Posted by Sam Gnagey on June 12, 1999 at 05:58:11:
In Reply to: Using a sousaphone in an orchestra posted by Jacob on June 11, 1999 at 23:32:21:
I've used a sousaphone in my orchestra a few times for special effect. We played a new piece a few years ago that had a marching band movement in it. The composer and conductor loved my choice of instruments, and I even got doubling for playing it. I've also played it on "Stars and Stripes" for a program finale. I do have a very fine King "Monster" 4-valve BBb(1936) that looks and plays great that I use for this purpose. Our conductor is really into good, loud, exciting playing and putting on a great show for the audience. Not many of them would go for it. But, if a sousaphone is better musically than your other instruments, I go ahead and use it. I suppose you could always point the front facing bell off line with the audience. Some of them even have upright bells that work on them ie. the King upright tuba bell fits on their standard sousaphone, and the Conn 20K upright bell fits on their big 20j sousaphone. After all, that's what Sousa intended originally.