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Guest Artist for 2013 - Benjamin Pierce

Benjamin Pierce is an accomplished low brass artist and teacher. He is a professor at the University of Arkansas, teaching a large studio of tuba and euphonium players and directing the tuba/euphonium ensemble. His studies took place at Bowling Green State University and the University of Michigan.  His primary teachers were David Saygers, Velvet Brown, Fritz Kaenzig, and Wesley Jacobs.

Pierce has notably been the winner of some dozen international tuba and euphonium artist competitions held in the United States, Japan, Germany, Finland, South Korea, England, and Italy, including Falcone Euphonium Artist in 1998 and Tuba Artist in 2001. He is a frequent soloist at home and abroad performing many solo recitals as well as concerti with such ensembles as the premier United States military bands, top American brass bands, and such orchestras as the Tokyo Symphony, Oulu Symphony (Finland), and Vogtland Philharmonie (Germany).

Enjoying a varied ensemble career, Pierce has performed with the Detroit Symphony, the Detroit Chamber Brass, the Toledo Symphony, the Flint Symphony, and the Tulsa Symphony. He has served as principal tubist of the Ann Arbor Symphony and is principal tubist of SONA, formerly the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the acclaimed Brass Band of Battle Creek, featuring many of the world’s greatest brass players. With the BBBC, he has performed on three different instruments.

Recently Pierce was appointed Editor in Chief of the Journal of ITEA (International Tuba Euphonium Association).

Benjamin Pierce can be heard on three recordings available from major online retailers. He is a Miraphone performing artist.

Guest Artist for 2016 - Alessandro Fossi

Alessandro Fossi is an active Italian tuba soloist and passionate brass pedagogue renowned worldwide, regularly invited as guest teacher and performer in important festivals and universities like Curtis Institute of Philadelphia, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, Royal Northern College in Manchester, Stanford University, Northwestern University, Indiana University, Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Genève, Manhattan School of Music, to name a few.

He has performed with many of the most important Orchestras in Italy and Europe like Teatro alla Scala Orchestra , Russian National Orchestra, Marjinski Theatre Orchestra of Saint Petersburg, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Mozart, among others, covering the principal Tuba position with Teatro San Carlo Orchestra in Napoli and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Roma; since 2010 he is principal guest tuba with Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra.

As a soloist, he was a prizewinner in the Markneukirchen International Competition in 2000 (World Federation of International Music Competition, Geneve) and the Lieksa International Tuba Competition in 2001.

Fossi is a member of the International Tuba Euphonium Association (ITEA) where he serves as editorial advisor and writes articles and interviews for the ITEA Journal. He has participated with solo performances and master classes in all the International Tuba Euphonium Conferences (ITEC) since 2004.

Fossi can be heard in several recordings with Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Gomalan Brass Quintet, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and Orchestra Mozart. In 2009 he produced his first solo recording entitled “Bel Canto”, that collects highlights from Italian operas and classical masterworks.

Alessandro Fossi is a Buffet Group Ambassador and an official endorser for B&S and Melton Meinl Weston. He currently teaches tuba at Conservatorio “C. Monteverdi” in Bolzano, Italy.

Results from the 2012 Falcone Festival

Euphonium Artist Division

1st place - Richard Demy, teacher Dr. Brian Bowman, University of North Texas

2nd place - Gary Garvin, teacher David Zerkel, University of Georgia

3rd place - Alex Avila, teachers David Zerkel, Jason Ham, & Gabe Stone, University of Georgia

Tuba Artist Division

1st place - David McLemore, teacher David Zerkel, University of Georgia

2nd place - Simon Wildman, teachers David Zerkel, Jason Smith, Velvet Brown, & Dave McCollum, University of Georgia

3rd place - Daniel Frost, teacher Charles Villarrubia, University of Texas-Austin

Euphonium Student Division

1st place - Tim Morris, teacher Matthew Mireles, University of Wisconsin-Madison

2nd place - Grant Jameson, Dublin Coffman High School

3rd place - James A. Long, teacher Kenneth Kroesche, Oakland University

Tuba Student Division

1st place - Jacob Daniel, teacher Tom McCaslin, East Carolina University

2nd place - Benjamin Darneille, teacher Tom Riccobono, Interlochen Arts Academy

3rd place - Ben Malmer, teachers Mark Barton, David Kirk, & Derek Fenstermacher, University of Houston