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James Michael Hall

University of Kansas
Department of Music and Dance
460 Murphy Hall
1530 Naismith Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66045
Tel: 785.864.4518
Fax: 785.864.5866
Email: mhall@ku.edu

University of Kansas Brass and Percussion Faculty

MIKE HALL began his appointment as KU Assistant Professor of Trombone fall 2000. In addition to studio teaching duties, Dr. Hall directs the KU Trombone Ensemble and performs in the Kansas Brass Quintet, KU's brass ensemble in residence for over 30 years, and he serves as Literature Reviews Editor for the International Trombone Association Journal. From 1995-2000, Dr. Hall served as Lecturer of Low Brass and director of the Jazz EnsembleProgram at Eastern Michigan University. He has received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in trombone performance from the University of Minnesota, the Master of Music degreealso in trombone performance from the University of Arizona, and the Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His principal teachers include Thomas Ashworth, Tom Ervin, Vern Kagarice, and Brian Martz. For more information visit the University of Kansas Trombone Studio Website.

Steve Leisring

University of Kansas
Department of Music and Dance
460 Murphy Hall
1530 Naismith Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66045
Tel: 785.864.4457
Fax: 785.864.5866
Email: leisring@ku.edu

STEVE LEISRING, Assistant Professor of Trumpet, came to KU in 2003 after performing for 14 seasons with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Canary Islands, Spain. As a member of the orchestra, he recorded more than 30 commercial CD's, and performed in major halls in Europe including London, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Segovia, Zaragoza, Valencia, etc. Festival performances included the Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg festivals in Germany; as well as those in Santander, Granada, San Sebastian, and the Canary Islands. Radio and TV broadcasts of live concerts and recordings by the Tenerife Symphony have been heard throughout the world on networks such as NPR, BBC, NDR(Germany), ABC(Australia), and RNE(Spain).

As a professional trumpeter, Prof. Leisring has performed with more than 100 world-class soloists and conductors, including vocalists Placido Domingo, Joan Sutherland, Barbara Hendricks, Frederica Von Stade, Arlene Auger; Alfredo Kraus and Brigitte Fassbaender; violinists Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Gil Shaham, Shlomo Mintz, Silvia Marcovici, Frank Peter Zimmerman; pianists Murray Perahia, Phillippe Entremont, Bela Davidovich, Alicia de Larrocha, Ivo Pogorelich, Krystian Zimerman, Emanuel Ax, Leon Fleischer; and conductors Neemi Yarvi, Raymond Leppard, Jesus Lopez Cobos, Yoel Levi, Gerard Schwarz, Osmo Vanska, Clas Peter Flor, and Maxim Shostakovich to name a few.

Outside of the classical music realm, Professor Leisring has performed with the likes of Jazz Legend Phil Woods, and vocalists Michael Feinstein and Englebert Humperdinct. While in Spain, he was an active studio/session musician and he served as musical director/soloist of the "Swing Big Band of the Canary Islands," an 18-piece big-band.

Steve Leisring has been a featured Soloist and Principal Trumpet on two World-Premiere Recordings by Spanish composer, Enrique Guimera. Other orchestral performances include performances with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (Sweden); Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Gran Canaria Philharmonic, Galicia Symphony Orchestra, and has been a member of the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra Durango/Pagaso Springs, CO. each summer since 2001.
Former students of Prof. Leisring have gone on to perform with the New York Philharmonic as well as several professional orchestras in Spain; and have been selected for positions in the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, European Youth Orchestra, World Youth Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival, Spanish National Youth Orchestra and the Tanglewood Young Artists Orchestra. He has given master classes at the Beijing Central Conservatory, Sichuan Conservatory, and Kunming Arts Academy in China; the Puerto Rico Conservatory in San Juan; as well as the Hartt College of Music and the Universities of Illinois, Oregon, Connecticut, Texas/Arlington and North Texas in the U.S. He regularly serves as a member of the Artist/Faculty of the National Trumpet Competition.

As a soloist and recitalist, Professor Leisring has performed in Europe, Asia, Central America and the US, and maintains an active schedule as Principal Trumpet of the Kansas Brass Quintet, Ensemble in Residence at the University of Kansas.

While in Spain, Steve Leisring played and coached in Spain's premier National Baseball League, and has a keen interest in the connection between peak performance in music and in sports. He has written pedagogical articles published by the International Trumpet Guild Journal and the International Musician Magazine.

