ITEA Journal Volume 49 Number 1 (Fall 2021)
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In Memoriam
Earle Louder
Dr. Earle Louder, former principal euphonium with The United States Navy Band and recipient of the ITEA Lifetime Achievement Award, passed away on May 26, 2021 at age 88.
Dr. Louder was the retired Distinguished Professor Emeritus of euphonium and tuba from Morehead State University, Kentucky, where he served as Resident-Artist for 27 years. Before his tenure at Morehead State, he was principal and featured euphonium soloist and head of the brass department of The United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C. for 12 years, where he also conducted the Navy Band Ceremonial Unit. Before his service with the Navy Band, he was principal euphonium and assistant conductor of the 46th Infantry Division Band of the Michigan State National Guard.
Dr. Louder's education included an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University, studying under the renowned euphonium artist Leonard Falcone. His doctoral work was completed at Florida State University from which he held the distinction of being the first person to complete the Doctor of Music degree in Euphonium Performance. He was in great demand as a guest euphonium soloist, clinician, adjudicator, and conductor in the United States and internationally. He was principal and featured euphonium soloist with Keith Brion's "New Sousa Band", Dr. Leonard B. Smith's "Detroit Concert Band" and the Blossom Music Center Festival Band, the Bluegrass Wind Ensemble, and a performer on euphonium with the Grammy-nominated euphonium/tuba ensemble "Symphonia."
Earle Louder was a permanent faculty member at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan, spending more than 30 summers sharing his knowledge and artistry with staff and campers of all ages, and he received Blue Lake's Distinguished Faculty Award in 2013. He performed with Blue Lake's Festival Band, adjudicated in the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival, and completed six tours with Blue Lake's International Exchange Program throughout Europe.
Dr. Louder was a founding member of the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association (TUBA) which later became the International Tuba Euphonium Association (ITEA). Dr. Louder received the ITEA's Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the Kentucky Music Educators Association's Teacher of the Year award. The last honor that Dr. Louder received was the prestigious Edwin Franko Goldman Citation in 2019, presented by the American Bandmasters Association in March 2020 in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Further insight into Earle Louder's life and musical career can be found in the following 2006 ITEA Journal (Volume 33, Number 2) interview by Fred Meyer:
Editor's Note: Please look to a future issue of the ITEA Journal for a tribute to Earle Louder.
Henry David Payne
Henry David Payne III, Emeritus Professor of Music at Texas Tech University, passed away on June 3, 2021 in Lubbock, TX at age 77.
Payne's love of music took him to Oberlin Conservatory, where he majored in music. His junior year was spent studying at the Mozarteum, in Salzburg, Austria, followed by backpacking around Western Europe before returning to Oberlin for his senior year. Following graduation, he taught music in Sandoval, IL for two years.
Payne joined the faculty of Texas Tech University as their first tuba instructor. His favorite instrument was the tuba, but he was also proficient in piano, bass, and the organ. Inspired by his childhood love of Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, he shared his love of music with others by hosting weekly shows at the Texas Tech radio station. He was very active in the Texas Music Educators' Association, serving on audition panels and as adjudicator. Payne was a member of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra and the Texas Tech University Faculty Brass Quintet. After completing a 35-year teaching career at Texas Tech, he continued performing as the principal tuba for both the Lubbock and Roswell (NM) Symphony Orchestras.
Payne loved his cats, his plants, and exploring different foods; he delighted in introducing his young nieces to new cuisines. He was an avid art and Native American pottery collector and a supporter of both Texas Tech and Lubbock area art organizations.
Bennie Pete
Bennie Pete, the co-founder and sousaphone player of the Hot 8 Brass Band, passed away on September 6, 2021 at age 45.
Well-known in the New Orleans scene for preserving the city's big band brass culture, the Hot 8 Brass Band draws on contemporary brass band traditions while blending their sound with influences from funk, R&B, rap, and New Orleans bounce. Founded in 1996 when Bennie Pete brought together two student groups at Fortier High School, the Hot 8 Brass Band is a staple of the New Orleans live music scene, frequently performing in second line parades and other community functions. The band gained prominence following their inclusion in the Spike Lee directed documentary When the Levees Broke, which captured the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The group has collaborated with artists Lauryn Hill, Mos Def, and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Their LP The Life and Times of…the Hot 8 Brass Band earned a Grammy nomination for Best Regional Roots Music Album in 2013.
In a statement, the Hot 8 Brass Band said of Pete:
"He was more than just our leader; he was a constant galvanizing force within our own family of fellow musicians and beyond. Bennie was a rock in our lives. Yes, he was a leader, a teacher, and a mentor. More than that, Bennie was an inspiration to our band and to many other musicians, and the entire musical and cultural community. He helped each and every one of us, from our horn players to the folks dancing in the second lines and to the entire New Orleans community, during the most difficult and darkest times. Bennie helped all of us endure, to heal by encouraging us to continuing to play our music despite any adversities."
"After Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the federal levees, Bennie emerged as a symbol of perseverance and hope for all of New Orleans. His commitment to ensuring the cultural continuity of New Orleans's most authentic, unique and deeply rooted cultural traditions, rituals and practices was unwavering. Bennie's greatest wish was that New Orleans culture live on for future generations, and that the brass tradition continues to be a model of strength and a barometer of a healthy New Orleans cultural ecosystem."
The Hot 8 Brass Band has also released a brief video retrospective of Pete's life, capturing him playing his tuba:
Henry Charles Smith III
Grammy Award-winning brass player, conductor, educator, and longtime ITEA Honorary Advisory Council member, Henry Charles Smith passed away September 8, 2021 at age 90.
As principal trombonist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Smith performed over 2,000 concerts with Eugene Ormandy and worked with many other great conductors and composers of the twentieth century, including Seiji Ozawa, Aaron Copland, and Igor Stravinsky. As a member of the Philadelphia Brass Quintet, Smith and his colleagues won the 1969 Grammy Award for Classical Record of the Year.
Well-known as a trombone and euphonium soloist, Smith recorded the Hindemith Sonata for Trombone and Piano with Glenn Gould in 1976 and performed the world premiere of the Alan Hovhaness Symphony No. 29 for Baritone Horn and Band at Interlochen Center for the Arts in 1977. Smith was a true champion of music for low brass. In addition to the Hovhaness, he commissioned the Donald White Lyric Suite and the Charles Forsberg Serenade for Euphonium and Orchestra.
Dedicating much of his career to nurturing young artists, Smith taught as professor of music at Indiana University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Curtis Institute of Music. He was Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University. He conducted the Youth Arts Orchestra at Boston Tanglewood Music Center and led the renowned World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Arts camp as music director from 1981-1996.
During his conducting career, Smith served as associate and resident conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra for 17 seasons, and his guest conducting included engagements with the Detroit, Dallas, Kansas City, Indianapolis, San Antonio, and National Symphony Orchestras.
Colleagues, friends, and students remember his gentle and respectful nature, as well as his memorable sayings such as "Tu-tu-ka-tut."
Further insight into the life and musical career of Henry Charles Smith III can be found in the following 2001 interview of Mr. Smith by Carole Nowicke:
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