Roger Bobo Announces Last Concert


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Posted by Grapevine on April 26, 2001 at 06:08:18:

Big news! Thought you all would be interested.

----------text from Emily Harris--------------


Tuba Legend Roger Bobo Decides: No More Solos

After an illustrious forty year solo career that has seen him on
prestigious concert halls throughout North America, Europe and Asia,
tuba legend Roger Bobo has programmed what will be his final solo
concert: 26 May 2001 in Riva del Garda, Italy.

Rumours abound in the tuba community as news of Bobo's decision
percolates through conservatories and orchestras: illness? advancing
age? or the looming fear of every concert soloist - that of no longer
performing at the highest level? Bobo is quick to dismiss these
rumours, "I'm healthy, and frankly I'm playing better than ever. The
concert in Italy will definitely end my solo career on a high note."
He adds, "It's true that the aging process is not kind to brass
players; I find that I need to play a good three hours a day just to
stay in shape, and time spent on the horn of course increases when I
have new material to learn. However - look at trumpet soloist Doc
Severinsen - over seventy years old and still playing like a god!
With a well thought out daily practise routine, the muscles involved
in playing are well toned and retain their function."

Rumours dispelled, why then has Bobo decided to shelve his tuba?
Quite simply, he is driven by a new passion that requires all of the
time and energy currently dedicated to his playing: the desire to
conduct. This combined with his increasingly busy schedule of
international master classes has forced Bobo into making a decision.
A typical day at his home in Lausanne, Switzerland where he teaches
advanced tuba studies at the Conservatoire sees Bobo already in his
studio at 6:00 AM. A four hour practise session is followed by a
student at ten for a lesson, two more students in the afternoon
(lessons in Lausanne are two hours), and currently, conducting
rehearsals of Stravinksy's Histoire du Soldat in the evening. Anyone
who has ever attended one of his master classes or taken a lesson
knows how passionate Bobo is about his teaching, and the same is true
of his personal study and conducting. It's quite simply not possible
to give 110% of one's self to music and students 12 hours a day and
still have enough energy left for score study, travel and, hopefully,
a private life. Something had to give way, and as Bobo explains,
"Perhaps if I had three major concerts a week, I'd continue playing,
but unfortunately that's not yet a reality for a tuba soloist.
Playing at a consistently high level requires the same dedication and
study whether it's for one concert a month or five a week. I love
playing, but at this point in my musical career I want dedicate that
time and energy to teaching, conducting and score study, and this
means cutting out performing and the long hours of preparation
involved."

While agreeing that he is ready to move on and looks forward to being
able to accept the increasingly frequent requests for conducting and
master class engagements, Bobo admits to a certain nostalgia. "There
is a measure of sadness involved, just as there was when I left the
orchestra and moved to Europe in 1989 to focus on solo playing and
teaching. However, this is a positive decision, and it's with great
joy that I dedicate my energies to this new direction."

Conductors tend to come in two flavours: those who study conducting
from an early age, and those who take up the baton after a period of
musical maturity as an ensemble player, a soloist or, as in this
case, both. Imagine the wealth of musical experience that Roger Bobo
brings to the podium after having spent years in orchestras under the
direction of maestros such as Zubin Mehta, Carl Maria Giulini, Andrea
Previn (the three permanent conductors of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic during Bobo's tenure 1964 - 1989), Eric Leinsdorf
(Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, 1956-62) and Bernard Haitink
(Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam 1962-64) and innumerable guest
conductors. Bobo has also enjoyed a close collaboration with
conductors and composers including John Williams, Igor Stravinsky,
Pierre Boulez, Leonard Bernstein, Bruce Broughton, Johan de Meij and
Ralph Vaughan Williams. In addition to his legendary solo career that
began with the first ever solo tuba recital in New York's Carnegie
Recital Hall, Bobo has performed in a wide range of instrumental
ensembles ranging from symphony orchestras to the Los Angeles Brass
quintet, Hollywood studio ensembles and large brass groups such as
the Keystone Brass. The same intensity and passion that have always
characterized Roger Bobo's tuba playing will now be directed to
conducting, and the musical community looks forward to seeing - and
hearing - the results.

