What to do during this pandemic to keep our skills sharp for the next audition? With no audition in sight for the near future, this was the question that arose from my Boston teaching studios. Initially, we considered a mock audition competition within the Boston studios, then we thought to include other schools and eventually ended up with the International Mock Audition Competition for Tuba.
As a result of weekly Zoom meetings with tuba players from all over the world that started at the beginning of the pandemic, I have felt closer and more connected to tuba players from around the world who were all going through the same hard times. It was this sense of community tied into our thirst for a mock audition that brought this idea of a worldwide mock audition to life.
We were fortunate to find a superstar team with similar mindsets with the right combination of skills to bring this concept to reality.
Thank you for your participation, we look forward to hearing you play your audition.
Mike W. Roylance is the principal tuba of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, joining the BSO in 2003. Previously, Mr. Roylance performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Prior to joining the BSO, he was a member of Walt Disney World¹s "Future Corps" in Orlando, Florida. Being well-versed in many styles of music, Mr. Roylance also enjoyed a diverse and celebrated freelance career including performances and masterclasses throughout Europe, China and Japan.
Mr. Roylance has been a featured soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the U.S. Coast Guard Band and has ushered in many new works including Gunther Schuller's Tuba Concerto No. 2, of which gave the critically acclaimed premiere. He also premiered Teutonic Tales, a new work for tuba written for him by Robert W. Smith, recording it for CD along with three tangos by Astor Piazzolla.
On faculties at Boston University and the New England Conservatory of Music as well as the Tanglewood Music Center, Mr. Roylance is an active teacher, coach and chamber musician. He has presented masterclasses and recitals at numerous locations around the United States and is often called upon as an audition coach. Additionally, he founded and directs the tuba/euphonium workshop at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
Mr. Roylance is on the advisory board of Kids 4 Harmony, an El Sistema-inspired program based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which transforms the lives of children by providing them with the opportunity to learn and play orchestral music at no cost to them.
He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and his Master of Music degree at DePaul University in Chicago. An avid pilot with an instrument rating and an active cyclist, Mike Roylance lives in Boston with his wife Amanda and their three daughters.
Eric Goode is an active freelance tuba player and music educator based in Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Goode has performed in elite musical ensembles throughout the Boston area and beyond, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Sarma Brass Band, and many more large and chamber ensembles.
Mr. Goode is an active collaborator in featuring local and upcoming composers. Some recent commissions and premiers include Quantum Computing is the Elephant in the Bitcoin Vault by Danny Fratina, and The Natural Lands, a suite for tuba quartet by Shawn W. Davern, which won the Winston Morris Award for Excellence in Tuba and Euphonium Composition at the 2019 International Tuba and Euphonium Conference in Iowa City, Iowa.
In addition to his performing experience, Mr. Goode is an active educator. He is currently the Adjunct Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Salem State University. Mr. Goode is also the Instructor of Winds and Percussion at Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts. Mr. Goode is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at Boston University, where he is a student of Mike Roylance, principal tuba of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Ben Vasko joins the faculty at Valdosta State University as Lecturer of Tuba and Euphonium and Principal Tubist of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra in Valdosta, GA. During the summer, Ben is a brass instructor with the 19-time DCI World Champion Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. He has had success as a semi-finalist and finalist at various national and international competitions.
Ben holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Texas and a Master of Music degree from the University of Georgia, both in Tuba Performance. His primary teachers have been Sam Pilafian, Charles Villarrubia, and David Zerkel. Ben is currently finishing his doctoral studies at Boston University under BSO tubist Mike Roylance.
Ben has performed professionally with groups throughout the US and Mexico. His jazz and commercial playing are also regularly in demand. Ben’s playing/arranging can be heard in commercials for companies like Ford and State Farm. Additionally, he has been a finalist for tuba positions in multiple premier military bands, the Walt Disney World Main Street Philharmonic, and the Boston Brass
Justin Worley is Lecturer of Tuba and Euphonium and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Justin has also taught general education courses at UNCG in electronic music composition and music technology. He has performed with orchestras and bands throughout the southeast and is currently a member of the North Carolina Brass Band.
Justin was a semi-finalist for the 2013 Leonard Falcone International Tuba-Euphonium Competition and was invited to perform in the live round of the 2013 Lieksa Brass Week Competition in Lieksa, Finland.
Justin has earned a B.M. from Columbus (GA) State University, a M.M. from Boston University and a D.M.A. from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
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