Deanna Swoboda : Identity

Identity: A Recording of New Works for tuba with piano, horn, euphonium, electronic accompaniment, and tuba/euphonium quartet

www.deannaswoboda.com

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Identity

Deanna Swoboda - Brass - Tuba

John Ericson - Horn

Gail Novak - Piano

Ben Ordaz - Tuba

Gail Robertson - Euphonium

Matt Tropman - Euphonium

Playlist
Artists
Details
Notes

Luna	01.	Aliyah Danielle: Luna 6:56 With: John Ericson - Horn

Aquae Sulis	02.	Dorothy Gates: Aquae Sulis 3:12 With: Ben Ordaz - Tuba, Gail Robertson - Euphonium, Matt Tropman - Euphonium

Amit Weiner: When Time Passes By . . .
When Suddenly I Am Old	03.	I. When Suddenly I Am Old 5:08 With: Gail Novak - Piano
I'll Be Dancing in My Slippers in the Rain!	04.	II. I'll Be Dancing in My Slippers in the Rain! 3:31

The R. S. V. B. Hymn and Verve	05.	Gail Robertson: The R. S. V. B. Hymn and Verve 5:09 With: Ben Ordaz - Tuba, Gail Robertson - Euphonium, Matt Tropman - Euphonium

Jose Flores: Identity
Where is Home?	06.	I. Where is Home? 2:20 With: Ben Ordaz - Tuba, Gail Robertson - Euphonium, Matt Tropman - Euphonium
Not Here Nor There	07.	II. Not Here Nor There 2:42 With: Ben Ordaz - Tuba, Gail Robertson - Euphonium, Matt Tropman - Euphonium
The Ideal	08.	III. The Ideal 2:47 With: Ben Ordaz - Tuba, Gail Robertson - Euphonium, Matt Tropman - Euphonium

Funkomatic Slam	09.	Gail Robertson: Funkomatic Slam 4:56 With: Gail Robertson - Euphonium

Total Playing Time: 36:41

Deanna Swoboda

DEANNA SWOBODA is Associate Professor of Music at Arizona State University, where she teaches tuba and euphonium, Entrepreneurship and Music courses, coaches chamber music, and designs creative music performances.

Prior to joining the ASU music faculty, Swoboda was Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Western Michigan University where she was a full time member of the Western Brass Quintet. Prior to WMU, Ms. Swoboda was tubist of the Dallas Brass, a 6-piece ensemble that travels the United States and Europe presenting hundreds of concerts each year and working extensively in the public schools and at colleges and universities. Swoboda is also the creator and performer of a motivational recruiting video and music workshop called “Band Blast Off.”

Swoboda has taught at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, at the University of Northern Iowa, University of Denver, University of Idaho. As an international performer and clinician she has been a guest at the National Conservatory of Madrid (Spain), Deutschen Tubaforum–Hammelberg (Germany), The Higher School for the Arts in Porto, Portugal, and the St Petersburg Conservatory in St Petersburg, Russia. As a clinician and performer, Swoboda has appeared at the national and northwest regional conventions of Music Educators National Conference (MENC) on numerous occasions, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, International Women’s Brass Conference, The Army Band Tuba Euphonium Conference, International Tuba-Euphonium Conferences, and for state music educator associations. Deanna Swoboda is a Past President for I.T.E.A., the International Tuba Euphonium Association.

Her mentors are Roberts Spevacek, Rex Martin and Sam Pilafian.

Her solo CD, “Deanna’s Wonderland,” was released on Summit Records in 1999. Her solo CD is entitled “Shamanic Journey” and features the music of women composers. “Table for Three” is a CD featuring music for low brass trio, recorded with ASU brass colleagues John Ericson and Douglas Yeo. It is available at Summit Records. “Fanfare and Flourish” is a tuba euphonium quartet recording featuring the music of women composers. It is published by Potenza Music and available at CD Baby.

John Ericson - Horn

John Ericson, Professor of Music at Arizona State University, is one of the most visible horn players today with wide-ranging experience as an orchestral player, soloist, and teacher. Ericson began his professional career as Third Horn in the Nashville Symphony, where he served for six seasons. From there, he turned to teaching, first at the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam) and next at Arizona State University, where he has taught since 2001.

Gail Novak - Piano

A native of Marshalltown, Iowa, Gail Novak now lives and performs in the Phoenix area. Gail is in demand as a collaborator across the US and abroad. She performs frequently with students, professors, and guest artists at Arizona State University. Gail can regularly be found performing at the National Trumpet Competition, ClarinetFests, International Double Reed Convention, National Flute Association Convention, ITG, and ITEC, among others. She is featured on recordings with David Hickman, Deanna Swoboda, Matt Tropman, Tom McCaslin, Robert Spring, Brad Edwards, and many others. She teaches at Mesa Community College in Mesa,
Arizona and has a studio of young pianists.

