The Faculty Brass Quintet

Robert Baca, trumpet
R. Mark Heidel, trumpet
Verle Ormsby, Jr., horn
Phillip Ostrander, trombone
Jerry Young, tuba

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The Faculty Brass Quintet is the resident faculty brass ensemble at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Members of the quintet are Robert Baca, trumpet; R. Mark Heidel, trumpet; Verle Ormsby, Jr., horn; Phillip Ostrander, trombone; and Jerry Young, tuba. The Faculty Brass Quintet has performed throughout Wisconsin in public schools, for community concerts, and for educational conferences for more than thirty years.

For information on availability of the Faculty Brass Quintet for a performance in your area, contact either Phillip Ostrander (ostranpa@uwec.edu  or (715) 836-4156) or Jerry Young (jyoung@uwec.edu or (715) 836-3633.

Robert Baca is Professor of Trumpet and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Other duties include teaching Jazz Improvisation, Jazz History, directing Jazz Ensembles I & II, and coordinating one of the nation's largest jazz festivals. Mr. Baca’s background includes numerous performances in both classical and commercial areas. Mr. Baca has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and is a current member of the Phillip Brunelle “Plymouth Music Series Orchestra" as well as a past member of the popular radio ensemble for Garrison Keilor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” He has toured with Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme and numerous others. As a teacher, Mr. Baca works with all levels of students and has served as conductor for many all state honors jazz ensembles. He has performed as a soloist in China, London, Costa Rica and Europe.

Mr. Baca is a past executive board member for the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) as the United States Representative as well as an advisory board member for the "Edwin Franko Goldman Band." He also served as past Vice President of Wisconsin Music Educators Association (Northwest Region) and past president of the International Association of Jazz Educators, Wisconsin Chapter.

Mr. Baca directs the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble I, recognized as one of the premiere jazz ensembles in the United States. In the past decade, the ensemble has toured throughout the United States, Europe and the Pacific Rim. In 1991 they performed in China, being recognized as the first jazz ensemble to tour this country since opening its borders to the western world. The ensemble has recorded ten CDs to date. Five CD’s were awarded the prestigious Down Beat Award in the “Best Big Band” category. Two were nominated for a Grammy. The ensemble's schedule in the last three years has included performances at the Midwest Band Directors Conference in Chicago, Illinois, the New York Brass Conference in New York City, the Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio Music Educators Conferences, two Northwestern Regional MENC Conferences, and the MENC National Conference. Mr. Baca is a Conn-Selmer clinician and excited about the opportunity to work with any age student.

Richard Mark Heidel is Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music in the Department of Music and Theatre Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he conducts the Wind Symphony, teaches courses in conducting and repertoire, supervises student teachers, serves as advisor to the National Band Association-Collegiate Chapter, and coordinates the UW-Eau Claire band program. Under his direction, the Wind Symphony has performed at the Wisconsin Music Educators Association State Conference, Illinois Music Educators Association All-State Conference, National Band Association-Wisconsin Chapter State Convention as well as on annual concert tours throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota.

A native of Texas, Heidel holds the Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Conducting from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas as well as the Doctor of Education in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to his appointment to the UW-Eau Claire faculty in 2000, Dr. Heidel served as Director of Bands at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and as a teaching assistant in the School of Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to his university teaching experiences, Heidel was a high school band director in Texas for nine years.

Dr. Heidel has been distinguished with memberships in numerous national and international honor societies and fraternities including Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Sigma Alpha Iota , Pi Kappa Lambda, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Nu Epsilon, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and Golden Key. He was the recipient of the Outstanding Musician award at Texas Tech University in both 1985 and 1986, and in 1997, he received the A. A. Harding award at the University of Illinois for the "highest possible achievement, service, and devotion to the University Bands." Dr. Heidel was named to the "Who's Who Among America 's Teachers" in 2002, and in 2003 he received the Citation of Excellence from the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Band Association. In 2005, Dr. Heidel was honored by being initiated into Sigma Alpha Iota as a Distinguished Member-National Arts Associate.

Dr. Heidel maintains a busy schedule as a guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician, guest lecturer, trumpet performer, and custom drill designer. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Band Association, NBA-Wisconsin Chapter, and the International Music Camp (Honorary Member), and he has served on the Board of Directors of the Shell Lake Arts Center and Texas Tech Band Alumni Association. Dr. Heidel has presented clinics at state music conferences in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin as well as guest lectures at Texas Tech University, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Ohio University, Bowling Green State University, Oakland University, and the University of Illinois. Heidel has served as guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician in Alaska, Texas, New Mexico, Georgia, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington, D.C., and Ontario, Canada.  In 2003, Heidel served as an adjudicator for the Limerick International Marching Band Competition and the 100th St. Patrick's Day Festival in Dublin, Ireland. His summer teaching experiences include serving as a faculty member of the Shell Lake Arts Center in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, Texas Tech University Band and Orchestra Camp, Illinois Summer Youth Music Program at the University of Illinois, and the International Music Camp. His list of publications includes numerous articles in the National Band Association Journal and Teaching Music. Dr. Heidel holds memberships in the National Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, Music Educators National Conference, and the Wisconsin Music Educators Association. As an active trumpet performer, Dr. Heidel is a member of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Faculty Brass Quintet, Eau Claire Brassworks and he frequently performs with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra.

