baritone/euphonium
Steven Mead
Steven Mead is an amazing example of what a euphonium can, and should, sound like. The following is from his website http://www.euphonium.net:
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"Steven Mead is widely regarded as one of the most successful professional euphonium soloists in the world today, performing over 75 concerts per year with some of the leading orchestras, wind bands and brass bands in the world. In recent years he has played solo concerti with symphony orchestras, including: Germany (Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra) Norway (Trondheim Symphony Orchestra) , Finland (Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic), Poland (Capella Cracoviensis), USA (Minneapolis Pops Orchestra) and the Japan Chamber Orchestra.
Steven has also appeared as soloist with many of the leading military bands in the world including Band of the Garde Republicaine (Paris, France), The Central Band of the RAF (London, UK), The Italian Police, Carabinieri, and Army Bands (Rome, Italy), The Dutch Marine Band (Rotterdam,Netherlands), The US Army Band (Washington DC, USA).
He has been a featured guest at all the major brass and wind band festivals and low brass festivals, including several at European Brass Band Championships and National Brass Band Festivals as well as at similar events in Norway, the Netherlands , Belgium, Sweden, USA and Japan and the MidWest Band Clinic, Chicago.
There have been world premiere performances of over 250 solo works for euphonium including the premiere performances of euphonium works by Philip Sparke (all 3 of his concerti for solo euphonium), Martin Ellerby (Euphonium Concerto), James Curnow, Tadeus Kassatti, Torstein Aagaard Nilsen (Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra), Robert Jager, Vladimir Cosma (Concerto for Euphonium and wind orchestra, and brass band), Rolf Wihelm (Concertino for Euphonium), Arthur Butterworth, John Reeman, Thomas Dos, Yasuhide Ito, Marco Putz, Rolf Rudin (Concerto for Euphonium and Symphony Orchestra) and Hermann Pallhuber (Bliss) for example.
He is the most recorded euphonium artist in the world, with 65 CDs where he is featured as soloist or guest soloist, including the World of the Euphonium Series (five volumes) the Euphonium Magic series (three volumes) of multitrack recording, five CDs with the British Tuba Quartet (1991-2000) which he formed in 1991.
He is featured on 16 educational books (all with CD) with the deHaske company (Hal Leonard)
Several of his recordings have won international awards, including British Bandsman Solo CD of the year 2006,2008 and 4Barsrest.com Solo CD of the Year 2006,2008 , Brass Band World Solo CD of the Year 2008, and the Roger Bobo International Recording Award 2006 and 2008.
In 2002 he formed his own recording company, Bocchino Music, and now produces and distributes all his own recordings. Several of these CDs have won national and international awards.
In recent years Steven has been involved in new creative projects as a soloist with leading chamber groups in Europe:
Spanish Brass quintet – widely regarded as the leading Brass quintet in Europe today. With them he recorded the album 'Brass and Wines' which includes two important original works by leading Spanish composers.
Trombonisti Italiana – with this quartet of Italian trombonists, he recorded two albums, '4Valves4Slides' and ‘Colours of the World’. The latter was an original concept that sourced some previously unknown folk music from around the world. They have also given over 15 concerts in Europe.
Sound Inn Brass – Together they recorded two albums with this professional 12-piece symphonic brass ensemble based in Upper Austria. Several of the works recorded were first performances of original compositions an arrangements for euphonium and symphonic Brass ensemble. They have toured Europe together giving over 30 concerts in the last eight years and was for five years musical director and conductor of this ensemble.
Classic Quintet – This collaboration with this woodwind quintet, based in Bolzano, Italy produced two albums and over twenty concerts . Steven is the first euphonium player to develop repertoire for euphonium and woodwind quintet. Several of these works have now been published.
Steven is a founder member and solo euphonium of the Brass Band of Battle Creek, USA since 1992 (www.bbbc.net), the leading fully professional brass band in the world.
He was recently awarded the title Professor of Euphonium at the RNCM, where he has inspired young talented euphonium and baritone students for over 23 years. He was also recently been appointed a Fellow of the RNCM for his services to this hallowed institution.
He was one of the very first euphonium teachers in higher education in the UK, first being invited to teach euphonium at the Royal Academy of Music by the then Head of Brass, Harold Nash, a position he held for five years, until deciding to concentrate his activities further north, firstly teaching at the Birmingham conservatoire of 12 years where he was also Director of Conservatoire Brass Band and Wind Orchestra for four years. Then Steven concentrated his teaching activities at the RNCM where he has attracted students from many countries including, USA, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Lithuania, Latvia, Thailand, Singapore, Spain, France and China. Many of these students have returned to their countries and won positions as teachers or as members of leading military orchestras.
Steve has also been involved with innovative euphonium education and the world, for example. He directed the Euphonium Course at the new European Superior Institute for Bands , in Trento, Italy (2000-2006), co-sponsored by the European Union. He has also given many master classes and workshops in Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy , Spain, Luxembourg, France, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Russia, Denmark, Finland, USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Lithuania and Poland.
Steve directed all six of British National Tuba Euphonium Festivals, 1994/95/97/99/00/04 in Birmingham and Manchester as well as 3 Dutch Tuba Festivals and 2 Belgian Low Brass Festivals.
He was the Artistic Director of the highly successful International Tuba Euphonium Conference (ITEC) held in Linz, Austria, June 23-30, 2012.
He is currrently Artistic Director of the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival, held annually on Jeju Island, South Korea.
He is proud of his work as an instrument consultant and clinician for the instrument company Besson for over 25 years and has been responsible for the development and design work for their three most recent professional model Euphoniums , the Besson GS model euphonium, the Besson Prestige and Sovereign Euphoniums, suggesting fourteen new design features that were accepted for the new Prestige range. Now he is involved with all stages of development work and subsequent testing, visiting the factory in Markneukirchen,Germany each month to play-test their entire professional series production. He is an Ambassador for Besson.
With the iconic British brass accessory company Denis Wick Products – he originated the ‘SM’ and 'Ultra' ranges, much sought after and played by many of the leading players in the world. It is estimated that over 55,000 of these mouthpieces have been sold around the world since 1995. He has also recently designed the highly acclaimed SM Travel Mute. In March 2014 Steven was appointed as an International Ambassador for Denis Wick Products.
Through his specialist websites www.euphonium.net and www.euphoniumstore.net he aims to not only inform the world about development of the euphonium but also facilitate the circulation of all newly published original music for euphonium and tuba with over 500 titles in the catalogue."