Biography

Dr. Kent Eshelman is Professor of Euphonium and Tuba at Baylor University, where he has taught since 2009. As a soloist, he is a first-place winner of the Jeju (South Korea) and Leonard Falcone international solo competitions, the Midland-Odessa Symphony national young artist competition, and the Rich Matteson international jazz competition, and he was a finalist in the Philip Jones international solo competition in Guebwiller, France. He has premiered works by Bruce Broughton, John Cheetham, Frank Lynn Payne, and Anthony Plog, and the American Record Guide stated of his debut solo album, Flavors, “Tuba players are making fine recordings these days, but this one really stands out.” His other recordings include a second solo album, Message in a Tuba; two chamber albums, Firm Foundation (with QuinTuba) and Four American Stories (with Baylor Brass); a jazz album, Life is Good; and a boogie-woogie and stride piano album, In the Pocket. He is Principal Tubist of the Waco Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the orchestras of Grand Rapids, San Antonio, and Toledo. A Denis Wick Artist and a Yamaha Performing Artist, he was the featured guest artist for the 2022 Falcone Festival and has appeared at many euphonium-tuba conferences, including as soloist with the Ventoscala Symphony Orchestra in Budapest, Hungary, and with the U.S. Army Blues in Washington, D.C. He is a recipient of the Roger Bobo Award for Excellence in Recording from the International Euphonium-Tuba Association and the Outstanding Professor award from Baylor University. He received bachelor’s degrees in Tuba Performance and Jazz Studies (Piano) from the University of Michigan, a master’s in Tuba Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a doctorate in Tuba Performance from Michigan State University.