UM Tuba and Euphonium Consort presents Big Bop Nouveau Tuba!

SEELEY LAKE - "If you come to the concert without expectations, you'll rapidly learn what's possible with a euphonium," states U of M Tuba and Euphonium Consort's conductor Benedict Kirby. "You'll hear soaring melodies and blazing technique. We're calling the concert Big Bop Nouveau Tuba! - because the concert will move through some funky styles. It will move through some jazz waltz. It will move through what we would call, perhaps, classical sounds. It's a tour de force."

The concert will be held Sunday, Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. at Seeley-Swan High School. Tickets are available at the door. The ensemble will then perform in all four local schools on Monday and Tuesday and hold workshops with the band students in all the schools as part of their 2 Valleys Stage residency.

This musical ensemble was formed in the spring of 2012 as an addition to the UM School of Music's growing student population. Conductor Benedict Kirby continued, "When people think of a tuba – they think of those instruments that are flung over their shoulders with a big bell above their heads, like a New Orleans marching band. That's not actually a tuba, but a sousaphone. The tuba has the bell that goes straight up – and the sousaphone has the bell that goes straight towards you – used for playing outdoors. The euphonium is the tenor tuba. It looks just like a tuba but is half the size. But we also have the base tuba and the contra base tuba in the consort."

This large chamber ensemble is comprised of undergraduate music majors in education and performance as well as students pursuing other majors on campus. They bring their amazing energies & passion for tuba and euphonium music together to rehearse and prepare both on-campus and off-campus concert events - providing a unique and exciting component to the lively arts scene in Missoula. Nationally, the ensemble has presented collegiate performances at both the 2016 International Tuba & Euphonium Conference (ITEC) in Knoxville, Tennessee and the 2019 ITEC in Iowa City, Iowa. The ensemble includes Jethro Thorne, who will perform an award-winning piece accompanied by piano at the 2 Valleys Stage Concert.