Fernando Deddos, Euphonium | Albert Khattar, Tuba

This year, we're doubling the excitement! In celebration of our Fortieth Anniversary, we’re honoring a cherished Festival tradition by welcoming not one, but two exceptional guest artists to the stage. Anniversary years hold a special place in our history, and this tradition underscores our commitment to delivering unforgettable musical experiences that honor the past while inspiring the future. This milestone event features Brazilian duo Fernando Deddos (euphonium) and Albert Khattar (tuba), who are appearing together to showcase the rich musical traditions and vibrant artistry of Brazil. Their collaboration highlights the dynamic possibilities of the tuba and euphonium, offering twice the artistry, twice the inspiration, and twice the celebration.

Fernando Deddos, Euphonium

Dr. Fernando Deddos acts globally as a composer, performer, and professor. Currently, he serves as a full-time professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte State (UFRN/Brazil). Dr. Deddos recorded the first euphonium album in Brazil, EuFonium Brasileiro, which received the International Tuba & Euphonium Association’s (ITEA) award for excellence in recording. In addition to his participation in interdisciplinary, chamber, and Brazilian popular music projects, he frequently acts as a guest artist and professor at ensembles, international festivals, and conferences. In 2020, he performed his own Concerto for Euphonium with the U.S. Army Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Deddos’s compositions have been performed and recorded worldwide. The Concertino for Oboe and String Orchestra was commissioned and premiered by Christoph Hartmann of the Berlin Philharmonic, and chamber groups such as the Trombone Trio of the Concertgebouw Orchestra (Holland) and the Brass Hexagon (Japan) have premiered and recorded his original works. He has received the Harvey Phillips Award for excellence in composition from ITEA three times and has served on judging committees for international composition and soloist competitions, including the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival, Trombonanza Argentina, ITEA/ITEC, Gramado Music Festival, the HIS (International Horn Association), and the Spanish Tuba and Euphonium Association. In 2021, the album Chamber Works for Brass and Guests was released, featuring him exclusively as a composer. He is the coordinator of the UFRN Euphonium & Tuba Festival, the UFRN Euphonium and Tuba Ensemble, and the UFRN Roda de Choro (Brazilian Typical Music Ensemble). His research interests include the use of euphonium in the history of Brazilian music.

Select works from 2022 to 2024 that he has premiered include: Three Monologues for Quartet (University of Arkansas); Origami (OriGami Quartet, Tokyo); Tema e Variações (Indiana Wind Symphony); Pagode Ucraniano for four trombones and piano (BR5 quintet – Brazil/Argentina); Burning Leaves for eight horns (IHS 2022, USA); the Concerto for French Horn and Band or Orchestra (Spain and Brazil); Duo Divertimento No. 3 (ITEC 2024), Arizona); Two Trumpet Etudes (USA); Introduction and Dance for euphonium/tuba and piano (USA); and Concerto Grosso for Brass Quintet and Concert Band (Version 2024, Brazil).

Dr. Deddos holds a doctorate from the University of Georgia (USA), where he worked as a researcher for the Ideas for Creative Exploration (ICE) Department. He also is the president of the Brazilian Euphonium–Tuba Association (ETB) and has been an Adams Instruments Performing Artist since 2010.

Albert Khattar, Tuba

Albert Khattar is professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and has been a visiting professor at the Tatuí Conservatory (Brazil). He also has been an invited guest professor in several music festivals in South America, North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, including the Trombonanza Festival, Encuentro Internacional de Low Brass Manizales, Italian Brass Week, Campos do Jordão Winter Festival, Sesc-Pelotas International Music Festival, Music in the Mountains Festival, Tatuí Vacation Course, Funarte Panels, Curitiba Music Festival, I South African Tuba and Euphonium Conference, and Jeju (South Korea) International Wind Ensemble Festival. In addition, he has taught classes at several national and international universities, including University of North Georgia (USA), University of Arts-Universidad de Chile, Universidad de Villa Maria (Argentina), Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), and Federal University of Goiás (Brazil).

Khattar was principal tuba of the São Paulo State Symphonic Band, the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra, and the Santo André Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he develops an intense work of recitals and concerts as a soloist, performing in several countries in South America, North America, Europe, and Africa. He has soloed with the São Paulo State Symphonic Band, Tatuí Conservatory Symphonic Band, Unisinos Symphony Orchestra, Santo André Symphony Orchestra, Ceará Contemporary Orchestra, UFRJ Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Tatuí Conservatory (all in Brazil), and Santa Fé Province Symphony Orchestra (Argentina) among others. In addition, he has played world premieres of several works, many of them written and dedicated to him by composers including Gerardo Gardelin, José Ursicino da Silva “Duda”, Fernando Deddos, Liduino Pitombeira, João Victor Bota, Peter Koval, Beetholven Cunha, Gilson Santos, Marcel Castro Lima, and Rodrigo Cicchelli.

His recordings, whether concerts recorded live or the CD Tuba Brasilis, are regularly frequently broadcast on the Brazilian radio stations MEC-RJ and Radio Cultura-SP. His CD Tuba Brasilis, the first Brazilian tuba album, was received with great critical success.

He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the State University of Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil), commonly called Unicamp, furthering his research on the tuba. He holds a master of music degree from Unicamp, where he pursued original research on the history of the tuba in Brazil and the Brazilian repertoire for solo tuba. He holds a BA in Tuba from Faculdade Mozarteum de São Paulo. His main mentors and professors are Donald Smith and James Gourlay.

Khattar is Vice-President and founding member of the Association of Tuba and Euphonium of Brazil-ETB, established in October 2016, in keeping with his continuous work for the development of tuba in Brazil.