The Northeast Ohio Tuba-Euphonium ensemble (N.O.T.E.) was founded in January 2019. Based in Akron, Ohio N.O.T.E. is composed of adult amateur tuba and euphonium players from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The ensemble meets one Saturday morning each month for reading and rehearsal and we typically play a few concerts each year. Our goals are to have fun, to share the sounds of tubas and euphoniums with our community, to encourage each other, and to improve our ensemble playing and reading.

Low brass ensembles, that are not quartets and not affiliated with schools, are rare. N.O.T.E. was based on the Charlotte (North Carolina) Tuba Euphonium Ensemble, founded by David Silden, who passed away earlier this year. We are currently aware of only two other similar ensembles active in the U.S. The size of N.O.T.E. varies depending on availability, but we typically draw between 16 and 24 players. Our performers range from music educators and a few professional musicians to community band players. After each rehearsal, members get together for lunch and social time. In addition to playing together, players are encouraged to arrange music for the ensemble.

N.O.T.E. was founded by Jim McIntyre who serves as the ensemble’s manager and principal arranger. Jim works by day as an engineer. He is an amateur tuba and euphonium player, a student of history, and a collector of historic low brass instruments (his collection currently numbers over 45 instruments). Jim is the Coordinator of TUBACHRISTMAS Cleveland, and plays in several bands in Northeast Ohio, including the Western Reserve Community Band, The Summit Metroparks, Ensemble, The Wolf Creek Brass Quintet, and the Doppel Adler German Band. Jim is also in demand as a substitute for numerous other northeast Ohio community bands. From 2016-2018, Jim Played in the Charlotte Concert Band and the Charlotte Tuba Euphonium Ensemble.

N.O.T.E.’s founding director is Tucker Jolly, Professor Emeritus of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Akron. Mr. Jolly, who performed at the First International Tuba Symposium-Workshop in 1973, has a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas and a Master of Arts in Music Performance from the University of Connecticut. Mr. Jolly has been principal tubist with the Fort Worth Symphony, the United States Coast Guard Band, the New Haven Symphony, and the Ohio Chamber Orchestra. He has performed with the Blossom Festival Concert Band, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Canton Symphony Orchestra. From 1970-1980 he performed with the Eastern Brass Quintet and was the tubist on that ensemble’s three recordings. He has also recorded with the Detroit Concert Band under the direction of Dr. Leonard B. Smith. Mr. Jolly was principal tubist with the Akron Symphony from 1986-2008. Mr. Jolly is also known in the Akron area for coordinating and conducting the annual Akron TUBACHRISTMAS.

It may seem strange to begin a recital with the National Anthem, but one of our favorite playing opportunities is performing the Star-Spangled Banner and Take Me Out to the Ball Game at AA Akron Rubber Ducks Baseball games. For those who are interested, this arrangement is available free of charge.

Three Moods for Tuba Ensemble has been a staple of the Tuba-Euphonium repertoire since 1974. It was originally written for the Tuba Ensemble at Tennessee Technical University and includes three short movements in a fast-slow-fast format.

Salvation is Created was composed in 1912 as a Kievan (Russian Orthodox) Chant, to be sung by unaccompanied male voices. The Russian Orthodox singing style is molto legato without audible breaths. Chesnokov’s original in six voices has been expanded to eight parts for the low brass. The piece opens with tubas, then changes color to euphoniums in bar 5, before the full ensemble joins in bar 10. Taking full advantage of the range of the ensemble, this arrangement extends from C1 to G4.

The Mansions of the Lord is a choral hymn that was written for the movie We Were Soldiers. The words of the piece begin: To fallen soldiers let us sing, Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing, Our broken brothers let us bring, To the Mansions of the Lord. Our arrangement was adapted from a setting by Brian Bowman for the Interservice Euphonium Choir at the 2023 U.S. Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Workshop. It begins with a solo player. With Dr. Bowman’s permission, Jim McIntyre adapted his arrangement for tuba-euphonium ensemble. Jim’s arrangement adds a solo player at the end. The piece ends unresolved, on the words: We will Stand and Guard… reminding us of our duty to remember those who gave their lives to protect our freedoms.

Bohemian Rhapsody is an instantly recognizable part of our musical culture. It is a tour-de-force of high-low, fast-slow, loud-soft. This arrangement pulls no punches. It was transcribed from Queen’s original and was written in eight parts for 14 players, with solo alto horn and tuba and two players each on the 6 additional parts, plus optional percussion.

It Is Well With My Soul was written by Phillip Bliss to lyrics by Horatio Spafford. Spafford’s lyrics which tell of being at peace in the face of tragedy were written after the death of his four daughters. This beautiful melody is another opportunity to showcase the sounds of the low brass.

Our final piece, Yes, We Have No Bananas, has an important place in the history of Tuba-Euphonium music. In 1977, A group called The Mighty Tubadours (Frank Berry, Scott Lycan, Bert Harclerode, and Ron Davis) were the first tuba-euphonium quartet to appear on national television. They played “Bananas” on The Gong Show (a forerunner of America’s Got Talent) and won, scoring a perfect 30 points. Our arrangement is published by Cimarron Music Press. We take our playing seriously, but we also admit that there is something inherently a little silly about being tuba players. So we hope you’ll enjoy this bit of whimsy.