Penn State Shenango will host tubist Velvet Brown, professor of tuba and euphonium at Penn State University Park, along with her euphonium and tuba ensemble at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19 as part of its Shenango Presents series. The ensemble will feature pianist Christopher Guzman, assistant professor of piano at Penn State University Park. A world premiere of "... and every man shall see his maker . . .," composed by Ferruccio Germani, instructor of music at Penn State Shenango, will be part of the evening’s program. A reception will follow the concert in the Lecture Hall Art Gallery, where an exhibit of sculptures and artworks by Ed Hallahan, instructor of art at Penn State Shenango, will be on display. The concert and reception are free and open to the public.
The evening’s program will also include Los Requiebros from Goyescas by Enrique Granados; Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland; Andante Cantabile from Symphony No. 5 by Peter Ilich Tschaikovsky/arr. Forbes; Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin/arr. Toshinobu Kinoshita, Christopher Guzman, piano; Dobbs (2011) by Drew Bonner; and Struttin’ with Some BBQ by Lillian Armstrong/arr. Velvet Brown.
Brown enjoys a professional career as an international soloist, chamber ensemble performer, recording artist, conductor and orchestral player. She has made regular appearances throughout Europe and Asia as well as the United States. Brown is currently the principal tubist of the Altoona Symphony Orchestra and the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra.
Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State in 2003, she taught at Bowling Green State University, Ball State University and served as an associate director of University Bands at Boston University. Many of her successful students have won prestigious playing and teaching positions, and were prizewinners at various regional, national and international competitions.
She has released four solo CDs and has collaborated on several other recordings as a soloist and ensemble member. Notable is her interpretation of John Williams’ Tuba Concerto on Albany Records.
Guzman regularly performs for audiences throughout North America, Europe and Asia, while maintaining an active teaching schedule. He is a multiple prize winner in many international competitions. Guzman garnered the grand prize (Blanche Selva) and several special prizes at the 10th Concours International de Piano d’Orléans in Orléans, France. This major European prize will allow him to record a CD of modern music in France, as well as tour the country giving master classes and performing recitals.
Guzman has performed as soloist with many large ensembles and has performed concerti with the Juilliard Orchestra in several international halls. He has also appeared in recital in such varied venues as Carnegie’s Weill Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall and Spoleto’s Teatro Caio Melisso. He's an avid chamber musician, performing in various venues and continually with members of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and the New York Philharmonic, to name a few.
Penn State Tuba Euphonium Ensemble, formed in the fall of 1987, has achieved success performing regionally, nationally and internationally. The group performs outstanding traditional, contemporary and popular literature composed or transcribed for the tuba/euphonium ensemble. This highly select ensemble is comprised of the finest euphonium and tuba players on campus by audition. The group has garnered praise for many featured performances, including the CBS “Good Morning Show,” the 1995, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012 International Tuba and Euphonium Conferences, and the 2011 Northeast Tuba and Euphonium Conference, among others.
For more information, please contact 724 983-2906.