Dr. Gail Robertson serves as Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium/Jazz at the University of Central Arkansas. In addition to teaching, she heads the Jazz area, conducts Jazz Ensemble I, and performs as tubist in the Pinnacle Brass. She earned her B.A. degree from the University of Central Florida and a M.M. in Euphonium Performance from Indiana University. She postponed her doctoral studies at the University of Maryland with Dr. Brian Bowman to perform with the “Tubafours” at Walt Disney World, Orlando where she served as musical supervisor/chief arranger and produced a highly acclaimed CD, “Tubas Under the Boardwalk.” She completed her D.M.A. as a University Distinguished Fellow at Michigan State University studying with Phil Sinder, Ava Ordman, and Ricardo Lorenz. She has taught on the faculties of Eastern Michigan University, the University of Central Florida, Bethune-Cookman University, the University of Florida, and remains active as a teacher, adjudicator, composer, arranger and free-lance artist, both nationally and internationally.
Robertson is President of the International Tuba and Euphonium Association (ITEA). She was elected for a six-year term that began July 1, 2017. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Leonard Falcone Tuba and Euphonium Festival. She is Past President of the International Women’s Brass Conference (IWBC) and co-hosted two regional conferences (2006, 2010). Gail served for six years as Chair/Chief Editor of the International Tuba and Euphonium Press.
In 2016, Gail recorded another CD, The R.S.V.B. Quartet - Fanfare and Flourish, with Dr. Deanna Swoboda, Dr. Stacy Baker, and SFC Lauren Veronie-Curran. This recording includes several of Gail’s original compositions, Okto Flourish, Psychedelic Dances, and In A Funk. Gail is a recipient of Tau Beta Sigma’s highest honor, the “Outstanding Service to Music Award.” Gail recently served as the Arkansas All-State Jazz Ensemble 2 clinician, has served as judge for the Dardanelle Jazz Festival (May 2018), the state judge for Florida (March 2018 and 2019), Region 6 Jazz clinician/artist (Harrison, AR) (2016), and Region 5 Jazz clinician/artist (Jonesboro, AR) (2019).
In 2015, Gail served as the Euphonium Clinician for the American Band College in Ashland, Oregon and she will return as clinician this summer (2019). She was awarded the 2014 Clifford Bevan Award for Excellence in Research for her research manuscript, “Restoring the Euphonium’s Legacy as Cello of the Wind Band.” In 2009, Gail recorded a CD with Dr. Stacy Baker and Alex Thio called “SymbiosisDuo.” SYMBIOSISDUO released their second CD, “Playground,” in February 2015. Gail is one of the featured artists on the cover of issue 77/April 2019 of the Brass Herald magazine where she also wrote the article “Ladies of Brass – Tuba and Euphonium.”
Dr. Robertson served together with Dr. Stacy Baker as Co-Instrumental Advisor and Co-Curriculum Designer for the revolutionary pedagogical series of 10 DVDs for tuba and 10 DVDs for euphonium, the Pro-Series Elite Practice Systems for Tuba and Euphonium. Robertson has toured the U.S., Europe, China, and Japan with Keith Brion’s “New Sousa Band,” the Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the Monarch Brass. As tenor tubist/tubist/bass trumpet with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony (2019).
Robertson has performed as tenor tubist for the Sarasota Orchestra/Sarasota Ballet (2016) performance of Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes” and as principal euphoniumist in the Blossom Festival Band’s (The Cleveland Orchestra, 2017/2018) “Salute to America” conducted by Loras John Schissel. Robertson has performed at the Midwest Clinic with The Monarch Brass (2016), The Brass Band of Battle Creek (2017) and Keith Brion’s New Sousa Band (2009 and 2018). Gail was featured soloist in February 2019 at the United States Army Tuba-Euphonium Workshop where she performed the orchestral world premiere of Barbara York’s Concerto “Creative States” for Euphonium with the U.S. Pershing’s Own Symphony Orchestra. Also featured at this workshop was Walt Disney’s The Tubafours (30th Anniversary performance), the UCA Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, and Robertson’s Another Eupher’s Dream was premiered by Dr. Brian Bowman and the Armed Forces Euphonium Ensemble.
Dr. Robertson and Dr. Baker were honored to be the featured guest artists of the 2017 Leonard Falcone Tuba and Euphonium Festival where they commissioned and premiered Eric Knechtges’ double concerto for wind band, Twin Lake Reflections. As a Willson Euphonium Artist, Robertson’s euphonium of choice is a Willson 2950TA with a bronze Warburton/Gail Robertson mouthpiece.
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