Velvet Brown facts for kids

Velvet Brown is a famous American musician. She plays the tuba and the euphonium. These are large brass instruments. She is a professor at Pennsylvania State University. She also helps lead the School of Music there. Her job is to make sure everyone feels welcome. Before Penn State, she taught at other universities. She also teaches at the Peabody Institute.

Velvet Brown's Amazing Career

Velvet Brown has had a very busy and successful career. Before teaching at Penn State, she taught at Bowling Green State University and Ball State University. She also helped lead the university bands at Boston University.

She helped start the International Women’s Brass Conference. This group supports women who play brass instruments. She was also on the board for the International Tuba Euphonium Association. From 2001 to 2007, she was their secretary. In 1999 and 2000, she won a special award called the William Fulbright Fellowship Vinciguerra Award.

Performing Around the World

Velvet Brown is a talented performer. She plays solo concerts and with small groups. She also records music and conducts orchestras. She has performed and taught in many countries. These include Italy, Germany, Japan, Cuba, and many more.

She is the main tuba player for the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra. She has also played with other big orchestras. These include the Detroit Symphony and the Saint Louis Symphony.

Playing Jazz Music

Since 2004, Velvet Brown has been the lead tuba player for Howard Johnson’s “Gravity” Tuba Jazz Ensemble. She played on their 2017 album, Testimony. She also helped start several music groups. These include the Monarch Brass Quintet and the Stiletto Brass Quintet.

She also helped create MOJATUBA. This is a special project that mixes modern dance with jazz music and African styles. She helps lead the Tuba and Euphonium Fest in Italy. In 2021, she played tuba for the U.S. Presidential Inauguration.

Velvet Brown's Music Recordings

Velvet Brown has recorded many albums. These recordings let people all over the world hear her amazing music.

Solo Albums

• 1998 - Velvet Brown, Tuba: This album features her playing tuba with a piano.
• 2001 - Music for Velvet: Another album where she plays tuba with a piano.
• 2005 - Perspectives in Rhythm: On this album, she plays tuba with a percussion group.
• 2011 - Simply Velvet: This recording also features her tuba playing with a piano.

Other Albums

• 2000 - Heart of a Wolf: This album includes solo tuba and tuba/euphonium duets.
• 2003 - Monarch Brass: This recording features the Monarch Brass Ensemble and Brass Quintet.
• 2004 - New Music From Bowling Green, Vol. 3: She played the Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra by John Williams with the Bowling Green Philharmonia.
• 2017 - Testimony: She played with Howard Johnson and Gravity on this album.