SOTTO VOCE QUARTET
The highly acclaimed, internationally recognized Sotto Voce Quartet is America’s premiere professional quartet of its kind and has become one of the world’s leading low brass ensembles. The quartet enthusiastically challenges preconceived notions about what tubas can do by composing, arranging, and commissioning virtuosic new works that highlight the diversity of their ensemble and its unique membership. Sotto Voce has three recordings on the Summit Records label: “Consequences,” “Viva Voce: The Quartets of John Stevens,” and “Refractions: Old & New Music for Low Brass.” Having attained an international reputation for serious chamber music, their performances have been showcased on Performance Today and their recordings are often played on NPR stations throughout the U.S. The ensemble maintains an active international touring schedule throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. In the past year, they performed concerts in Canada, California, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas and have held prominent performing/judging roles in the past five International Tuba Euphonium Conferences. They have also been invited to give concerts and clinics at various state music educator conferences including the prestigious “Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.” As Miraphone Performing Artists, Sotto Voce serves as the ensemble-in-residence at the annual Miraphone Academy in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The artists who make up the quartet have widely diverse careers in music and are regularly in demand as performers, composers, and clinicians. Demondrae Thurman is the Assistant Professor of Tuba/Euphonium at the University of Alabama and maintains a very active solo euphonium career. His solo CD “Soliloquies” is available on Summit Records. Demondrae also appears regularly with the Atlanta Symphony and Brass Band of Battle Creek. Mark Carlson teaches music technology at Richland College in Dallas, TX and has recently completed his doctoral degree in euphonium performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to his time in Madison, he spent a year in Oulu, Finland working with renowned euphoniumist, Jukka Myllys. Nat McIntosh is the tubist with the Dallas Brass and is probably best known as the founder and sousaphonist with the YoungBlood Brass Band. He also formerly taught tuba and euphonium at the University of Nevada—Las Vegas. Mike Forbes is perhaps best known for his many compositions and arrangements and is a composer for Carl Fischer where he specializes in works for band. He teaches low brass, music theory and composition at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and was a member of the U.S. Army Band, “Pershing’s Own.” Today, he maintains an active freelance career as a conductor and soloist and his solo CD “Forbes Plays Koetsier” is available from Summit Records.
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