Cristina Cutts

The Phoenix Symphony

Principal Tuba of The Phoenix Symphony, Cristina Cutts grew up in South Africa, England, New York, and New Mexico. She began her tuba studies with Dr. Richard Antoine White in Albuquerque, and went on to graduate with honors from the Interlochen Arts Academy in 2015, where she was a pupil of trombonist Thomas Riccobono for two years. In 2019, she received her Bachelor of Music in Tuba Performance from the Colburn School, studying with Norman Pearson, and in 2022 she graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music with an Artist Diploma after three years of study with Craig Knox and Paul Krzywicki. Cristina joined The Phoenix Symphony in 2023, and became Principal Tuba of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in 2025. Cristina was the Acting Principal Tuba for the Britt Festival Orchestra in 2022 and 2023, and has been a guest tubist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and the Louisville Orchestra. During her school years, Cristina was a tuba fellow with the National Repertory Orchestra, held the 2020/2021 tuba fellowship for the Music Academy of the West, and received an Alumni Enterprise Award in 2021. Cristina is also a proud recipient of several grants from the Sphinx Organization's National Alliance for Audition Support. Cristina won First Prize at the International Tuba & Euphonium Young Artist Competition in 2016. That same year, she was unanimously chosen as the winner of the National Symphony's Summer Music Institute concerto competition and as a result she performed the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto in the Kennedy Center. Upon moving to Los Angeles for her undergraduate studies, she was recognized as the “Most Promising Talent," of the Pasadena Showcase Instrumental Competition for woodwinds, brass, and strings, and went on in 2017 to win the Grand Prize overall in the same competition - the first tubist in the history of the competition to do so, and the youngest candidate in that year’s final round. Cristina has appeared as a soloist with the Colburn Orchestra and was a National YoungArts Foundation Medalist, and can be heard as a soloist on the radio show Performance Today with Fred Child, for which she was a Young Artist in Residence in 2021. A passionate chamber musician and educator, Cristina was the tubist for Seraph Brass from 2022 - 2024. She toured extensively with the group as a Live on Stage concert artist, and performed and served as a guest artist for prominent festivals and educational institutions across the world, including Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” American Trombone Workshop, University of Toronto, University of North Texas, and Chamber Music Raleigh. Cristina has presented masterclasses to university students around the country, and has been a faculty member at Arizona State University, the Interlochen Arts Camp, Brevard Music Center, Cleveland Trombone Seminar, Eastman Tuba/Euphonium Academy, and the Gravissimo Low Brass Festival. Cristina is on faculty every summer at Chautauqua Festival School.

euphonium

MSG Adam Lessard

Athens, GA

Group: The U.S. Army Concert Band

Joined the Band: 2007

Alum: Royal Northern College of Music and University of North Texas / University of Georgia

MSG Adam Lessard hails from Athens, GA and joined The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in March of 2007. Lessard attended the University of Georgia where he earned his bachelor's degree studying with Dr. David Randolph and David Zerkel; the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, studying with Steven Mead; and the University of North Texas with his masters degree, studying with Dr. Brian Bowman. Lessard won both the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) High School Brass competition and the Falcone International Tuba Euphonium Student Competition in 1998. He placed 2nd in the 2003 MTNA College Brass Competition and 2006 Falcone Artist Competition and was a finalist in the 2006 International Tuba Euphonium Conference Artist Competition. Lessard has also performed with both the Kennedy Center Ballet and the National Symphony Orchestra.

Mason Soria

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Mason Soria began his musical journey on the tuba at the age of ten and currently serves as Principal Tuba of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, appointed by Gustavo Dudamel in 2022. In 2019, Soria won the Principal Tuba position with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, a role he held while pursuing his Bachelor’s degree at University of North Texas. While finishing his Master’s degree at the Frost School of Music, he was appointed Principal Tuba of the Richmond Symphony, performing several weeks of concerts before earning his current position with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As an avid educator, Soria has taught masterclasses at the Guildhall School of Music, USC Thornton School of Music, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, University of Miami Frost School of Music, and the Colburn School. He served as a faculty member at the Pokorny Low Brass Seminar in 2024. Soria holds a vibrant private studio in Los Angeles. Known for his passionate and inspiring approach to teaching, he hopes to foster the next generation of brass musicians with dedication and artistry. In 2025, Soria was honored with the Frost Centennial Medal for Distinguished Alumni. He is a Denis Wick Artist and proudly performs on B&S Markneukirchen instruments. His teachers include Warren Deck, Matthew Good, Donald Little, and Dr. Aaron Tindall.

