Last modified: Monday, October 17, 2011
Guest Timothy Northcut highlight of Octubafest 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 17, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Following the recent "Celebration of Friends" concert in memory of tuba evangelist, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus Harvey Phillips, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Brass Department will present Octubafest 2011, a series of performances on the tuba and the euphonium performed by students, faculty and guests.
Highlighting the series is a concert by guest tubist Timothy Northcut and pianist Naoko Tanaka, Tuesday (Oct. 18) at 8 p.m. in Auer Hall. Northcut, an assistant professor of tuba and euphonium at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, serves as music director of the CCM Brass Ensemble and coordinator of the brass chamber music program. His performance career includes serving as a member of The United States Army Field Band.
"The series is a wonderful opportunity to explore the wide repertoire of the tuba and euphonium, much of it commissioned and developed by our mentor and friend, Harvey Phillips," said Dan Perantoni, artistic director of the series and professor of music in the Jacobs School. "We will always keep him in mind as we continue to develop Octubafest."
The following Octubafest 2011 events are free and open to the public:
- Monday, Octuba 17: Ford-Crawford Hall, 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, Octuba 18: Presenting Timothy Northcut, Auer Hall, 8 p.m.
- Wednesday, Octuba 19: Ford-Crawford Hall, 7 p.m.
- Thursday, Octuba 20: Ford-Crawford Hall, 7 p.m.
- Friday, Octuba 21: Ford-Crawford Hall, 7 p.m.
About Harvey Phillips
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Harvey Phillips performed as tuba soloist throughout the world. He began his music career as a teenager with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band. From 1950-71 he maintained an enviable freelance career in New York City, performing, recording and broadcasting with famous artists, conductors, bands and orchestras. In 1954, he was a founding member of the New York Brass Quintet. He served as personnel manager for Symphony of the Air, Leopold Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky and Gunther Schuller. He was New England Conservatory vice president for financial affairs (1967-71). In 1971, he was appointed to the Indiana University faculty, a position he held until his retirement in 1994. For 10 years (1986-96), he served as executive editor of The Instrumentalist magazine.
Phillips was founder and president of the Harvey Phillips Foundation Inc., which administered Octubafest, Tubachristmas, Tubasantas, Tubacompany and Tubajazz.
Harvey Phillips was highly regarded in the musician and tuba communities because his efforts brought the tuba to a much wider audience. He played many different forms of music in his career, showing many new possibilities for the tuba and encouraging many younger players to become soloists and to take the instrument in new directions.
In 2007, Phillips was inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame, the only wind instrument player to receive the prestigious honor. In September 2008, he received the Indiana University President's Medal for Excellence, one of the highest honors an IU president can bestow.
