Douglas Yeo
Encyclopedia
Douglas Yeo is bass trombonist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra
, where he holds the John Moors Cabot Bass Trombone Chair. He is also on the faculty of the New England Conservatory.
in 1955, Yeo holds a bachelor of music degree with honors from Wheaton College in Illinois
and a master of arts degree from New York University
. His principal teachers were Edward Kleinhammer and Keith Brown.
Before joining the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops Orchestra
in May 1985, Yeo was a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
, (1981–1985), and was on the faculties of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, in Baltimore
, and The Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C.
. His background has included a four-year tenure with the Goldman Band
, and performances with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, the Gerry Mulligan
Big Band, and orchestras for numerous Broadway
shows.
In 1998, he was named Music Director of the New England Brass Band, which has released four compact disc recordings under his direction. In 2006, the New England Brass Band, under Mr. Yeo's direction, won first place in the Honors Section at the North American Brass Band Association National Championship, held in Louisville, Kentucky
.
, contrabass trombone, and has become a leading exponent of historical brasses such as the buccin
, serpent
, ophicleide
and bass sackbut
.
(Ohio) Carillon Brass Festival and as the first "Visiting Artist" in residence at Lexington (Massachusetts) Christian Academy
(2003).
A prolific writer, Mr. Yeo has written more than thirty articles on the trombone and orchestral playing for various publications, including International Musician, The Instrumentalist, The Brass Herald, Christianity Today
, the Historic Brass Society Journal, the International Trombone Association Journal, and the T.U.B.A. Journal.
He has done extensive research in the Boston Symphony archives, resulting in the publication of four photo/historical articles on BSO brass players from 1881 to the present; he mounted an exhibit at Symphony Hall
on the history and hobbies of members of the Boston Symphony from 1881 to the present during the 1993-94 season. In 2000, he wrote a trombone teaching curriculum for the University of Reading
's (United Kingdom
) Music Teaching in Private Practice Initiative of their Department of Arts and Humanities in Education.
He is the co-author, along with Edward Kleinhammer, of Mastering the Trombone. He is also actively involved in the work of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Youth Activities office.
Yeo was the plaintiff in a 1994 court case, Yeo vs. Lexington, that tested important issues in scholastic media law. In 1997 Yeo lost on appeal and carried the case to the US Supreme court which declined to hear it.
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
, where he holds the John Moors Cabot Bass Trombone Chair. He is also on the faculty of the New England Conservatory.
Background
Born in Monterey, CaliforniaMonterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
in 1955, Yeo holds a bachelor of music degree with honors from Wheaton College in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and a master of arts degree from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. His principal teachers were Edward Kleinhammer and Keith Brown.
Before joining the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
in May 1985, Yeo was a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a professional American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland.In September 2007, Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s twelfth music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra.The BSO Board...
, (1981–1985), and was on the faculties of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, and The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. His background has included a four-year tenure with the Goldman Band
Goldman Band
The Goldman Band was formed by American musician and composer Edwin Franko Goldman in 1918 from the earlier New York Military Band. Goldman had organized the New York Military Band in 1911...
, and performances with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The Vienna Philharmonic is an orchestra in Austria, regularly considered one of the finest in the world....
, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, the Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
Big Band, and orchestras for numerous Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
shows.
In 1998, he was named Music Director of the New England Brass Band, which has released four compact disc recordings under his direction. In 2006, the New England Brass Band, under Mr. Yeo's direction, won first place in the Honors Section at the North American Brass Band Association National Championship, held in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
.
Performance and recording highlights
- He has been a soloist with the Boston and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras; on both occasions becoming the first bass trombonist to perform as soloist with either orchestra.
- In 1991, he gave the premiere of Vaclav NelhybelVáclav NelhýbelVáclav Nelhýbel was a Czech-American composer, mainly of works for student performers. He is considered one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century....
's Concerto for Bass Trombone with the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble.
- He performed John Williams' Tuba Concerto with the Boston Pops Orchestra under Mr. Williams, becoming the first bass trombonist to perform the piece.
- He gave the first performance of Lawrence Wolfe's Wildfire with the University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Wind Ensemble in 1995.
- He has premiered numerous compositions by Norman Bolter including Temptation for serpent and string quartet, Ancestors for digeridoo, shofarShofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
and serpent, and La Grotte Cosquer for tenor and bass trombones.
