To kick this new blog series into action, we are starting with literally one of the best euphonium players out there, best musicians and loveliest person you will ever find. Her name is Emily Braverman, graduate from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and Chetham's School of Music.
Emily is a friend and colleague of mine, we sometimes play in a tuba quartet together (see picture below).
She has played with top bands in the UK, like Foden's and Faireys and was solo euphonium for the Marsden Band contributing to some of their best contest results.
Before reading her interview, you MUST listen to her playing! 🎵 Here is a recording of her playing the solo 'Pantomime' by Philip Sparke.
I hope you enjoy reading her interview!
Do you have a favourite composer or piece of classical or brass music?
I love Eric Ball’s writing, particularly Journey Into Freedom. My favourite test pieces are Wilby’s - Paganini Variations and Gregson’s - Rococo Variations.
Have you got any funny stories or unique experiences that you would like to share about any musical projects you have ever been involved in?
I seem to have an unfortunate habit of things going wrong with my equipment when I stand up to do a solo. A couple of examples include my music stand completely collapsing part way through a performance (the soprano player had put it in position for me; I was very cross at the time, but he later became my husband), and recently part of my euphonium fell to the floor in a very quiet church!
What 3 songs do you love the most and why?
It’s hard to pick my top songs, but I spend my journeys to rehearsals listening to 70s and 80s rock. Bands I like are Europe, Van Halen, Bon Jovi… I also love Tina Turner, Bonnie Tyler, Phil Collins and Bryan Adams.
Tell us about some of your achievements as a euphonium player and musician.
I was proud of myself for passing my Grade 8 Piano with Distinction at the age of 25. It was something I wanted to achieve, and I found it difficult. It’s terrifying taking an exam as an adult! As a euphonium player, I was thrilled to be awarded the ‘Harry Mortimer Brass Student of the Year’ in 2013. It was presented to me by one of my idols, Bob Childs, at the British Open Brass Band Contest. I also picked up a couple of ‘Best Euphonium’ prizes whilst playing with Marsden at the Whit Friday March Contests – ahead of some well-known players in Saddleworth! It was an amazing experience to travel to Linz, Austria and take part as a semi-finalist in the solo competition at ITEC 2012.
What would you still like to achieve in your life, musical or not musical?
I’d love to do more solo performances, perhaps with an orchestra, and I’d like to arrange something for brass band.
How did you first get involved in music and what was your early inspiration?
I was fortunate to attend a primary school where music was thoroughly embedded in daily life: singing in assemblies, a healthy school orchestra and peripatetic lessons available on most instruments. My parents encouraged and supported me with any clubs I wanted to join, and I eventually found myself playing cornet in the local youth band. I quickly discovered that I wasn’t very good and switched to euphonium after hearing an older girl warming up and loving the sounds she was making. The conductor, Pete Mackley, became my teacher and took me up to Grade 8 and my audition for Chetham’s. He was so generous with his time and genuinely wanted the best for the young people playing brass instruments in our area. I owe all my early successes to Pete!
Time for another video of Emily performing on euphonium!
Do you agree there are challenges facing female musicians today? If so, what do you think are the biggest changes that need to be made to improve this?
I haven’t personally faced any challenges but perhaps I’ve been lucky. It is true that there seem to be more men as section leaders – especially in orchestras – and they were possibly appointed at a time when there was less gender fairness. Therefore, organisations now need to ensure they are constantly striving to put the best players in the top positions. I do believe things are significantly changing for the better in the UK, particularly at a youth level. My son attends the RNCM Young Lower Brass days and at the most recent event, there was a 50:50 split of girls and boys, right down to the Tuba section. If we can encourage these girls to continue playing and address the barriers that might cause them to give up, then I am confident they will soon be appearing as principal players, guest soloists and competition judges. In a different aspect, becoming a mum (three times!) has presented a personal challenge. My time to practise is usually with a mute when the children are asleep, and juggling bedtime stories and getting to rehearsals on time can be tricky. However, I think it’s important that the children see their mum going out to band/choir and my eldest has started asking to come and watch my concerts which is a lovely thing to share with him.
What piece of advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time?
Take all the opportunities you are offered and believe you are good enough.
What piece of advice would you give to young brass players (or any instrumentalists) to help them find success?
Work hard! Listen to your teachers. Don’t skip your scale practise. Go and watch live music of ANY genre as often as you can. Find a group of people you enjoy making music with.
Do you have a website, business or social media page you would like to promote? Please tell us about it.
I do some private teaching, both in person (Staffordshire, UK) and online, so please get in touch with Mark if you would like more information. I also examine GCSE Music papers and can provide tutoring for all aspects of the course.
A big THANK YOU to Emily for being the first to be featured in this blog series!
I hope you enjoyed reading the interview, please share it, like and subscribe and look out for the next one very soon!
To return to the overview page to see who is next to be featured, just CLICK HERE!
Mark Glover
24/9/24
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