Tacoma Concert Band: Sousa Spectacular
$20.50-$38.50 (ages 17 & under free; senior/student/military/group discounts available)
- Elizabeth Galafa Ylaya, soprano
- Morris Northcutt, cornet
- Stuart Hambley, trombone
- Robert Musser, guest conductor
Camille Saint-Saëns — Selected works
Franz von Suppé — Selected works
William Grant Still — Selected works
Sousa Spectacular returns to the Pantages March 4th!
The award-winning Tacoma Concert Band is proud to present its biannual Sousa Spectacular concert at Tacoma's Pantages Theater on Saturday evening, March 4th. This event is TCB's re-creation of John Philip Sousa's world-renowned Sousa Band concert experience just as it would have been presented a century ago.
Led by TCB's Conductor and Artistic Director Dr. Gerard Morris, with special guest guest conductor Music Director Emeritus Robert Musser, the program will feature works by Saint-Saëns, Suppè, Sousa, and Still, and will include solo appearances by soprano Elizabeth Galafa Ylaya, cornetist Morris Northcutt, and trombonist Stuart Hambley.
Sousa Spectacular is one of TCB's most popular concert experiences for the entire family, so we hope you are able to join us for an exhilarating program that showcases the musical prowess of the Tacoma Concert Band musicians, as well as that of our guest artists!
18 years and under are free! You must visit the box office in person to receive this free ticket offer.
About Elizabeth Galafa Ylaya, soprano
About Morris Northcutt, cornet
Multi-award-winning trumpeter Morris Northcutt hails from the state of Washington and is known for his lyricism, artistry and ability to cross the boundary between classical and jazz. Northcutt has shared the stage with a wide range of performance groups, from Mannheim Steamroller, Critical Mass Big Band, and The Blues Brothers Reunion Band, to Federal Way Chorale, Seattle Symphony Chamber Orchestra and Tacoma Symphony, just to name a few. His rich freelance career has taken him across the globe, from the Pacific Northwest to Canada, South America and Europe. In 2014 and 2017, he performed as guest soloist with Denis Gautier Big Band in Southern France. In 2018, he toured Ireland with the Tacoma Concert Band as a featured soloist. In 2019, Northcutt completed a solo recital/masterclass tour of Ireland that included an appearance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He also appeared as a soloist and clinician at the 2020 São Paulo Trumpet Academy in Brazil.
Northcutt debuted his first album, Tonada, in 2021, featuring an all-Venezuelan studio orchestra with arrangements, production, and engineering done by Latin Grammy-nominated Justo Morao, along with the mix and mastering completed by two-time Grammy-winner and three time Latin Grammy-winner German Landaeta. Tonada has been globally recognized and made both the Grammy and Latin Grammy consideration lists.
https://www.morrisnorthcutt.com/About Stuart Hambley, trombone
About Robert Musser, guest conductor
Robert Musser is Professor Emeritus at the University of Puget Sound, where he was Director of Bands, Professor of Oboe and Saxophone, and Chairman of Winds and Percussion for 34 years. He is the founder, music director and conductor of the Tacoma Concert Band, an organization that has gained a national and international reputation for excellence. He is also the former music director and conductor of the Puget Sound Youth Wind Ensemble.
For many years he performed as principal oboe with the Tacoma Symphony and as a woodwind specialist (playing oboe, English horn, flute, clarinet, and saxophone) throughout the Puget Sound area. Among his many awards are the National Band Association Citation of Excellence, election into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association (an honorary organization for distinguished band conductors), the Diploma of the Sudler Order of Merit of the John Philip Sousa Foundation, and election into the Washington Music Educators Association Hall of Fame.
He has conducted numerous regional and state festivals and honor bands and appeared as a guest conductor of both bands and orchestras throughout the United States, Canada, China, Russia, and Ukraine. Upon his retirement from the University of Puget Sound the Mayor of Tacoma, on behalf of the City Council, proclaimed April 22, 2005 as Robert Musser Day in the City of Tacoma "in celebrating the contributions of this outstanding educator, musician and mentor."