Demondrae Thurman is quickly becoming one of the most recognized names in a new generation of euphonium soloists. A native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Demondrae studied euphonium, trombone and conducting at the University of Alabama and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While studying in Tuscaloosa, Demondrae was the first ever undergraduate to perform solo with the Alabama Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Gerald Welker. In 1995, with that ensemble, he premiered Sinfonia Concertante by Dr. Frederic Goossen. In Madison, Demondrae was a featured soloist with the UW Symphony Orchestra, the UW Wind Ensemble as well as several high school bands in the area. His primary teachers are Daniel Drill, J. Michael Dunn, James Jenkins, and John Stevens.
Mr. Thurman has been extremely active as a soloist and clinician. His solo recording, entitled Soliloquies, was released on the Summit Records Label in 2005. In 2004, he performed the solo euphonium part in Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote and Gustav Holst’s The Planets with the Atlanta and Honolulu Symphony Orchestras respectively. In 2003, he was a finalist for the Philip Jones International Solo Competition held in Alsace, France. In 2002, he served as guest artist and adjudicator at the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference held in Greensboro, NC and the prestigious Leonard Falcone Euphonium/Tuba Competition held at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Whitehall, MI. He was also a guest artist at the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Army Band Tuba/Euphonium Conferences, the 2000 U.S. Army Ground Forces Tuba/Euphonium Conference, and the 2000 International Tuba/Euphonium Conference held in Regina, Canada. As a champion of contemporary music, Demondrae has premiered numerous works for solo euphonium, including Soliloquies by John Stevens and Fantasy for Euphonium and Orchestra by Doug Bristol.
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Listen to Demondrae perform with Sotto Voce on their two new CD's.
Details here at the Sotto Voce website (more) |
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Equally in demand as a trombonist, Demondrae has performed with the Alabama Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Tuscaloosa Symphony, Hot Springs Festival Orchestra, and as a member of the Tuscaloosa Horns - who play with such Motown recording artists as The Temptations, The Four Tops, and The Supremes. Demondrae is also a member of the Quatuor du Sud Trombone Quartet and plays first baritone horn with the world renowned Brass Band of Battle Creek.
Currently, Mr. Thurman teaches at the University of Alabama where he is Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium. Before accepting this position in 2005, he taught at Alabama State University, the University of Montevallo, and Troy State University.
Demondrae is a Besson performing artist and plays Besson euphoniums and baritone horns exclusively. His mouthpiece of choice is the "Demondrae" model mouthpiece, designed by Warburton.
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