Kent Eshelman is Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Baylor University, where he joined the faculty in 2009. Previously he held full-time teaching positions at Northern Arizona University and Western Kentucky University, and he has also taught at Grand Valley State University and the Interlochen Arts Camp. A graduate of the University of Michigan in tuba performance (BM) and jazz piano (BFA), he earned a master’s degree in tuba performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a doctorate in tuba performance at Michigan State University.
Justin Benavidez
Justin Benavidez is the Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Florida State University and leads an active career as a performer and educator. He previously held a similar professorship at the Ithaca College School of Music. Dr. Benavidez is the Tuba-Artist Faculty at the Round Top Summer Music Festival and is the acting Principal Tuba of the Syracuse Symphoria Orchestra and the Syracuse Opera. He also plays with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.
Justin has been a prizewinner at several national and international solo competitions and is a past winner of the prestigious Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition.
Vikentios Gionanidis
Vikentios Gionanidis is a Greek tuba player and arranger for brass. He was born in 1988 in Corfu, Greece. He began his musical studies in 1998 at the wind band “Manzaros”, which included Theory, Percussion, Euphonium and finally the Tuba. In the year of 2004 he entered the Conservatory of Corfu to continue his higher musical education in tuba and harmony, following the classes of George Rarakos and Anastasios Kazianis. In October 2007 he started his studies at the Hochschule für Musik,
John Samuel Wood
John is a brass instrumental teacher and conductor based on the Isle of Man and until recently, held the position of Principal Tuba with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra; South Africa’s leading professional symphony orchestra.
After studying at Chetham’s School of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music and Royal Academy of Music, John worked with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras and ensembles including the Hallé Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra Brass Ensemble,
Yao Wang
Yao Wang is one of the best tuba players in China and has played Principal Tuba in the Chengdu Symphony Orchestra since 2015. Born in Chengdu in 1982, Yao began to learn piano at the age of four, and then learned tuba with the Professor Jing Sun of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music and with Professor Shan De Huang of the People’s Liberation Army Arts College. He graduated from the Middle School of Sichuan Conservatory of Music in 2000 and went on to study at the PLA Arts College.
James Stretton
James Stretton studied trumpet at Trinity College of Music and with James Austin in Houston, Texas, and has performed with many leading British orchestras. He has toured widely with the Royal Shakespeare Company and also works extensively as a music examiner for Trinity College, London. Formerly he was Head of Instrumental Music at Harrogate Ladies’ College. With the trumpet he has enjoyed a chameleon-like career playing with symphony orchestras, pop bands, brass bands, early music ensembles and big bands.
Li Yadi
Li Yadi was born in 1991 in Shandong, China. He began playing the tuba at the age of 13 when he attended the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School and studied with the former professor of the Central Conservatory of Music, Hu Bingyu. Upon graduation, Yadi received a full scholarship and started studying at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM) of the National University of Singapore under the guidance of the Principal Tubist of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra,
Velvet Brown
Velvet Brown is professor of tuba and euphonium at Penn State. Prior to joining the faculty in 2003, she taught at Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and Ball State University (Indiana), and served as an associate director of University Bands at Boston University.
She enjoys a professional career as an international soloist, chamber ensemble performer, recording artist, conductor, and orchestral player. She has made regular appearances throughout Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Finland, France,
Marc Bolin
Marc has performed with some of the world’s finest artists and organizations, such as B.B. King, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lalo Schifrin, Herman Olivera, Pete Escovedo, Sheila E, Black Eyed Peas, Deltron 3030, Aloe Blacc, and Stevie Wonder. He recently participated in a State Tour of China playing traditional Jazz, performed with the Ambassadors of New Orleans’ Jazz at the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Israel, has performed in two of Philip Glass’ Operas Akhenaton and La Belle et la Bete,
