ASSOC PROF Brett Stemple
Head of Brass; TUBA
Appointed Associate Professor of Music at the YST Conservatory in 2017, tubist Dr Brett Stemple has served as a pioneering force in a number of key Southeast Asian musical institutions. Brett first served as Artist Faculty at the YST Conservatory from 2004, and from 2007 took on an expanded role as the Coordinator of Brass. Now a full-time member of the Conservatory faculty, his role of Head of Brass & Percussion allows him to take an even more central role at YST. Brett was particularly honoured to have been tapped to convene two international symposia hosted by the Conservatory, Performer’s Voice, Horizons Crossing Boundaries in 2012, and Performers(‘) Present in 2016.
Brett first came to Southeast Asia as a founding member of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). Appointed by MPO’s founding Music Director, Maestro Kees Bakels, Brett served the Orchestra as the Section Principal Tuba for nineteen seasons (1998 - 2017). With the MPO, Brett appears on over twenty recordings on the BIS, Vox, and EMI labels, and was recognised as one of the tonal foundations of the Orchestra’s sound: “amongst the outstanding brass players, the tubist is particularly worth mentioning” (Klassik.com). Brett was also a leading member of MPO’s Education and Outreach program, an active MPO Chamber Player, and in addition to regular solo responsibilities as the principal tubist was twice featured as a concerto soloist with the Orchestra.
From 1986 - 1990 Brett received conservatory training at the Eastman School of Music, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in tuba performance (with a minor in philosophy), summa cum laude. In the fall of 1994, Mr. Stemple accepted a Music Fellowship from Indiana University to pursue a Master’s degree with renowned tuba pedagogue Daniel Perantoni. After completing his master’s degree in 1996, he continued advanced study with Provost Professor Perantoni, graduating with a Doctor of Music degree in Tuba Performance and Pedagogy in May 2018. His research activities include investigating the intersection of “Flow” psychology with traditional brass pedagogy, and performance, particularly in the areas of brass study within a 21st-century conservatory context.
Besides being a fan of all forms of music, Brett enjoys reading poetry, philosophy and comparative mythology. Brett resides on the National University of Singapore campus with his family of five.
Dr. Brett is a Buffet Crampon Artist, performing on the excellent Melton Meinl Weston and B&S tubas.