Verle Ormsby, Jr., a St. Louis, Missouri native, is Senior Lecturer in Horn Studies with the Department of Music, and is a member of the faculty ensemble, the Wisconsin Woodwind Quintet. Dr. Ormsby is also a member of the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, the Northwinds British Brass Band and performs with the Apple River Brass and Wind Quintets. Dr. Ormsby has a Doctor of Arts degree in Horn Performance and Master's in Music degree in Horn Performance from Ball State University (IN), and a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville).

Dr. Ormsby has been on the music faculties of Pittsburg State University (KS), Southwest Baptist University (MO), Southwest Missouri State University, and Indiana-Purdue University at Ft. Wayne (IN).

He has also performed with the Springfield Symphony (MO), the Springfield Regional Opera Orchestra, the Ft. Smith Symphony (AR), the North Arkansas Symphony (Fayetteville), the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic (IN), the Indiana Chamber Orchestra, the Northern Indiana Opera Orchestra, the Florida Symphony (Orlando), the Walt Disney World Band and Orchestra, the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony (Tampa), and the Savannah Symphony (GA).

Dr. Ormsby is a long-time member of the International Horn Society, and has served as a horn clinician for Conn Horns, and served on the board of the American Horn Competition.

Phil Ostrander is Assistant Professor of Trombone at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he conducts the Symphony Band and teaches private trombone, trombone ensemble and brass techniques. Prior to his work at Eau Claire, he held a faculty position in New York at SUNY Geneseo teaching trombone and jazz studies. Dr. Ostrander completed his doctoral studies in trombone performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music in the studio of Dr. John Marcellus. Dr. Ostrander received master's degrees in both trombone and wind conducting from the New England Conservatory, as well as a bachelor's and Performer's Certificate from Eastman. From 1999 to 2001, he taught trombone and conducted the wind ensemble at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. While in Kansas, Dr. Ostrander conducted the 250 member Kansas Lions Band. In the summer of 2001, he was wind ensemble director at the New England Music Camp in Sidney, Maine. He has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Kansas City Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic and the popular chamber group Rhythm and Brass. Currently, he is a member of the IRIS Chamber Orchestra in Memphis, Tennessee under Michael Stern. Dr. Ostrander has recently been named Principal Trombone of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra. He also teaches at two summer jazz camps in Wisconsin: the Shell Lake Arts Camp and Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camp. An accomplished jazz trombonist, Dr. Ostrander has collaborated with jazz artists Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, Jimmy Heath, Claudio Roditi and Rich Beirach. He has recorded on Sony Classical with the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Naxos with the IRIS Orchestra.

Jerry A. Young is Professor of Tuba and Euphonium and Coordinator of the Wind and Percussion Area at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Young has been a member of the music faculty at UW-Eau Claire since 1983 where he teaches applied tuba and euphonium, directs the BASSically BRASS euphonium/tuba ensemble, as well as teaching courses in music education and the university honors program. Young served on the faculty of the Interlochen Arts Camp from 1983 to 1993 where he founded the Interlochen Tubafest and performed regularly as a soloist and chamber musician. His former students enjoy successful careers as music educators, in music industry, and in leading orchestras and military bands in the U.S. and abroad. He was editor-in-chief of the ITEA Journal from 1985 - 1988 and 1998 - 2002 and continues to serve as an editorial advisor for that publication. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of ITEA and currently serves as a member of the ITEA Board of Directors and as Editorial Advisor for the ITEA Journal. He is a long-time member of the Board of Trustees for the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival and is currently chair of the tuba solo competition music committee. Dr. Young was an assistant editor of The Tuba Source Book (published by Indiana University Press in 1996 and re-released in a new, updated edition in 2006) and has published an edition of the complete Arban Method for Tuba (published by Encore Music Publishing Co.). In 2006 he published a new edition of Herbert L. Clarke’s Technical Studies specially edited for euphonium and tuba (published by Really Good Music), and in early 2007 he completed a new edition of the Kopprasch 60 Studies (published by Encore Music Publishing).  Young is principal tubist with the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra and has performed throughout Wisconsin with the UW-Eau Claire Faculty Dixieland Band. He also performs as a member of Symphonia, an 18-piece euphonium and tuba ensemble comprised of top performers from across the U.S. Symphonia has performed across the U.S. and in Europe and has released three compact disc recordings. Dr. Young has appeared across the U.S., Europe, and Japan as a soloist, chamber musician, clinician, lecturer, and adjudicator. He was selected as the 1999 Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Arkansas Department of Music and is a Fellow of the Fulbright Academy of the University of Arkansas.