Of course, Bobo is no stranger to the podium. While playing in the
Los Angeles Philharmonic, he developed and conducted a summer
orchestra of chiefly LAPO musicians, the Topanga Philharmonic. This
in turn led to appearances as a conductor for a series of children's
concerts with the LAPO, and Bobo was also recently the conductor of
the Regina Symphony Orchestra in Canada in a special concert of new
works for solo tuba and euphonium. Equally at home in the band world,
Bobo has conducted symphonic wind bands in Italy, Israel, Japan and
North America. Whenever possible, he enjoys combining conducting with
teaching and adores his monthly engagement with the Italian National
Youth Orchestra in Florence, where he conducts the orchestra brass
section in preparation for concerts with such noteable conductors as
Giulini,, Muti, and Sinopoli. Bobo has also been employed by
professional orchestras in the Netherlands and Scandinavia to prepare
their brass sections for upcoming concerts. While it doesn't always
entail conducting, coaching chamber music is also an activity that he
enjoys.

Bobo's passion for teaching is relatively recent, dating from his
move to Europe in 1989 when he left the Los Angeles Philharmonic and
the hectic orchestra schedule, suddenly finding himself with time to
teach and numerous young musicians eager to study with a north
American master. "The first year in Italy was difficult," recounts
Bobo. "I was struggling with a new language and culture, and the
first students I encountered were at quite a low level. However, that
quickly changed - not only did I decide to stay in Europe, but the
level of Italian tuba and brass playing in general skyrocketed. I'd
like to think that I played a role in that. Europe has some
incredible young tubists now, and I'm happy to be a part of this
development."

Bobo also entered the master class circuit and found the time ripe
for a European brass renaissance, also drawing a following from
advanced North American and Asian students looking to expand their
cultural and playing horizons. Bobo jokes, "my master classes tend to
draw very talented students and young professionals. I really don't
even have to teach - I can just put them in a room together and they
all get better!" An international master class activity combined with
successive teaching appointments in Italy, Switzerland and the
Netherlands has built up a very strong following of international
Bobo students that reads as a "who's who" list of successful
international competition and audition winners, As well as being a
"finishing school" for advanced players who are preparing to enter
the professional world as either ensemble musicians or soloists, Bobo
has had great success with mature musicians of all brass instruments
looking to revitalize their playing or overcome some of the hazards
and stresses encountered in their professional careers. Roger Bobo
currently teaches at the Lausanne Conservatory in Switzerland and the
Fiesole Music School near Florence, Italy, and has just accepted an
appointment at the Royal Northern Academy of Music in Manchester,
England.

What is in store for the final concert? The evening off May 26 2001
will find Roger Bobo and friends in the magical acoustics of the
historic lakeshore Rocca fortress of Riva del Garda, a stage that has
hosted some of the world's finest tuba and euphonium players at the
Verso il Millennio international tuba conference hosted by Bobo in
1997. Bobo will be accompanied by conductor Mario Lutterotti and the
Riva del Garda Symphonic Wind Band, an ensemble with whom he has a
long standing friendship. The first half of the program sees Roger
Bobo in the role of soloist, performing a new band arrangement by
Johan de Meij of the Concerto for tuba and orchestra by Alexander
Arutiunian (commissioned for Bobo by Yamaha and Editions Bim in
1992). Bobo will then be joined by his protégé, Hungarian tuba
virtuoso Roland Szentpáli, in a musical romp for two tubas and band
in Szentpáli's arrangement of the Bobo signature tune, Romanian Dance
No. 2 by Dumitru Ionel. It is quite appropriate that in the second
half of the concert Roger Bobo will take the podium to conduct Johan
de Meij's Aquarium and other works to be announced.

Bobo explains, "it's going to be fun, a real celebration! I've chosen
Riva del Garda for this concert as it's one of the most beautiful
places in the world, and I have a lot of friends there." More friends
are expected to travel to Italy to celebrate with Roger Bobo at this
historic concert, and students, friends and colleagues of Roger
worldwide wish him well in his new direction..

- Emily Harris 26/04/2001

The concert is sponsored by Yamaha Musica Italia in cooperation with
the Corpo Bandistico Riva del Garda and Academia Musicale Altogarda.
The concert (admission free, rain date 27/05) is held in coordination
with a masterclass with Roger Bobo, 25-27 May in Riva del Garda. For
information about the concert and/or course, please contact Harly
Arts Promotion, tel/fax +39 0464 555444, email:emily(AT)harlyarts.com,
http://www.harlyarts.com


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