Octubafest is an annual series of concerts featuring tuba and euphonium players. Perantoni directs the program.
The concert series began with a guest/student recital Oct. 16 and continued with student recitals beginning on Oct. 24. The remaining recitals are at 7 p.m. Oct. 30-31 in Ford-Crawford Hall.
Wednesday night’s performance began with music by Perantoni’s predecessor, the late Harvey Phillips, who was a distinguished professor of tuba in the music school from 1971 to 1994. He created the name Octubafest as a play on words, combining the tuba with the German Oktoberfest.
Octubafest occurs all over the world, Perantoni said.
Carol Phillips, the wife of Harvey Phillips, was in the audience at Wednesday’s recital. In Octubafest, students can learn from each other, she said.
“The concept was for the freshman to play for the seniors, and for the seniors to play for the freshmen,” Phillips said.
Perantoni said the act of performing live is better than simply practicing often.
Perantoni said his favorite part about Octubafest is hearing his students play well. It’s like a final exam, Perantoni said, but also a celebration.
“We do a celebration, but we’re very serious about the music and everyone plays a different piece,” Perantoni said. “It’s like a glorified master class with an audience.”
The final concert Saturday is a Halloween celebration involving costumes, and the musicians will celebrate with a party thrown by Perantoni., who said he is proud of his talented students.
Octubafest also challenges the students to become comfortable performing in front of an audience.
“A student can be a wonderful player but then get nervous during a performance,” Perantoni said. “The more you get out in public and play, the more you’re familiar with what’s happening.”
The tuba was one of the last brass instruments to be invented, so the literature of tuba music is different than the music of other instruments, Perantoni said. As a result, most of the music is contemporary. The programs also have arrangements of classical pieces.
The event is also a way to bring in professional guests. This year’s guest musician was tuba player Justin Benavidez, assistant professor of tuba and euphonium at the Ithaca College School of Music and faculty member at Round Top Summer Music Festival and Institute.
“It gives students the chance to hear some of the pros and some master classes, but more importantly, I put them on the spot — ‘OK, now you deliver,’” Perantoni said. “‘It’s your turn.’”
Junior Tim Strycula is a tuba player in Octubafest. He said he already played a concerto in a previous recital and was excited to be in the audience for Wednesday’s performance.
“I like getting the chance to perform in front of my friends and seeing everyone else play,” Strycula said.
