville, Indiana for three seasons and was Assistant Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Evansville. He holds degrees from The Oberlin Conservatory of Music (B.M in Trumpet and Music Education) where he studied with Anthony Plog, Jean Moorhead Libbs, and Cleveland Orchestra member, Charles Couch; The Cleveland Institute of Music (M.M. in Trumpet) where studied with James Darling of the Cleveland Orchestra, did additional work with Cleveland Orchestra members Michael Sachs and David Zauder, and was awarded the 1994 Bernard Adelstine Prize in Trumpet; and The Mason Gross School of Music at Rutgers University (D.M.A. in Trumpet) where he studied with Peter Bond of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Dr. Appleby-Wineberg grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and spent 4 summers studying with Armando Ghitallah at The University of Michigan. He lives in Glassboro, New Jersey with his wife Sarah, a Midwife and Nurse-Practitioner in Women's Health, and their two daughters, Hannah and Kathryn. Dean Witten- 2014 MABBF ClinicianProfessor of Percussion and Director of Percussion Studies at Rowan UniversityDean Witten has been Professor of Percussion and Director of Percussion Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey since 1979. Mr. Witten has appeared as soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic, the San Antonio Symphony, the Haddonfield Symphony, and the Relache Ensemble (PA).
Freelancing in New York City, Mr. Witten has been the principal percussionist of Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and performs regularly with the American Symphony Orchestra, as well as the American Composers Orchestra, New York Chamber Orchestra, NY Virtuosi, New York Pops, Metropolitan Opera Guild and many Broadway theater orchestras. As a performer on Baroque timpani, he has recorded the Haydn Creation with the Pro Artis Ensemble, a New York ensemble specializing in the use of period instruments. Mr. Witten has been a member of the percussion sections of the Rochester Philharmonic, the San Antonio Symphony and the Opera Companies of Philadelphia and Boston. As a Yamaha clinician, he has been invited to perform at two Percussive Arts Society Conventions. In 1990, Mr. Witten hosted the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Philadelphia and served four years on the Percussive Arts Society Board of Directors. He toured the world as a member of Frank Sinatra's Orchestra for almost eight years and has performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Buddy Rich Band and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. He has been heard in the Broadway pit orchestras of Les Misérables, Baz Luhrmann's production of Puccini's La Boheme, Sweet Charity, Sunset Boulevard, Tommy, The Music Man, Oklahoma, Titanic, Jekyll and Hyde, Beauty and the Beast, The King and I, Cyrano the Musical, The Secret Garden, Dracula the Musical, City of Angels, An Inspector Calls, Blood Brothers and Grand Hotel. You can hear Mr. Witten on recordings by Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Jr., Harry Connick Jr., Celine Dion, Denis DiBlasio, Betty Buckley, Linda Eder and others, as well as on the movie soundtracks to Femme Fatale, Lucky Numbers, Snake Eyes and The Godfather 3. As a member of the staff orchestras at Resorts International, Tropicana and Sands Hotel Casinos in Atlantic City, he performed regularly with Peter Allen, Paul Anka, Susan Anton, Frankie Avalon, Burt Bacharach, Charlie Callas, Jose Carreras, Diahann Carroll, Perry Como, Petula Clark, Rosemary Clooney, Bill Conti, Vic Damone, Sammy Davis Jr., Dom Deluise, Electric Light Orchestra, Jose Feliciano, Fifth Dimension, Sergio Franchi, Connie Francis, Aretha Franklin, Mitzi Gaynor, Frank Gorshin, Robert Goulet, Joel Grey, Joey Heatherton, Clint Holmes, Lena Horne, Englebert Humperdink, Julio Iglesias, Lanie Kazan, Carol Lawrence, Jerry Lewis, Liberace, Hal Linden, Gloria Loring, Patti Lupone, Rich Little, Melissa Manchester, Dean Martin, Al Martino, Johnny Mathis, Maureen McGovern, Liza Minnelli, Joni Mitchell, Anthony Newley, Wayne Newton, Tony Orlando, Patti Page, Billy Preston, Lou Rawls, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Neal Sedaka, Frank Sinatra, Steve and Edye, Keely Smith, Connie Stevens, Leslie Ughamms, Jerry Vale, Ben Vereen, Dionne Warwick, Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra, Paul Williams and Nancy Wilson. He can also be heard on nationally broadcast television commercials for Smith Barney, Right Guard, Visa, the U.S. Postal Service and NBC Nightly News. Mr. Witten performs exclusively on Yamaha Percussion Instruments and Zildjian Cymbals with Mike Balter Mallets and Pro-Mark. Nigel Horne- 2014 and 2013 MABBF ClinicianConductor (Rockville Brass Band), Composer, Arranger, AdjudicatorNigel Horne was born and raised on the English coast and has had over forty years in the brass band movement, having started on the cornet when he was 8 years old. After graduating from the University of London, he joined the Hendon Band on tenor horn. He moved to Barnsley, Yorkshire, England where he moved to percussion, playing with top bands Yorkshire Imps and Carlton Main Frickley. He has wide ranging musical experience that covers choral as well as concert and brass band music and is also known as a composer and arranger. Nigel has worked with and conducted bands of all abilities from several countries and he now tutors music composition to students from all over the world on a one-to-one basis and has held a number of prestigious positions, including being a member of the Executive Council of the National Association of Brass Band Conductors in the U.K., and is currently on the board of directors of the North American Brass Band Association where he chairs the regulations committee and is the lead of the controller team which oversees the running of its annual competition.