Professor Leisring is a fluent Spanish speaker and holds degrees in Performance and Education from the University of North Texas and the Mannes College of Music in New York. Former teachers include Vincent Penzarella of the NY Philharmonic, Rick Giangiulio and Bert Truax, formerly of the Dallas Symphony; Don Jacoby, as well as Keith Johnson and Leonard Candelaria at the University of North Texas.

University of Kansas
Department of Music and Dance
460 Murphy Hall
1530 Naismith Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66045
Tel: 785.864.4457
Fax: 785.864.5866
Email: jawhite1@ku.edu

JUSTIN WHITE is the Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Trumpet Studio. His duties include teaching lessons within the studio, performing with the Kansas Brass Quintet, and assisting with the KU Trumpet Ensemble. Justin is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Trumpet Performance and studies with Steve Leisring. Originally from the St. Louis area, he earned the Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance, as well as Bachelor of Music Education degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2003, where he studied with Ray Sasaki, Dr. Michael Ewald, and Ronald Romm. He has been trumpet instructor at the Illinois Summer Youth Music Camp and completed his student teaching in the Urbana (IL) School District under the direction of Dr. Joseph Manfredo. Justin was a semifinalist in the 2003 National Trumpet Competition, and also currently plays in the solo cornet section of the Fountain City (Kansas City) Brass Band.

KU Trumpet Studio
The function of the Trumpet Studio is to educate and guide trumpet students in their development as performers and educators on all levels regardless of degree intentions. Weekly lessons include development of sight-reading skills, sound, technique, musical concepts, repertoire, and teaching skills in a positive setting. Students actively perform in university ensembles and recitals on a regular basis and have the opportunity to be a part of the KU Trumpet Ensemble and weekly "trumpet class" meetings in which students perform and share ideas and concepts. Students of all majors and disciplines are invited to be a part of the Trumpet Studio.

Ensemble Opportunities: Trumpet students of all levels, regardless of major, have the opportunityto be a part the numerous ensembles at KU. Opportunities include: Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, University Band, three Jazz Ensembles, Jazz Combos, Symphony Orchestra and various chamber ensembles.

Following a long tradition of excellent trumpet performance and education, the University of Kansas Trumpet Ensemble is made-up of undergraduate and graduate trumpet students from throughout the University. The ensemble performs a wide variety of repertoire from works of the early Baroque to jazz and the contemporary. Meeting weekly, the University of Kansas Trumpet Ensemble actively performs on recitals and for special events. Most recently the ensemble was invited to and performed at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Richmond, Virginia and the Kansas Music Educators State Conference in Wichita.

Kevin Bobo

University of Kansas
Department of Music and Dance
460 Murphy Hall
1530 Naismith Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66045
Tel: 785.864.4558
Fax: 785.864.5866
Email: bobo@ku.edu

Kevin Bobo is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Percussion at The University of Kansas. He has performed nationally and internationally as a solo recitalist, clinician, and orchestral percussionist. He holds a Bachelors Degree from Wichita State University where he studied with J.C. Combs and a Masters Degree from Ithaca College where he studied with Gordon Stout. In addition to performing solo recitals, concertos and clinics at major universities and percussion festivals nation wide, Kevin has performed at two National Music Educators National Conferences in Kansas City, Missouri (1996) and Minneapolis, Minnesota (2004). He has also performed solo presentations at the 1997 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Anaheim, California, the 1998 & 2005 Leigh Howard Stevens Summer Marimba Seminars in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the 2001 Bellingham Festival of Music in Bellingham, Washington, the 2005 Pzsaislis Music Festival in Kaunas, Lithuania and the 12th International Festival of Percussion in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has also performed solo presentations in the Czech Republic and at the 3rd International Seminar of Percussion in Mexico City.

In addition to being an active performer, Kevin is also an active composer having received several commissions and having had numerous compositions published through Studio 4 Music, PercMaster Publications and Keyboard Percussion Publications. He has also been recorded on several albums with internationally recognized artists such as Steve Houghton and J.C. Combs as well as having released his own solo marimba recording "Marimba Jambalaya." Kevin is a Malletech clinician/recitalist and a Zildjian Educational Endorser, performing exclusively on (KP3) Malletech Marimbas, Malletech Mallets, and Zildjian Cymbals.

University of Kansas
Department of Music and Dance
460 Murphy Hall
1530 Naismith Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66045
Tel: 785.864.4525
Fax: 785.864.5866
Email: pstevens@ku.edu

PAUL STEVENS, Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of Kansas, is also Principal Horn of the Kansas City Ballet Orchestra, and the Mozart Classical Orchestra of Los Angeles. He is also a frequent performer with the Kansas City Symphony and Lyric Opera.

