Steven Mead (born 1962 in Bournemouth, England) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" ...

soloist and teacher who has played an important role in achieving worldwide recognition of the instrument. He has played solo concerti with many symphony orchestras, including: the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, the

Trondheim Symphony Orchestra The Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera ( Norwegian: ''Trondheim Symfoniorkester & Opera'') is a Norwegian orchestra based in Trondheim, Norway. Its principal concert venue is the Olavshallen. The orchestra is organised as a trust and receives ...

Lahti Symphony Orchestra The Lahti Symphony Orchestra (''Sinfonia Lahti'') is a Finnish orchestra, based in the city of Lahti. The orchestra is resident at the Sibelius Hall. The orchestra was founded in 1910, and placed under the control of the Lahti municipality in 1949 ...

and

Helsinki Philharmonic The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (in Finnish: ; in Swedish: ; literal English translation: Helsinki City Orchestra; commonly abbreviated as HPO) is an orchestra based in Helsinki, Finland. Founded in 1882 by Robert Kajanus, the Philharmonic Or ...

Capella Cracoviensis Capella Cracoviensis is a period instrument ensemble and a chamber choir based in Kraków, Poland. It was formed in 1970 by composer and music conductor Stanisław Gałoński (b. 1936), its first director and general manager. Capella Cracovie ...

, the

Minneapolis Pops Orchestra The Minneapolis Pops Orchestra is a pops orchestra providing live public performances by 45 professional musicians free of charge at various venues in the Twin Cities. It was founded in 1949. Most Pops Orchestra musicians perform with the Minnes ...

and the Japan Chamber Orchestra. He has premiered works by

Martin Ellerby Martin Ellerby (1957, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England) is an English composer. He was educated at the Royal College of Music, London, where he was taught by Joseph Horovitz. His catalogue features works for orchestra, chorus, concert ban ...

, Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen,

Vladimir Cosma Vladimir Cosma (born 13 April 1940) is a Romanian composer, conductor and violinist. He was born into a family of musicians. His father, Teodor Cosma, was a pianist and conductor, his mother a writer-composer, his uncle, Edgar Cosma, composer and ...

, Goff Richards, John Reeman, Rolf Rudin and

Philip Sparke Philip Allen Sparke (born 29 December 1951) is an English composer and musician born in London, noted for his concert band and brass band music. His early major works include ''The Land of the Long White Cloud – "Aotearoa"'', written for th ...

, amongst others. Goff Richards' ''Pilatus'', Aagaard-Nilsen's ''Concerto for Euphonium and Orchestra'', Reeman's ''Sonata for Euphonium'' and Ellerby's ''Euphonium Concerto'' were all written expressly for Mead.Roy Newsome, ''The Modern Brass Band: From the 1930s to the New Millennium'', Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2006, p
367

Selected recordings

Joseph Horovitz Joseph Horovitz (26 May 1926 – 9 February 2022) was an Austrian-born British composer and conductor best known for his 1970 pop cantata ''Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo'', which achieved widespread popularity in schools. Horovitz also compo ...

: ''Four Concertos'' :Ensemble: Royal Ballet Sinfonia; Soloists: Andrew Haveron (violin), Steven Mead (euphonium),

David Owen Norris David Owen Norris, (born 1953) is a British pianist, composer, academic, and broadcaster. Early life Norris was born in 1953 in Long Buckby in Northamptonshire, England, later attending Daventry Grammar School. He took lessons locally from ...

(piano); Conductor Joseph Horovitz; Label: Dutton Epoch. *''Concertino'' :Ensemble: The Lillestrøm Musikkorps; Soloist: Steven Mead (euphonium); Conductor Gert Buitenhuis; Label: Polyphonic. *''Euphonium Virtuoso'' :Ensemble: Brass Band Buizingen; Soloist: Steven Mead (euphonium); Conductor: Luc Vertommen; Label: Bocchino. *''Dreamscapes: Wind Music by Ellerby, Clarke & Josephs'' :Ensemble: Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra; Soloist: Steven Mead (euphonium); Conductor: James Gourlay; Label: Polyphonic. *''Audacious'' :Soloist: Steven Mead; Accompanied by Tomoko Sawano, piano; Label: Bocchino. *''Fandango'', released 1 June 2011; Accompanied by Tomoko Sawano, piano; Label: Bocchino.

References

*Rachel Dunlap
Mead to perform world-class talents on obscure brass instrument
''Spectator Eau Claire'', January 25, 2001. Accessed 10 September 2008. *Ronald Holz
Review: ''Euphonium Virtuoso'' (Bocchino CD BOCC107)
''The Brass Band Bridge'', North American Brass Band Association, Issue 101, October 2006. pp. 21–22. Accessed 10 September 2008.
Steven Mead biography
on the Besson company web site. Accessed 10 September 2008.

External links

*
Video
of a live unedited performance, most of the third movement of the Hallows Concerto (Rolf Rudin) in a performance given by Steven at The Capitol Theatre, Offenbach, on Sunday 15 March 2009, with the Neue Philharmonie Orchestra, conductor

Roland Böer Roland Böer (6 December 1970) is a German conductor with a focus on opera. He has worked at leading European opera houses, including the Oper Frankfurt where he began as répétiteur in 1996, was Kapellmeister from 2002 to 2008, and has often ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mead, Steven English classical musicians Euphonium players 1962 births Living people Musicians from Bournemouth