He has a postgraduate research degree in brass and wind band composition from the University of Leeds and degrees in music from the Open University and Sheffield University. He has studied under many of the top names in brass bands including Philip Wilby, Arthur Butterworth, Richard Evans, Roy Newsome, Darrol Barry and Alan Fernie. He also holds the Licentiate Diploma in Brass Band Adjudication from the University of Salford. He is often contacted to help national and local broadcast and printed media, both on and off the record for information about brass bands, the history of the movement and its current state. Stephen Bulla- 2014 MABBF ClinicianComposer, Arranger, Adjudicator, Clinician, Conductor (Band of the Potomac)Stephan Bulla began his musical instruction at age six, growing up in a musical household where his father played tuba and his mother played piano. He eventually graduated Magna Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied trombone with Phil Wilson and Composition/Arranging with Herb Pomeroy.
In 1980 he won an audition for the position of Staff Arranger to "The President's Own" United States Marine Band and Chamber Orchestra in Washington DC. For the next thirty years he would provide musical scores for myriad White House events, beginning with the Reagan era until 2010. Working alongside film score legend John Williams he has transcribed music from "Star Wars", "Catch Me If You Can", and "Close Encounters" for performances by the Marine Band with the composer conducting. He has also scored music for the Discovery Channel ("Wings of the Luftwaffe" and "Century of Flight") and PBS television series "In Performance At The White House." Here artists including Sarah Vaughan, The Manhattan Transfer, Mel Torme, Doc Severinsen, Nell Carter, Shirley Jones, Larry Gatlin, and Jordan Sparks performed his arrangements. His commissioned concert works are performed and recorded internationally. The Dutch, British, Swiss and New Zealand Brass Band Championship organizations have all commissioned test pieces from his pen. According to a recent ASCAP survey his music has been used on the following television programs: CSI Miami, Cold Case, Jag, Joan of Arcadia, Without A Trace, Guiding Light, Ren and Stimpy, 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, and Survivor. One of many career highlights to date was a commission from the Library of Congress to complete and orchestrate the last known manuscript march of John Philip Sousa. That music with a recording is available free from the Library's web site. For fifteen years he conducted the National Capital Band (Washington DC), producing several CDs and touring Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and Scandinavia while directing this ensemble. He presently serves as artistic director and principal conductor for New England Brass Band and Brass Of The Potomac. Both of these fine ensembles are non-profit organizations providing music for community events, arts programs, and educational outreach in local public schools. Stephen Bulla is a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) and has received that organization's Performance Award annually since 1984. He travels often as a guest conductor for All-State band events around the country. James Gourlay- 2018 and 2013 MABBF ClinicianGeneral Director, River City Brass; Director of Instrumental Music and University Bands, Wheeling Jesuit University, Tuba Soloist/ClinicianJames Gourlay was born in Scotland where, at an early age, he was volunteered to play in the local school brass band. He made rapid progress and soon became Scottish National solo champion at junior and senior levels.
Gourlay later studied tuba performance at the Royal College of Music, London, but left after a short time to take up a full time position in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Three years later, he became principal tuba of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. It was in that city that Gourlay became involved with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, sharing the tuba chair with John Fletcher. At that time, he was also active in the film industry, performing on the sound tracks of Superman II and III, Batman and Yentl, to name but a few. After 10 great years at the BBC, working with some of the world's greatest conductors, Gourlay was invited to become the solo tubist of the Zurich Opera House Orchestra in Switzerland. It was there that he developed his skills as a conductor, attending master-classes with Ralph Weikert, and working with the Brass Band Berner Oberland, with which he won the Swiss National Championship 5 times and the Swiss Open Contest 4 times, record that has yet to be beaten. Today, James Gourlay is the General Director of Pittsburgh's own River City Brass, the world's only full-time professional brass band, performing 70 concerts annually all over the USA, and Director of Instrumental Music and University Bands at Wheeling Jesuit University, West Virginia. Gourlay holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Salford, a MMus from the University of Leeds and is a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music (FRNCM) and the London College of Music (FLCM). Gourlay has also been honoured by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, which conferred upon him the John Henry Isles Medal for services to the brass band movement. Gourlay's repertoire is extensive, ranging from the avant-guard to rock and pop music. He has commissioned more than 50 solo works for tuba and piano, tape, band and orchestra. As a conductor, he works with some of the world's leading brass groups, but also with orchestras such as the Sinfonica in Campinas, Brazil, the Orquestra Casa da Musica in Porto, Portugal. He is a regular guest conductor of the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain(NYWO), which he will tour Switzerland in the Summer of 2013. He has made 5 solo CDs, including the acclaimed 'British Tuba Concertos' and more than 20 CDs with brass bands and wind bands Tim de Maeseneer- 2013 MABBF ClinicianTenor Horn Soloist, Conductor, TeacherBorn in Vilvoorde Belgium from a family of music enthusiasts, Tim started to learn the Tenor-horn at the age of six. The decision to study music in secondary school didn't come as a surprise; he first began to study at the Secondary School of Music in Leuven and afterwards fulfilled this course in the "Kunsthumaniora Brussel". Having studied under the expert guidance of Frans Violet in Brussels, Tim moved to the Gent Conservatoire where he studied for two years under trumpet virtuoso Benny Wiame. Subsequently, Tim returned to Leuven to study at the LUCA (Leuven University & College of Arts) under saxhorn specialist Nick Ost. Special mention has to go to mentor/tutor Johan De Win, who always supported and taught with the upmost care.