Ben Ordaz - Tuba

Benjamin Ordaz is an active music teacher, tuba performer, and scholar. He is currently Assistant Teaching Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Northern Arizona University (NAU), where he performs with the Elden Brass Quintet. He is also Vice President and a principal member of the Salt River Brass Band, in Mesa, AZ, where he plays with the full brass band and its professional quintet, the Salt River 5. He has performed with the Iceland Symphony, Utah Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Flagstaff Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, and the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra. Prior to his appointment to NAU, he was the band director at Cheyenne and Cotton Boll Elementary in Peoria (AZ) Unified School District, and a founding member of El Sistema Utah, an after-school orchestral education at American Preparatory Academy in West Valley City, Utah.

Gail Robertson - Euphonium

Dr. Gail Robertson has a distinguished reputation as a euphonium artist, teacher, and clinician. She has garnered worldwide attention for her leadership, her work as a composer/arranger, and a musical talent. Since 2014, Robertson has served as Associate Professor of Tuba-Euphonium at the University of Central Arkansas. Robertson is the Past President of ITEA and the IWBC. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Falcone Festival and the Athena Brass Band. She is a member of the Brass Band of Battle Creek and the Blossom Festival Band. Robertson earned degrees from the University of Central Florida, Indiana University, and Michigan State University. Gail performed for ten years with the Tubafours at Walt Disney World. Robertson performs with Dr. Stacy Baker in their duo, SymbiosisDuo. Robertson’s published works are available through Cimarron Press and Euphonium.com. As a Willson Euphonium Artist, Robertson’s euphonium of choice is a Willson 2950TA and bronze Warburton/Robertson mouthpiece.

Matt Tropman - Euphonium

Dr. Matthew Tropman currently serves as Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Arizona and is an active freelancer, soloist, and chamber musician. His performances have been praised in numerous publications such as the New York Times, which stated “Tropman makes a serious case for the euphonium as a solo instrument.” An active clinician and recitalist on both the euphonium and tuba, Matt has performed and taught throughout the U.S. and Europe, and Asia. Matt’s three commercially released two CD’s; Continuum and From the Balcony (Summit Records) and most recently Study (Mark Records, 2020), have been featured on programs such as NPR’s “All Things Considered”. He has performed with numerous bands, orchestras, and chamber groups including the San Francisco Symphony and the Detroit Symphony. In his early career as a member of the U.S. Marine Band (President’s Own), he frequently performed as a soloist throughout the U.S. on the band’s National concert tours.

Luna by Aliyah Danielle

John Ericson - horn, Deanna Swoboda - tuba

"Luna was inspired by a night-time walk along Playa Malva-rossa in Valencia, Spain where I stopped and noticed the waning crescent of the moon. In the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, I had forgotten to look around and notice the beauty of the simple things surrounding me. The piece loosely alludes to different phases of the moon, always coming back to the main theme which represents the “new moon” – the cycle starting over. It is heavily influenced by R&B with hints of flamenco and uses a mixture of live/acoustic instruments and electronically produced sounds. The piece pushes the boundaries of what is typically asked of brass instrumentalists, true to Aliyah’s objective of creating a more diverse repertoire for brass players."

Aliyah Danielle (www.aliyahdanielle.com. ) is a dynamic artist with a unique approach that can be summed up in one word: unconventional. The winding roads of Aliyah’s diverse interests and experiences converge to form the heart of her creations, which seek to tell stories through sound and blend genres to create new, interesting sonic textures. A collaborator at heart, Aliyah’s mission is to use her art to pose questions and start conversations surrounding issues embedded in our world’s cultural and social systems, allowing us to better understand others and their belief systems.

Aliyah enjoys a multifaceted career including performing, composing, arranging, orchestration, producing, and teaching. Primarily performing as a singer and French horn player, she frequently experiments with genre fusion and performs music influenced by funk, neo-soul, gospel, jazz, classical, and other contemporary styles. She regularly performs original music as a part of her own projects and initiatives and supports various artists all around the world. She received her Master of Music in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) from Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain, and also holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

Dedicated to equity and inclusion within the field of music, Aliyah is a founding member and the Director of Programming for the Chromatic Brass Collective, an organization founded by Black women that celebrates, performs, mentors, and educates in an effort to increase the visibility of racially and ethnically underrepresented women and gender non-conforming people throughout the brass world. She is also a member of the International Society for Black Musicians, Maestra Music Organization, Musicians United for Social Equity, and the International Women’s Brass Conference.