Kent Eshelman

Baylor University

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.

Natalie Colegrove

Natalie Colegrove, known to many as Miss Euphonium, is celebrated both for her performances on the concert stage and online. A 2024 Yamaha Young Performing Artist and 2025 Concert Artists Guild Competition semi-finalist, Colegrove has appeared with ensembles including the Sarasota Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, the Colburn Orchestra, and the New World Symphony. She has been recognized with top prizes at the International Euphonium Tuba Festival and International Tuba Euphonium Conference, MTNA National Solo Competition, and the YoungArts Foundation. In 2022, she won the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Solo Competition and appeared as a featured soloist in 2023. Colegrove earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Euphonium Performance at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where she studied with Dr. Aaron Tindall and was named the Outstanding Senior of Instrumental Performance. Her debut album Midnight Euphonium, a remote euphonium-tuba ensemble project, was released during the 2020 pandemic to fundraise for first responders such as her father. In addition to her musical career, Colegrove is active as a marketing professional for musicians and non-profit organizations. She oversees social media and communications for the International Tuba Euphonium Association. Through her own online platform, @misseuphonium, she shares her music with an audience of over 50,000 followers

Jarrett McCourt

Ann Arbor Symphony

Named one of Canada’s “hottest 30 classical musicians under 30,” Jarrett McCourt has been praised for his “magnificent” playing (Palm Beach Daily News) and his “warm, romantic and seamless” sound (South Florida Classical Review). Jarrett currently serves as Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the UMKC Conservatory, and is Principal Tuba of both the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the Santa Fe Opera. He has also held positions as Principal Tuba of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and as a Fellow of the New World Symphony. He has built a reputation for stepping in at the last minute — most notably joining the Berlin Philharmonic in Berlin and on their month-long North American tour to perform Mahler’s Seventh Symphony under Kirill Petrenko, and jumping in with the Canadian Brass when their tubist was unable to perform. He has also appeared with leading ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Utah Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. As a soloist, Jarrett won the top prize in the brass category of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal’s Standard Life Competition in 2014, becoming the first tubist in the competition’s 80-year history to do so. He was also a finalist in the XVI Tchaikovsky Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia — the inaugural year for brass — and the only North American tubist to reach the live rounds. A champion of new music, Jarrett has commissioned works by composers including Nicole Lizée, Kevin Day, and Gala Flagello, and has released two solo albums: Golden Hour (2022) and Voyager (2024). Recent international tours have taken him to South Africa, Thailand, and Colombia for concerto appearances, recitals, and masterclasses. Beyond performing, Jarrett is committed to the intersection of music and wellness. He is a certified yoga instructor (YTT200) and a certified crisis hotline worker (Crisis Text Line), and he frequently speaks on mental health for musicians on platforms including The Brass Junkies, Sound Mind Musician, That’s Not Spit It’s Condensation, and The Mindful Musical Life Podcast. Jarrett earned a Bachelor of Music in Tuba Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario, and a Master of Music in Tuba Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan.

tuba

SSG Alec Rich

Berlin, CT

Group: The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band

Joined the Band: 2024

Alum: Oberlin Conservatory / Northwestern University

SSG Alec Rich is a native of Berlin, CT, and joined The United States Army Band in December of 2024. He received his bachelor's degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he studied with Dennis Nulty, and his Masters degree from Northwestern University where he studied with Gene Pokorny and Matt Gaunt. Prior to joining "Pershing's Own", Alec was a Chicago based freelancer performing in a variety of ensembles, such as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, among others. Outside of playing the tuba, Alec enjoys spending time with his wife Evelyn, watching hockey, and playing video games with his brothers.