- His first solo recording, Proclamation, with The Black Dyke Mills Band, featured premieres of four newly commissioned works: Proclamation by Gordon LangfordGordon LangfordGordon Langford is an English composer, arranger and performer. Although well known in the brass band community as a composer and arranger, he is less well known as a composer of orchestral music, despite winning an Ivor Novello award for his March from the Colour Suite in 1971.Born in Edgware,...
, Rainy Day In Rio by Goff RichardsGoff RichardsGoff Richards , sometimes credited as Godfrey Richards, was a prominent English brass band arranger and composer. He was born in Cornwall, studying at the Royal College of Music and Reading University. Between 1976 and 1989, he lectured in arranging and at Salford College of Technology. He was the...
, Triptych by Lawrence Wolfe, and Tribute to George Roberts, arranged by Bill Geldard.
- His second solo recording, Take 1, featured live solo performances given in concert from 1975-1997 including Alan Hovhannes' Symphony Number 34, Opus 310 for Bass Trombone and StringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
.
- His solo recording, Cornerstone, of arrangements of hymns and gospel songs for bass trombone and piano, was released in 2000.
- In March 2002, he recorded Two Of A Mind, an album of solos and duets with BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tenor trombonist Nick Hudson, accompanied by the Williams Fairey BandFairey BandThe Fairey Band is a brass band based in Heaton Chapel in Stockport, Greater Manchester.Its name comes from Sir Richard Fairey and the Fairey Aviation Company, famous in later years for the Fairey Delta 2 aircraft - the first aircraft in level flight to exceed 1,000mph, and had an important...
and pianistPianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
David ChapmanDavid ChapmanDavid Chapman may refer to:*David Chapman , writer/producer covering video games, comic books, and other pop culture interests*David Chapman English physical chemist...
.
- In May 1997, he performed Simon ProctorSimon ProctorSimon Proctor is a British composer, pianist, and flautist, known for his works for unusual instruments.His best known work, the Concerto for Serpent and Orchestra, was written in 1987 when the composer was attached to the University of South Carolina...
's Concerto for Serpent and Orchestra with the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of John Williams.
- An album released in 2003, Le Monde du Serpent, features his playing serpentSerpent (instrument)A serpent is a bass wind instrument, descended from the cornett, and a distant ancestor of the tuba, with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument but side holes like a woodwind. It is usually a long cone bent into a snakelike shape, hence the name. The serpent is closely related to the cornett,...
in repertoire spanning over three centuries.
- In 1999 and 2004 he was a featured guest artist and clinician at the International Trombone Festival.
- In 1999 he also performed the Christopher Brubeck Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra with the Boston Pops OrchestraBoston Pops OrchestraThe Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
.
- In 2000, his performance of the finale of the Brubeck Concerto, "James Brown in the Twilight Zone", was broadcast on television as part of the "Evening at Pops" series on the Public Broadcasting ServicePublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS).
Historic brass speciality
In addition to playing the bass trombone, Yeo plays bass trumpetBass trumpet
The bass trumpet is a type of low trumpet which was first developed during the 1820s in Germany. It is usually pitched in 8' C or 9' B today, but is sometimes built in E and is treated as a transposing instrument sounding either an octave, a sixth or a ninth lower than written, depending on the...
, contrabass trombone, and has become a leading exponent of historical brasses such as the buccin
Buccin
The buccin is a visually distinctive trombone popularized in military bands in France between 1810–1845 which subsequently faded into obscurity....
, serpent
Serpent (instrument)
A serpent is a bass wind instrument, descended from the cornett, and a distant ancestor of the tuba, with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument but side holes like a woodwind. It is usually a long cone bent into a snakelike shape, hence the name. The serpent is closely related to the cornett,...
, ophicleide
Ophicleide
The ophicleide is a family of conical bore, brass keyed-bugles. It has a similar shape to the sudrophone.- History :The ophicleide was invented in 1817 and patented in 1821 by French instrument maker Jean Hilaire Asté as an extension to the keyed bugle or Royal Kent bugle family...
and bass sackbut
Sackbut
The sackbut is a trombone from the Renaissance and Baroque eras, i.e., a musical instrument in the brass family similar to the trumpet except characterised by a telescopic slide with which the player varies the length of the tube to change pitches, thus allowing them to obtain chromaticism, as...
