Last week I had the privilege and pleasure of attending the 2010 International Tuba Euphonium Conference (ITEC), in Tucson, AZ. This gathering of low-brass enthusiasts occurs every two years and brings together the best and brightest of our musical community. I attended as a representative of the US Army Field Band. It was an inspirational experience. Below I've highlighted some of my favorite moments.  

 One important function of these conferences is to provide an outlet for young musicians to grow and receive professional feedback through adjudicated competition. I was asked to serve as head judge for the "Mock Euphonium Band Audition Competition." Myself and a panel of former and current military musicians held a simulation of what would take place when somebody comes to audition for a position in a military band. Applicants sent in pre-recorded tapes months ago, which we listen to and narrowed down to 16 semi-finalists. Those competitors came to Tucson and competed in two live rounds until a winner was chosen. There is a cash prize and recognition at a formal banquet at the end of the week .  

We had a fantastic panel of judges who spent hours listening to auditions of hopeful candidates. Here I am tabulating scores with Matthew van Emmerik, former member of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom and the Royal Australian Navy Bands. 

One of the other judges was my former teacher, CMSgt (Ret.) Brian L. Bowman of the US Air Force Band. It was great to re-unite with him and so many old friends and colleagues. 

This year's ITEC featured many outstanding and unique performers. This was a concert featuring Dr. Kent Eshelman on jazz tuba. One of the main goals of the conference is to advocate for low-brass instruments as viable additions to many genres, including jazz, pop, and rock. This recital was absolutely fantastic. 

I was working alongside two Army Band Recruiters, SSG Mark Lucero and SSG Katie Verinder. They were very supportive and ran a booth at the conference exhibit hall that shared information about the opportunities available in Army Bands. The military has a great presence at these events. Many young people are very interested in what life as an Army Musician is all about. I answered lots of questions and was able to use my performances and interaction with people throughout the week to share my story of how the Army has given me the opportunity to do what I love for a living. 

Here is another shot of a unique recital by Dr. Brian Meixner of euphonium with percussion ensemble. 

I performed in recital on Saturday, May 29th and was accompanied by pianist Miriam Hickman. We had several rehearsals throughout the week prior to the concert. It was such a pleasure to work with this absolutely fabulous musician. 

Another important function of ITEC is to feature new compositions for the tuba and euphonium. This is the premiere of a brand-new work for five euphoniums and piano. The soloists are SFC Neal Corwell of the US Army Band, MCPO (Ret.) David Werden of the US Coast Guard Band, British euphonium soloist Steven Mead, CMSgt (Ret.) Brian Bowman of the US Air Force Band, and SGM (Ret.) John Mueller of the US Army Band. 

I was asked to serve as a panel member for a roundtable discussion of the topic' "Building a career for the 21st century musician." It was a great interactive session where panelists offered perspectives of how we came to be making a living playing music. Just to show that the conference was at the forefront of technology, you can see that we are using "Skype" to speak with Oystein Baadsvik, a Norwegian tubist who participated from across the world in this interesting topical discussion. 

ITEC featured booths and exhibits where we could learn about and try new equipment for our instruments. I purchased a fabulous travel mute for my euphonium from this man, Johann Shlipfinger, Austrian mute expert. 

My favorite experience this week was collaborating with members of the 36th Army Band at Fort Huachuca. One of the pieces on my recital required a jazz combo accompaniment. These three outstanding military musicians agreed to perform with me at this event. Here I am with SSG Kristin Chandler on piano, SPC Jon Norris on drums, and SGT Kristopher Hitchman on bass. The piece we performed was called "Picture in a Frame," which is comprised of three Tom Waits tunes, put together by US Army Field Band Staff Arranger, SSG Adrian Hernandez. 

Here I am performing with the combo in recital. It was the perfect way to top off an amazing week. I learned so much, and was completely inspired to work and improve at my craft. One of the best ways to be an ambassador for the Army is to go out and perform and have people see you being passionate and enthusiastic doing something you love. Energy and positive creativity are contagious. I definitely caught the bug this week and hopefully inspired others along the way. Now back to Maryland and back to work!