Professor of Music Thomas Erdmann had an article published in a professional women's arts journal.
Professor Thomas Erdmann in the Department of Music had an article published in the Winter 2015 issue of WomenArts Quarterly Journal.
The article is on internationally renowned tubist Velvet Brown. While Brown currently teaches at Penn State University, she is also a chamber musician, orchestral tubist, conductor, composer, arranger, and recording artist. As a chamber musician she is a founding member of the Monarch Brass Ensemble, and performs with the Stilleto Brass Quintet and Penn State Faculty Brass Ensemble. She is a former member of the Boston Brass, Solstice Quartet, and Junction Tuba Quartet.
As a performer Brown has soloed with orchestras and given masterclasses throughout the world, and commissioned and given premiere performances of pieces by composers like Faye-Ellen Silverman and Alice Gomez. As an orchestral musician she is currently Principal Tubist with the Altoona Symphony and New Hampshire Music Festival orchestras. In the past she served as Utility Tubist with the Detroit, St. Louis, and Ft. Wayne symphony orchestras. As a jazz musician she holds the Lead Tuba chair in Howard Johnson’s famous Gravity Jazz Band as well as her own Velvet Jazz Trio.
As a conductor she directs the Penn State Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble and accepts as many guest band conducting appearances as her schedule will allow. As a composer and arranger a number of her works have entered the standard tuba repertoire. As a recording artist she made five recordings as a leader and appeared on 13 others as a sidemusician.