.
- In 2001 he joined the orchestra of Boston BaroqueBoston BaroqueBoston Baroque is the oldest continuing period instrument orchestra in North America. It was founded in 1973 by the American harpsichordist and conductor, Martin Pearlman to present concerts of the Baroque and Classical repertoire on period instruments, drawing on the insights of the historical...
for performances of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (on bass sackbut) and HandelHANDELHANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
's Music for the Royal Fireworks (on serpent), the latter of which released in 2003 on the Telarc label. He joined Boston's Handel and Haydn SocietyHandel and Haydn SocietyThe Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
for performances of Berlioz' Symphonie FantastiqueSymphonie FantastiqueSymphonie Fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties , Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period, and is still very popular with concert audiences...
(playing ophicleide) in 2002 and in the Monteverdi VespersVespersVespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
of 1610 (playing bass sackbut) in 2003.
- In 2005 he played serpent with wind players from the Handel & Haydn Orchestra on the Divertimento in B flat [St. Antoni Chorale] attributed to Haydn and in Henry Purcell's Dido and AeneasDido and AeneasDido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London no later than the summer of 1688. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid...
. Also in 2005 he played ophicleide in the first North American performance on original instruments of Berlioz's Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
with Chorus Pro Musia in Boston.
- In June 2005 he presented a paper on serpent and ophicleide players in brass bands at the Great American Brass Band FestivalGreat American Brass Band FestivalThe Great American Brass Band Festival is a music festival held annually in Danville, Kentucky since 1990. The open-air festival features a wide variety of brass bands, a hot air balloon race, a picnic, and other activities...
's History Conference (DanvilleDanville, KentuckyDanville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
) and also performed a solo on ophicleide accompanied by the Athena Brass Band.
- He presented a recital of music for serpent at the 2000 Historic Brass Festival at the University of Connecticut (Storrs, ConnecticutStorrs, ConnecticutStorrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...
), has lectured on the serpent at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the National Music MuseumNational Music MuseumThe National Music Museum: America's Shrine to Music & Center for Study of the History of Musical Instruments is a musical instrument museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, USA. It was founded in 1973 on the campus of the University of South Dakota...
in VermillionVermillion, South DakotaVermillion is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the tenth largest city in the state. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 10,571. Vermillion lies atop a bluff near the Missouri River.The area has been home to...
, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
and the Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York City, and is named in the New Grove II Dictionary of Music's article on the serpent.
Other activities
Since coming to Boston, Yeo has been extensively involved in teaching. In addition to his position at the New England Conservatory, he has four times been on the faculty of the annual Hamamatsu (Japan) International Wind Academy and Seminar. Other residencies have included his participation in the 2003 University of DaytonUniversity of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
(Ohio) Carillon Brass Festival and as the first "Visiting Artist" in residence at Lexington (Massachusetts) Christian Academy
Lexington Christian Academy (Massachusetts)
Lexington Christian Academy, often referred to as LCA, is a private school located in Lexington, Massachusetts. The school educates students from sixth to twelfth grade. Although a day school, students are drawn from over 70 different communities, from three states, and overseas countries...
(2003).
A prolific writer, Mr. Yeo has written more than thirty articles on the trombone and orchestral playing for various publications, including International Musician, The Instrumentalist, The Brass Herald, Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
, the Historic Brass Society Journal, the International Trombone Association Journal, and the T.U.B.A. Journal.
He has done extensive research in the Boston Symphony archives, resulting in the publication of four photo/historical articles on BSO brass players from 1881 to the present; he mounted an exhibit at Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall usually refers to:* Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, USAIt may also refer to:Concert Halls* Allentown Symphony Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA* Phoenix Symphony Hall in Phoenix, Arizona, USA...
on the history and hobbies of members of the Boston Symphony from 1881 to the present during the 1993-94 season. In 2000, he wrote a trombone teaching curriculum for the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
's (United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) Music Teaching in Private Practice Initiative of their Department of Arts and Humanities in Education.
He is the co-author, along with Edward Kleinhammer, of Mastering the Trombone. He is also actively involved in the work of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Youth Activities office.
Yeo was the plaintiff in a 1994 court case, Yeo vs. Lexington, that tested important issues in scholastic media law. In 1997 Yeo lost on appeal and carried the case to the US Supreme court which declined to hear it.