An active pedagogue, clinician, and performer, Christopher Hotaling employs elements from his background in vocal performance in his approach to teaching and playing all low brass instruments. He believes strongly in the importance of lyrical, songlike playing as a means of promoting growth in his students, and he enjoys incorporating vocal repertoire in lessons and performances. Chris is currently Adjunct Professor of Tuba at SUNY Fredonia’s School of Music, where he teaches weekly lessons to all tuba majors, directs the Fredonia Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, and teaches courses related to low brass teaching and pedagogy. His recent performance appearances include the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of Northern New York, Northern Symphonic Winds, the renowned Eastman Wind Ensemble, and more.

David E. Mercedes joined the faculty at Western Michigan University and Irving S. Gilmore School of Music as Lecturer of Tuba and Euphonium in 2023. Prior to his appointment at WMU, he held teaching positions at Texas Southern University and Oklahoma State University. Notable groups that David has performed with include the Classical Music Institute Orchestra, Lone Star Wind Orchestra, Texas Chamber Symphony, Magnolia City Brass Band, and Houston Brass Quintet. David is also a part of the Backburner Tuba and Euphonium Collective and fLOW Quartet, an international tuba and euphonium chamber ensemble. As an active International Tuba and Euphonium Association member, David has performed and adjudicated at several regional and international conferences.

A proponent of contemporary music and living composers, David has commissioned works for tuba, including Drown (2015) by Matthew Pellegrino (revised in 2016), Shadow of Sky (2019) by Wenxin Li, Lull (2020) by Jean-François Charles, and Quintet for Tuba and String Quartet (2021) by Ethan Cypress, Rumination and Solitude (2022) by Daniel Adams, to name a few. He is also a part of consortiums including Un Dia en La Vida (2019) by Jose Flores and Introdução e Dança for Tuba and Piano (2022) by Fernando Deddos. In 2019, he performed as a guest artist at the Midwest Composers Symposium that was hosted at Indiana University.

David E. Mercedes is a Denis Wick artist.