Album Notes

Charles Villarrubia serves as Lecturer in Brass Chamber Music at The University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Villarrubia is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana and a founding member of Rhythm & Brass. He received his Bachelors degree in music performance at Louisiana State University and a Masters degree in music performance from Boston University. He has been a member of the Dallas Brass, the Waterloo Festival Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra.

In 1984 he was awarded first prize in the T.U.B.A. orchestral competition, becoming the first individual to win that award. In addition, Mr. Villarrubia frequently performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestras and has recorded with the latter of those ensembles.

A staunch advocate of student involvement in chamber music, Mr. Villarrubia has authored a chamber music method book called Team Play With Rhythm & Brass – a guide to making chamber music. The book gives the student and educator a blueprint on how to start and maintain a successful chamber ensemble.

He has also written articles on the subject and been a guest lecturer at the Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic and the Music Educators National Convention. Charles has premiered no fewer than five new works for the tuba, several of which he commissioned.

Mr. Villarrubia has appeared on four continents as a guest clinician and performer for the Yamaha Corporation and has recorded on the Telarc, Angel EMI, d’note, and Koch labels. Mr. Villarrubia has been a faculty member at Boston University, The Boston Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and the Longy School of Music.