The grand entrance.

After 18 months, I suppose it's about time I owned up to the fact that I'm a member of this blog too. I just spent the week in Cincinnati and though I've been physically, financially, and emotionally ravaged (or perhaps because of it) ITEC was one of the most inspirational experiences I've had in a long time. (ITEC=International Tuba/Euphonium Conference, the largest of it's type. Only happens once every 2 years and is the standard for Tuba/Euph musicians, composers, instructors, vendors, and craftsmen. Our ensemble was invited to perform this year thanks to Demondrae's talent and energetic personality).

I usually hate driving, but my love for travel dulled my distaste as I piled my belongings into the Marlboro duffel bag I've had since the 90s and set off around 8 pm Tuesday night. That specific departure time wasn't planned of course, I being one to put things off to the last second and sleeping away the day after a 7 am bedtime (very much worth the night before in all cases), but sometimes the worst laid plans turn into accidental epiphanies.

Thus, I discovered that night is the best time for long car trips: no traffic means better time, no sun means better mileage, and the Cincinnati skyline rose into view just as the sun broke through the haze of false dawn. It's like unwrapping a bike for Christmas when you're 6 years old--you totally know what it is, but the excitement of seeing each detail emerge as you rip through the packaging just makes it that much sweeter.


(The UC College-Conservatory of Music)

Yes, I arrived at the hotel around 6:30 am local, and had a heck of a time trying to get into a room (I hadn't really planned on arriving at the crack of dawn with everyone asleep and hungover).

I ate some bagels and watched Good Morning America.

I finally managed to find Erika and barge in on her to find out where the conference was at, and discovered that the quartet placed first! What a huge accomplishment, to even be invited to compete is an honor--imagine winning! (oh, that explains the hangovers)




Here's the University of Alabama's tuba/euphonium quartet in their concert black for the award-winning "It's a Small World" routine. From left to right: Jay Hagy, Erika Mori, Matthew Mireles, and Derek Fenstermacher. I love these guys.

I wish I could explain the amazingness of their performance (they were invited to an encore performance Saturday night, which I had the pleasure to attend). Hopefully the picture will give you a clue as to why I laughed myself to tears, and maybe knowing that Derek won both mock band AND mock orchestra auditions will give you an indication of the quality of musicianship.

Ever heard flight of the bumblebee? Ok, well sure you have, everyone has. Well, in Kill Bill you may have heard something badass going on and thought "Is that Rimsky-Korsakov?" Yeah, these guys played that song. It's actually called "The Green Hornet" and Matt KILLED it. (ha, I made a pun)


Here's a video of Mnozil Brass performing the piece to give you an idea of the awesomeness that took place. There's a technically better recording by Al Hirt you can check out here but it's fitting to see Mnozil Brass performing it, since their style inspired the quartet's own flare (read: laughed myself to tears) .

Speaking of tears, that was Erika's last performance in America. She's going back to Japan in a couple of days. If kindness were a woman, she would be Erika. And she would play the holy persnicketty mess out of a euphonium too. Needless to say, anyone that gives me an excuse to use the word "persnicketty" will be forever missed.

I performed with the ensemble on Saturday as well, and it was pretty nice. Despite doing the rhythmic equivalent to Contrapunctus IX what Godzilla did to Tokyo, the performance went really well and we got major compliments from all the people who happened to be stuffing their faces with chicken wings at the time. (the food court= trendy ITEC music venue)

Too many amazing things happened for me to continue blabbing on about here, but some performances of note:
-Robert and David Childs, the great dynasty of Euphonium performance
-ITEC band-- Holst's Suite in E-flat (with Derek on tuba!)
-Demodrae Thurman literally tearing the concert hall apart with Bristol's Fantasy
-Oystein Baadsvik-- changed my life:
Arilid Plau wrote Concerto for tuba and strings in 1990 before it was filed away and forgotten without ever being performed. Oystein Baadsvik discovered and premiered the piece a few years ago, and he played it again Saturday night. I strain to recall any moment in my life that could match the experience. If you can imagine having your heart ripped from your chest while experiencing the most delicate, life-affirming beauty that the universe could conjure, you might begin to understand what happened to me then. I discovered later through an acquaintance that Plau composed the second movement in memory of his wife who had just passed away. This proved to me that despite the grueling journey an idea must make from the heart of a man to the page, from the page through the whims of a performer, and from the performer to his audience, the most powerful messages may still survive to reach the heart of someone like me. I stand amazed and inspired.
He also performed this little ditty as encore. I warn you, if you don't like multi phonics.... you just haven't heard the beat box version yet:



The performance he gave last weekend was light on talking and heavy on improvisation compared to this. The interesting thing about actually being in the concert hall is that the "eeeyaaaa" singing sounds like it's coming from the back right corner of the concert hall and is super disorientingly fun to hear when the percussive attacks are coming straight down the middle and the pure tone hits you from all directions. I had to catch myself to keep from looking over my right shoulder into the balcony (I may be dense, but I'm no genius either).

Oh, and equally stunning with his stylistic techniques is Sergio Carolino, who made is abilities heroically obvious at an open jazz session in the Mariott later that night.

So, I hope all this wasn't too nerdy. But this happened too:


We had fun! (btw, that thing is a japanese thing, and both of them are foriegn and don't know any better...omg, I just have to keep telling myself that)


Maybe we had so much fun it was scary.



{Since my camera was stolen, I've been yoinking pics from unsuspecting sources, and here they are (the ones that aren't self-evident already):
http://www.magazine.uc.edu/Construction/ccm906.htm
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=489107&op=1&o=all&view=all&subj=27428920&id=505304916 }

-Mika the "you play what, again?" Carpenter