Project Jumpstart’s theme for the month of February is “Believe It, Achieve It!” IU euphonium professor Demondrae Thurman is a perfect example of this, as someone who has made it to the top from humble beginnings and who inspires people every day with his passion for music and advocacy for low brass repertoire and education. Read on for more about this sought-after euphonium soloist’s advice for the younger generation, his teaching philosophy, and how he avoids burnout by keeping love and excellence as his focal point.
IU euphonium professor Demondrae Thurman has an outstanding international reputation as a euphonium soloist, having performed in Europe, Asia, and throughout North America. Many of America’s premier colleges and universities have hosted him as a performer and teacher, and he continues to be in high demand. Over the past 10 years, he has been an invited guest artist/clinician at many of the world’s prestigious euphonium festivals, including the International Tuba Euphonium Conference, U.S. Army Band Tuba and Euphonium Conference, and Leonard Falcone Competition. Thurman is also an active chamber musician. He plays first euphonium and trombone in the Sotto Voce Quartet, which tours extensively. He also plays first baritone horn in the Brass Band of Battle Creek, a British brass band comprised of many of the world’s best brass and percussion performers. In addition to his chamber music work, he is in demand as a euphonium specialist for symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra.
THE INTERVIEW
PJ: You’re famous at the Jacobs School for being the euphonium professor that makes all his students learn trombone! What was your motivation behind this decision?
DT: Hahaha! While I don’t make them learn trombone, I advocate it strongly especially to the performance majors. Because the job market is limited for professional euphonium players, it’s a must that they have multiple skills that are close if not exactly at the level of the euphonium playing. Those multiple skills will afford more opportunities especially for freelance performances and college teaching opportunities. My position at IU represents only the second tenure-track euphonium professor position at a college or university in the U.S. where the professional doesn’t teach a second applied instrument (the first was at the University of North Texas).
PJ: If there’s one thing you could tell your younger self, what would it be?
DT: I would tell my younger self to believe more in my preparation, worry less about what others think, and ask for the things I felt like I earned or garnered rather than waiting for them to be given.
PJ: What are some challenges you’ve faced during your career, and how did you overcome them?
DT: I haven’t faced any professional challenges of note. One thing that may have been good [was] because I was born Black and poor, I didn’t have any expectations; therefore, all that have acquired I’ve been able to simply be grateful for. One thing I had to remind myself of in my younger days was not to impose my processes, love of music, nor overall optimism on others. Rather than impose, I had to learn to simply be myself and if others wanted to know what made me tick, I’d offer those words.
PJ: The classical music world has been criticized for its lack of diversity. How has your experience been with this, and what do you think we can do to improve and be more inclusive?
DT: It’s weird to think about this subject. I can’t speak for my race but I do know that excellence is THE most important criteria for success in classical music. In my experience, classical musicians pass judgement quickly and often times, that initial impression doesn’t change. Being a nice person also goes a long way in our field. To address the question head on, I believe diversity will come when top music schools make more provisions for minorities that don’t grow up with the resources to compete with young musicians that have those resources. Classical music needs to open its arms to a music that is more groove-based which is the music minorities tend to listen to as kids. It would take major conductors, orchestras, concert series, and the like to make this happen. Maybe if classical music boards and and other like think tanks were more diverse, we would see more palpable change.
PJ: What’s your teaching philosophy?
DT: My teaching philosophy is simple; take a learning-centered approach when working one-on-one with euphonium students. Each student brings a certain skill set, prior knowledge, and negative baggage to me and my job is to unscramble those things and empower each student to work diligently to achieve goals, believe the process that we formulate together for success, and block out the noise of judgement from those who have no jurisdiction over them. When working with large groups of people, I try to teach with joy, knowledge through preparation, and patience.
PJ: You play first euphonium and trombone in the Sotto Voce Quartet, one of the world’s leading low brass ensembles. How did your quartet come together, and what have been some of your favorite experiences working with this group?
DT: We started as a student ensemble in 1996 at the University of Wisconsin under the tutelage of John Stevens, the tuba and euphonium professor at that time. We played together for those two years and garnered some success in competitions like the Concert Artists Guild in New York and the Fischoff Chamber Competition in South Bend. One of the competitions we won gave us an opportunity to perform at the 1999 US Army Band Tuba Euphonium Workshop which was and still is, a destination performance opportunity for low brass performers. We played on the opening night concert and the concert was so well received that we decided that evening to make a go of trying to concertize as a quartet. We have one more concert in our 2019-2020 season. Every tour with Sotto Voce is amazing. We love each other as humans and we enjoy making music together. One of the more memorable experiences was our first trip to Germany. We played what we thought was a great (and long) concert including an intermission long enough for a meal and drinks. We were not prepared for the amount of encores we’d need to further satisfy this crowd. It was awesome to know that there was a place in the world that assigned value to a low group in the way that we’d only witnessed for the accepted classical ensembles. We were better prepared for the second trip.
PJ: As part of its mission, Sotto Voce “enthusiastically challenges preconceived notions about what tubas can do.” Can you talk a little bit about what it’s meant to you to be an advocate for your instrument, and for low brass in general?
DT: I’ve referenced this in a previous question but we felt like we felt as though we were fighting an uphill battle when it came to being taken seriously as a chamber music ensemble. The feedback we received from some of the competitions we tried talked about the lack of quality repertoire. We decided to work hard to improve the quality of music we would play and perform in such a way that we’d cover a wide range of styles while commiting to performing at the highest artistic level. Some of our favorite feedback is “I didn’t know those instruments could do that” or “I was so moved by your performance. I almost forgot that I was listening to a brass group.” While those comments could be taken as a negative, we know that it’s a risk for most concert presenters to hire a tuba/euphonium quartet so we simply say, “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make music for you and your audience.”
PJ: Despite a busy teaching and performing schedule, you still seem to radiate happiness and a genuine love and passion for your work. What’s your secret to maintaining positivity and avoiding burnout?
DT: The secret is that I actually love music and love teaching. I’m not sure how people can do their job without love and excellence as the focal point. I simply make sure that I don’t allow people to talk me into burnout. Don’t get me wrong, I do get tired and I try hard to listen to my body when that happens. My ego won’t let me quit or give less than my best. I don’t require as much “free time” as others. I’m grateful for that.
Links:
Leave a Reply