Member Spotlight: Brent Harvey
Outside of the quintet, where do you work?
I am Professor of Low Brass at both Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and Pfeiffer University (PU). I am also the low brass instructor for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) Community Music School program. I additionally serve as the the Commander and Bandmaster of the 440th Army Band, the Army National Guard band for the state of North Carolina.
What other instruments do you play?
As an instructor of low brass instruments, I find myself performing and teaching trombone, euphonium, and tuba on a weekly basis. I also have an educational working knowledge of horn and trumpet, but my primary instrument is the tuba. I enjoy tickling the piano ivory and plucking at a bass guitar every so often, but those are not public ventures worthy of merit or performance outside of privacy.
Why did you choose to make music your career?
I enrolled in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota as an incoming college freshman. I fully intended to pursue a career as an accountant upon entering my university student tenure. I played tuba through middle and high school, enjoyed it enough to perform in an elective capacity when I began school at the University of Minnesota, and by the end of my freshman year I threw in the towel on the accounting degree and decided to give the music professional a go. It is hard not to do what you are truly passionate about and enjoy, and that is why I am doing what I do today.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Radiohead, Muse, Punch Brothers, Death Cab for Cutie, The Light Pines, Hindemith, Gabrieli, Pomplamoose, and the list goes on...
What is your favorite piece to play with the quintet?
Tuba Tiger Rag...it's the only piece that I get to play as a soloist. We've never played it, though.
What are your hobbies?
Running, racquetball, college basketball and football (Minnesota and UNC), NFL (Vikings), beer, motorcycles, movies, music, candlelight dinners, long walks on the beach.
What equipment do you play?
Meinl Weston 45SLZ F and a Holton 345 Bb with a Meinl Weston 2165 bell.
What advice would you give to an aspiring young tuba player?
Play open. Play often. Play big. Play confident. Play and enjoy playing.
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