Aquae Sulis by Dorothy Gates

Gail Robertson and Matt Tropman - euphonium, Ben Ordaz and Deanna Swoboda - tuba

"The theme for Aquae Sulis was written in Bath, England, while I was on vacation. The city of Bath was very inspiring, including the ancient Roman baths. The piece was commissioned by Gail Robertson and the 2021 University Central Arkansas Tuba/Euphonium Studio."

Dorothy Gates was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Like her fellow countryman, George Bernard Shaw, she believes in the power of art to see your soul and transform the world. Dorothy received her Bachelor of Music degree in Composition and Trombone Performance from Queens University Belfast, her Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from the University of Michigan, and her Ph.D. in Composition from the University of Salford. Her principal composition teachers were Kevin Volans, George Wilson, Joseph Turrin, and Peter Graham.

Dorothy has produced works in many genres. Brandywine Brass commissioned and premiered the brass quintet A Sea Suite in Delaware in February 2020; the New York Philharmonic Brass & Percussion premiered the Brass Ensemble version of The Holly & the Ivy with trombone soloist Wycliffe Gordon in December 2019; the US Army Band “Pershings Own,” recently premiered the Concert Band version of Servant of Peace – Concerto for Trombone, with Soloist Dr. Natalie Mannix (Professor University North Texas) at the American Trombone Workshop in Arlington, Virginia in March 2018.

Other recent commissions include, Between Friends a suite for Brass Trio (Commissioned by Lantana Trio); Servant of Peace – Concerto for Trombone & Chamber Orchestra, for trombone soloist Thomas Hultén and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (commissioned by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra & the Wortham Foundation); Another World – Concerto for Brass Quintet & Concert Band, (commissioned by the Royal Air Force); State of Mind – Suite for Symphonic Brass Choir for Monarch Brass, (commissioned by the International Women’s Brass Conference); Imaginings – Solo for French Horn & Piano, (commissioned by Michelle Baker of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York). Recent CD releases include Proclamation – The Glory of Jehovah (New York Staff Band); Pulse – The Living God (International Staff Band); Fairey Tales Volume 2 – Shenandoah (The Fairey Band); and Breaking Ground – A Celebration of Women Composers – Shaken Not Stirred (Natalie Mannix & Stephanie Bruning).

As Time Passes By… by Amit Weiner

• When Suddenly I am Old...
• I'll be Dancing in My Slippers in the Rain!

After the poem "When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple" by Jenny Joseph.

Deanna Swoboda - tuba and tambourine, Gail Novak - piano

Israeli composer Amit Weiner has an international career as a composer, a concert pianist, and a presenter. As a composer, he is active in both the genre of concert music and in music for films and TV. His oeuvre includes over 100 chamber, vocal, and orchestral works. He is the winner of the Israel Prime Minister Award for Composers 2022, The most prestigious prize for composers in Israel. He is working with some of the biggest companies in the film industry such as Universal Production Music, Warner/Chappell Music Group Production, Sony, and BMG. His music was played in many places around the world and recorded in such studios as Abbey Road Studios (UK) and has been performed at Carnegie Hall among others. His music has been performed in concert tours in Asia and America, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in Singapore, Israel Conference Center, and in Hong Kong, Macau, Germany, and more. In addition to his position as professor of composition and Head of The Cross-Disciplinary Composition Department, at the at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Dr. Weiner serves frequently as a guest composer in universities and conferences around the world, Amit is working closely with organizations in the USA such as The Back Story Group, in educational and artistic collaborations, and with Arts by The People in projects such as Intonation and Bridging Gaps. Personal Website: http://www.aweinermusic.com/

The R.S.V.B. Hymn and Verve by Gail Robertson

Gail Robertson and Matt Tropman - euphonium, Ben Ordaz and Deanna Swoboda - tuba

Funkomatic Slam by Gail Robertson

Gail Robertson - euphonium, Deanna Swoboda - tuba

"The R.S.V.B. Hymn was composed in September 2015 when Gail Robertson, Deanna Swoboda, Lauren Veronie, and Stacy Baker were recording their first album. I was so inspired by the musicianship of this group that I composed the R.S.V.B. Hymn. The Hymn features the 1st tuba and the 2nd euphonium parts in a lyrical “song of friendship.” RSVB did not include the new chart on our already full CD. On May 6, 2015, I added a movement to this work that brought us the Verve! The Verve is a Latin-style Funk work. It begins with the rhythmic foundation from the 2nd tuba that has layered entrances from the other parts. Optional vocal parts serve as the backgrounds for the 2nd euphonium and 2nd tuba’s solo feature. Since I am a James Bond geek, there is a tiny 4 note motif in the 1st euphonium that you may catch! Like many of my other works, I like to end when you are not likely to predict!"