As guest soloist Tim has performed with a number of different orchestras in Belgium and beyond, such as the "Symfonie Orkest Vlaanderen BE", The project Brass Band WDR (West Deutche Rundfunk Köln) DE, European Youth Brass Band EU, Atlantic Brass Band USA, Brass Band Buizingen BE, Noord-Limburgse Brass Band BE & The Wind Band of The Lithuanian Armed Forces LT. Having participated in a number of competitions, Tim has been award best tenor-horn on multiple occasions. As Tenor-horn specialist he is appointed by the VLAMO Organisation to give guidance to different bands to help improve horn sections. Blair Bollinger- 2012 MABBF ClinicianBass Trombone (Philadelphia Orchestra) and Faculty at Curtis Institute of MusicBlair Bollinger is the bass trombone of the Philadelphia Orchestra, which he joined in 1986. He has made solo appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and National Symphony of Taiwan, as well as at many international and domestic trombone conferences.
Mr. Bollinger has given recitals and master classes in Brazil, Chile, China, Holland, Israel, Japan, Poland, Taiwan, and throughout the United States. His recordings include a solo CD (Fancy Free), two discs with Four of a Kind trombone quartet, and a disc with the Canadian Brass. His trombone is the Bollinger Model bass trombone by the S.E. Shires Company of Hopedale, MA; a trombone he helped design. A 1986 Curtis graduate, he joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1997, and also serves on the faculty of the Juilliard School in New York and Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance. |
Carol Jantsch- 2012 MABBF ClinicianPrincipal Tuba (Philadelphia Orchestra)Praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as having “a sound as clear and sure as it [is] luxurious,” Carol Jantsch has been principal tuba of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 2006. She won the position during her senior year at the University of Michigan, becoming the first female tuba player in a major symphony orchestra.
In addition to her duties in the Philadelphia Orchestra, Ms. Jantsch is a renowned tuba soloist. She gives solo recitals regularly, and has appeared as a concerto soloist with various ensembles, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, the St. Petersburg Symphony in Russia, the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, and the United States Marine Band. She has performed in Carnegie’s Zankel Hall with the Musical Olympus Festival, and has appeared on the radio on NPR’s series From the Top and Interlochen Public Radio’s Live From Studio A. In 2009 she was honored with a “Best of Philly” award from Philadelphia magazine. She has also won prizes in several international solo tuba competitions, and alumni awards from both Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan. Ms. Jantsch is in increasing demand as a teacher worldwide, having given master classes in Europe, Asia, and North America. She enjoys working with young musicians, and has been a featured artist at various brass festivals in Finland, Germany, Canada, and the United States. She is on the faculty at the Yale University School of Music and Temple University’s Boyer College of Music.Raised in a musical family, Ms. Jantsch began piano lessons at age six and began studying euphonium at Interlochen Arts Camp at age nine. After switching to tuba, she attended the prestigious arts boarding high school Interlochen Arts Academy, graduating as salutatorian of her class. She continued her studies at the University of Michigan under the tutelage of Fritz Kaenzig. After winning her position with The Philadelphia Orchestra in February of 2006, she returned to Michigan to complete her Bachelor of Music degree, graduating with highest honors. Ms. Jantsch can be heard on numerous Philadelphia Orchestra recordings, including the 2010 release of Ewald Quintets no. 1 and 3 with fellow Philadelphia Orchestra principal brass. She released her first solo recording, Cascades, in 2009. In 2013 she premiered Reflections on the Mississippi, a new tuba concerto written for her and the Temple University Symphony Orchestra by Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Daugherty. The recording of this work was recently released on the Temple University label, and in 2015 she performed the concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Michigan Symphony Band. Carol is a Yamaha Performing Artist. She plays a Yamaha YFB-822 F tuba and a B&S Perantucci PT-6PS CC tuba. |