As an orchestral player he has performed with leading orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Opera, the Joffrey Ballet, the San Francisco Symphony, the American Ballet Theatre, the Houston Symphony, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony and the San Diego Opera. He has performed on Principal Horn under such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Edo DeWaart, Kent Nagano and Stanislav Skrowazewski.

During more than a decade in Hollywood he played on many motion picture soundtracks and television films, including over fifty episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, many episodes of Jag, and movies such as Ransom, What Dreams May Come, Dead Again, The Land Before Time, Star Trek: Generations, the Flintstones and several Disney projects; including Fantasmic! and Mickey's Nutcracker. He worked with such composers as James Horner, John Williams, Bruce Broughton, Henry Mancini, Danny Elfman and Dennis McCarthy. Audio projects ranged from Placido Domingo to Michael Bolton to the rap group "Outkast."

As a chamber musician he is a member of the Kansas Brass Quintet and the Kansas Woodwinds, is a Permanent Member of the Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society and is a Featured Artist at the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival. Other appearances have included the Oregon Bach Festival, Mainly Mozart Festival of San Diego, La Jolla Summer Fest., Apple Hill Chamber Players, the Da Camera Society of Los Angeles, Mozart in Monterey and the Fairbanks (Alaska) Summer Arts Festival.

He was educated at Juilliard under Myron Bloom (22 years Principal Horn with the Cleveland Orchestra under Szell), the San Francisco Conservatory under Arthur Krehbiel (40 years Principal in San Francisco, Detroit and Chicago under Reiner), and UCLA under Richard Todd and Brian O'Connor (1st call Hollywood Studio Players for over twenty years).

Scott Watson

University of Kansas
Department of Music and Dance
460 Murphy Hall
1530 Naismith Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66045
Tel: 785.864.9738
Fax: 785.864.5866
Email: scwatson@ku.edu

KU Professor of Euphonium and Tuba, SCOTT WATSON, holds degrees from the college Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Kansas. A native of Alabama, he is professor of tuba-euphonium at KU, and conductor of the KU Tuba Euphonium Consort. Watson has commissioned many new works for tuba and is former editor of the Tuba Press. He served two terms as secretary of the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association and is now a member of its Board of Directors, and President Elect. A prominent soloist and clinician, he is also co-artistic director and member of Symphonia, America's first professional tuba-euphonium ensemble.

KU Tuba/Euphonium Studio
For decades, the KU Tuba-Euphonium studio has held the reputation of being one of the top tuba and euphonium studios in the country. KU is a great place for the serious musician. Here is a brief guide through our program. In addition to lessons each week, students also participate in weekly studio classes. In these classes students both perform before their peers and receive instruction on a variety of topics concerning brass performance. The KU Tuba-Euphonium Consort meets every week and is a regular ensemble in the school. This group has performed on many prestigious venues including the International Tuba-Euphonium Conference, the United States Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Conference, the National Music Educators Conference, and the Kansas Music Educator’s Workshop. Students also perform in other chamber ensembles such as tuba-euphonium quartets and brass quintets, and large ensembles such as the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Concert Bands, or the three Jazz Bands and many combos. Each music major in the tuba-euphonium studio works with Professor Watson a minimum of 3 and one-half hours per week. Each fall there is the annual KU Fall Tuba-EuphoniumFEST, a festival of recitals and concerts featuring guest artists and KU students. Students perform on the annual “Grand Recital” that caps off the Tuba-EuphoniumFEST each year.

The result of all these activities is an education and training that is superior in both level and scope of training. The long record of KU Tuba and Euphonium graduates winning professional playing positions, positions in music education, the music industry, and other facets of the music world is testimony to this program’s content and success. Recent students include David Allen-Performance Faculty-Spring Hill, Texas School District; Keith Bland-Conductor-United States Air Force Bands; Sean Chisham-Tuba, United States Army Band (Pershing’s Own); Matt Hemenway-Euphonium, Third Army Band, Atlanta, Georgia; Kelly O’ Bryant-Principal Tuba, United States Naval Academy Band (retired) and free lance soloist; Jess Lightner-Tubist, United States Air Force Band; Thomas Price-Tubist, West Point Band; Jarrod Williams-Principal Tuba-United States Naval Academy Band; Travis Siehndel-Tubist, United States Naval Academy Band. KU students have also won many competitions and awards including the Mock Military Band and Jazz Competitions at the Int. Tuba-Euphonium Conference; the All Star College Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble Competitions, and many more.