Sam & Dave's Brass Extravaganza!The ever-exciting duo of trombone and tuba has found a new voice in Sam & Dave’s Brass Extravaganza. Sam & Dave’s Brass Extravaganza has toured and taught extensively throughout the United States, and concluded their 2016-17 season with performances and masterclasses in Germany. They are excited to be offering a new tour together through the Midwest in October 2021!
Some of the works on their upcoming program include: -Images from the Dark: La Grotte Cosquer – this eerie work for the low instruments explores the fantastical and hidden world of an undersea cave. What hidden mysteries and dark images are waiting within this work by Norman Bolter? -A Monstrous Growl: The Grumpy Troll – an aggressive work for the solo tuba evoking the grumblings and roars of a grumpy, monstrous troll. The composer and tubist Mike Forbes wrote this adventure into a Norwegian troll’s temper tantrum. -Demonic Dancing: The Devil’s Waltz – this exciting waltz features devilishly tricky interactions between the low voices. According to composer Steven Verhelst, it is only at the end of the piece “where both players meet each other again to end a satanic journey!” -Songs from our Youth: Gone Fishin' - this composition was written by our own tubist, David Earll, and is dedicated to his fond memories of fishing trips with his grandparents in rural Iowa. This multi-movement work draws inspiration from many works by Astor Piazzolla, Bela Barok, Nobuo Uematsu, and Charles Mingus. -A New Take on a Classic: Earllkeehn - this adaptation of Schubert's famous Erlkonig showcases both the euphonium and tuba in unique ways. In addition to Sam Keehn's exciting transcription of this classic work, we have collaborated with an animator to provide a new level of eerie realism to a work that almost perfectly includes the last names of our duo players! See us in our upcoming performance/masterclass tour at: The University of Iowa, Drake University, Augustana College, The University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and look for more information on our upcoming season performances! The Ring Leaders:
Dr. Sam Keehn
Sam Keehn is the Low Brass Professor at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Samantha currently performers with the Augustana College Faculty Brass Quintet, is acting principal trombonist with the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra and is looking forward to performing a concerto with the Clinton Symphony Orchestra next season. Samantha holds her D.M.A. in Trombone Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she studied with Dr. William Stanley. A native of Victoria, TX, she also attended Texas Tech University (B.M.) studying with Don Lucas, and Baylor University (M.M.) where she studied with Brent Phillips. She has won numerous awards and grants including the Bronze Medal of the Senior Wind Division of the esteemed Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Samantha has performed and presented at ATW (formerly ETW), ITA, TMEA, the Big XII Trombone Workshop, ITEC, MTC, Tubonium and IWBC. As a researcher, Samantha focuses on creative studies and has a method and etude book published by Mountain Peak Music called Beyond the Notes and Rhythms: A Practical Approach to Teaching Musical Expression. For more information please visit Samantha’s website at www.keehnbrass.com. Dr. David Earll David Earll joined the Ithaca College School of Music in 2018 and presently serves as the Professor of Tuba/Euphonium. David also currently performs with The International Willson Low Brass Quintet, The Northern Lights Duo, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and the Ithaca Brass. David is in demand as a solo artist, chamber musician, and clinician in both the United States and abroad. Beyond his active work in North America, David has also performed in Hong Kong, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Norway, and the Netherlands. David studied with both Sam Pilafian and Deanna Swoboda during his graduate work at Arizona State University. David Earll is a Willson Tuba Artist and performs exclusively on the Willson 3200 F Tuba and the Willson 3050 CC Tuba. |
This is Sam's fantastic transcription of Franz Schubert's Erlkonig, now coined "Earllkeehn!" in this arrangement for The Extravaganza!
The centerpiece of our first season, Dante's Inferno by Stephen Rush, is a tour de force for Trombone, Tuba, and Video. This video is from The Extravaganza's performance at the University of Iowa!
Dr. Sam Keehn, Trombone
Dr. David Earll, Tuba
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