"Commissioned by Dr. Deanna Swoboda, Funkomatic Slam was premiered at the 5th Annual University of Central Arkansas Spring Fling on April 5, 2022, by Dr. Swoboda (tuba) and Dr. Gail Robertson (euphonium). Having worked with Deanna in the past, I knew exactly what we would play when she visited my campus...something funky and something fun! To me, Deanna is the "Queen of Fun" and playing with her is always a pleasure. Included in this duo for tuba and euphonium is a play-along/backing track with sounds such as agogo bells, claves, guiro, wood blocks, cajón, cittern, Tibetan singing bowls, beatbox, and electric bass. Since tuba and euphonium players seldom get to play "funk" music, I always enjoy writing charts to bring this genre to their programs. I take extra care to put precise style markings to help with the ’tude needed to play this style correctly. The duo plays in parallel on several themes with the tuba as the lead voice while the euphonium harmonizes gently above. There are sections with "simulated improvisation" where solos are written out as well as sections with just chord changes to allow the soloists the freedom to play as they wish. Since Deanna and I are both Past Presidents of the International Tuba Euphonium Association, I gave us a middle section that strays from the funk feel and takes on more of a “fanfare” theme to symbolize dedication and leadership. To add one last bit of humor, the work ends at a moment where you likely will not expect."

Dr. Gail Robertson has a distinguished reputation as a euphonium artist, teacher, and clinician. She has garnered worldwide attention for her leadership, her work as a composer/arranger, and her musical talent. Since 2014, Robertson has served as Associate Professor of Tuba-Euphonium at the University of Central Arkansas. Robertson is Past President of ITEA and the IWBC. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Falcone Festival and the Athena Brass Band. She is a member of the Brass Band of Battle Creek and the Blossom Festival Band. Robertson earned degrees from the University of Central Florida, Indiana University, and Michigan State University. Gail performed for ten years with the Tubafours at Walt Disney World. Robertson performs with Dr. Stacy Baker in their duo, SymbiosisDuo. Robertson’s published works are available through Cimarron Press and Euphonium.com. As a Willson Euphonium Artist, Robertson’s euphonium of choice is a Willson 2950TA and bronze Warburton/Robertson mouthpiece.

Identity by Jose Flores

Gail Robertson and Matt Tropman - euphonium, Ben Ordaz and Deanna Swoboda- tuba

Identity for Tuba-Euphonium Quartet (2022) is centered around the Mexican-American experience with the erasure of culture and assimilation into modern American society. There are three movements:

I. Where is Home?

This movement establishes the topic of the piece - a combination of Mexican-American musical forms, tonalities, and themes implying the questioning of one’s cultural origins.

II. Not Here Nor There

Written in pairs, two instruments experiment assimilating to each other's tendencies and end with an acceptance of the combination of both.

III. The Ideal

In a perfect world, diversity is accepted, cherished, and championed rather than ostracized or
tokenized. This movement is a dream of a celebration in that Ideal world.

Supported by the following commissioners: David Holben, Rodger Vaughan Chapter of ITEA, Ramon Garavito, Jr., Deanna Swoboda, James Gourlay, David Saltzman, Matthew Kundler, Nicholas Beltchev, David McLemore, Matt Tropman, Kevin Fenske, Christopher C. Combest, Chance Trottman-Huiet, Xu Yan, Micky Wrobleski, Tommy Vo, Titan Brass Club, Jerome Stover, “Professor Mouthpiece.”

Jose Flores (1997) serves as the Director of Bands at Akins High School in Austin, TX. A native of San Antonio, he is a graduate of G.W Brackenridge High School where he performed with several community ensembles including the San Antonio Youth Wind Ensemble, Heart of Texas Concert Band, and the San Antonio Wind Symphony. While studying Music Education at The University of Texas at Austin, Flores studied composition with Dr. Bruce Pennycook. Flores has been commissioned by professionals from academic institutions such as St. Mary's University, California State Fullerton, Texas A&M Kingsvillle, University of North Georgia, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Temple College, Teupha Camp, and Akins Early College High School. Flores's piece "Un Dia en la Vida" has been professionally recorded by Dr. Chris Dickey from Washington State University for his CD entitled "Panorama" and Dr. Jesse Orth, whose CD entitled "Un Dia" was named Semi-Finalist for the American Prize in Instrumental Performance 2023. Jose served as the President of the Alpha Iota Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at the University of Texas at Austin.