~We are the proud members of the Oregon Tuba Association
Cathy Gray, Program Chair for the Oregon Tuba Association
Contact Information: javankg@juno.com
Cathy Gray is a retired teacher who started playing the baritone when her grandson started middle school band, and has played with the Oregon Tuba Ensemble ever since. Cathy also plays in the Springfield Community Concert Band and the Junction City Polka Band. She is an accomplished arranger for the tuba ensemble, and serves as our program chair. If you’d like the tuba ensemble to play at your event, Cathy Gray is your contact person.
Chuck Nickles, Director of the Oregon Tuba Ensemble
Chuck Nickles is a 2011 graduate in Tuba Performance from the University of Oregon, and spent 5 years in the U.S. Army as a tuba player/bass trombone player in Germany. He works with Wessex tubas designing tubas and repairs brass instruments in the Portland area. 2017 will be Chuck’s first year with the Oregon Tuba Ensemble.
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Thom Strunk, OTA President and Librarian
Thom Strunk is a retired English teacher who took up the euphonium in his retirement, and has since switched to playing the tuba. Thom also plays in the One More Time Marching Band, and he is a volunteer for the Eugene Police department. He and his wife are volunteer whale watchers as well as master gardeners. Thom would like to collect more antique brass instruments, and is one of the members who arranges music for the ensemble.
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Ally House, OTA Vice-President and Webmaster
Contact Info: oregontubaassociation@gmail.com
Ally House has played with the Oregon Tuba Ensemble since 2009 and was just elected president in 2014. Ally found her way to the tuba by way of the trombone and french horn. She is a retired Deputy Sheriff, and plays in two other wind ensembles, The One More Time Marching Band and the Springfield Community Concert Band. Ally also dabbles in arranging music for the ensemble. When not making mischief in the back row, she can be found riding her FZ1 motorcycle about the countryside.
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Bill Jensen, past OTA President
Bill Jensen played the baritone in elementary school and junior high, but was forced to drop band when he entered high school due to a high academic load. In his 50’s, his wife rented him a baritone and he regained his “chops” and he hasn’t looked back, joining his church Celebration Orchestra in Fullerton, CA, and the Cypress Symphonic Winds. Bill retired in 2008, and he and his wife moved to Springfield, with the opportunity to join the Oregon Tuba Association and its performing group, the Oregon Tuba Ensemble influential factors in their decision to relocate to Springfield.
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Dean Huston, past OTA President
Dean Huston played the tuba for four years in High School, then went off to a career as a heavy equipment operator, mechanic and mill wright, taking up the tuba again after a 20 year break. He has played with the Oregon Tuba Ensemble from almost the beginning, completing his 30th year. Dean played some euphonium at times during the “early days” and has settled in as a 3rd tuba in recent years. Dean also plays with the Junction City Polka Band. He and his wife were recently honored for their volunteer work with their church in Junction City.
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George Walker, OTA Treasurer
George Walker is a retired Springfield Municipal Engineer, who went for many years between school and adulthood without playing the tuba. He also plays tuba with the Springfield Community Concert Band, and is a former Marine. He recently moved from the 3rd tuba to the 4th tuba. George has been known to ride his Harley Davidson Sportster motorcycle about the town.
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Betty Monroe
Betty Monroe is a retired middle/high school music teacher and a musician of some repute. She is a clarinet virtuoso, a keyboard artist, and decided several years ago to take up the euphonium. She has played with the Oregon Tuba Ensemble for three years, and is a valuable member of the euphonium section. She formerly played with the Eugene Symphonic Band, is a choir section leader at St. Mary’s Episcopal church and is a former church organist.
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Bob Ellis
Bob Ellis is also a retired band director (middle school) who taught in the Springfield School District for many years. He also plays with the Springfield Community Concert Band, and has been a valued member of the Oregon Tuba Ensemble for many years.
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Susan Daily, Executive Council Member
Susan Daily went for 22 years without playing before picking her tuba back up. Susan has played with the Oregon Tuba Ensemble for almost 20 years. She also plays with the Junction City Polka Band, Springfield Community Concert Band, and the Cottage Grove Inter-generational Band, and when not working or tubaing, she can be found on her chrome yellow pearl Harley Davidson Dyna Low Rider motorcycle, motoring about the countryside.
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Travis Stone
Travis Stone has played tuba since he was in middle school, and has been a solid member of the Oregon Tuba Ensemble for several years. He is active in his church music program, and played in Army bands in the 90’s.
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Georgia Rennie, OTA Secretary
Georgia Rennie started her started her career as an amateur band geek in the 4th grade in Seattle, WA, starting with the clarinet. She moved on to the bass clarinet and the trombone as she payed through high school and college. With a few exceptions, her musical career was in a dormant phase until 2009, when she joined the OTE playing euphonium. The lure of playing a real tuba was strong, and she soon moved to the back row with a tuba. She works for the government, and is 50% of the sousaphone section in the One More Time Marching Band.
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Clarin Lewis
Clarin Lewis was originally a trumpet player, who began playing Eb tuba at a fairly young age, and still plays a variety of brass instruments. Clarin has played with the Oregon Tuba Ensemble for many years. Clarin is a retired photographer who also plays in the Junction City Polka Band.
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Dave McKee (Now Retired from Playing)
Dave McKee first played the tuba at Elmira High School in 1947 playing in solo contests and winning state competitions. Dave currently is a real estate investor living in Coburg, and is one of the founding members of the Oregon Tuba Association. His health has deteriorated to where he cannot play any longer, but still remains connected with the Ensemble.
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Gail Goshert
Gail Goshert hails from Pennsylvania, and has moved back to Oregon to be a full time grandmother to her grandchild. In addition to the euphonium, she also plays the violin. Gail is a free-lance church organist, substituting for local churches, and serves as the Treasurer for the Eugene Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Gail also plays in the Springfield Community Concert Band, the Junction City Polka Band and the One More Time Marching Band.
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Barrett Codieck
Barrett Codeick has played euphonium consistently through college and beyond. He is currently employed as a shipping agent, and has played with the Oregon Tuba Association for several years. He is active in his church music program, and plays in the Eugene Community Orchestra and the Springfield Community Concert Band, along with other small ensembles.
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Brian Dwyer
Brian is a mostly retired Caterpillar heavy equipment-engine-electrical power generation trainer. He played trombone from sixth grade on but gave it up for football in college. Brian was attracted to the first years of the Tuba Carol Concert and soon found himself tooting an E flat tuba in the early OTE when they needed third part players. A job change took him to Alaska and a couple of years with the Anchorage community band and after eleven years in Arizona and no tuba playing he came back to Eugene. With all the building projects done and now a widower it was time to get back to his favorite pass time and fellow tuba players. He is welcomed back to the area, and he also plays with the Springfield Community Concert Band.
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Loren Berry, Executive Council Member
Loren Berry is a native Eugenean that played Bass Trombone in high school, LCC bands and the early Swing Shift band, musical pit orchestras and other community groups. He picked the trombone up again several years ago after a break. Loren got his first euphonium in September (2014) and joined the OTE soon after. Loren also plays trombone in the Eugene Symphonic Band. He is still practicing architecture for his occupation.
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Linda Dorsey
Linda joins the OTE by way of a long and varied musical background, having played the euphonium since middle school. She recently retired as the music director of Cottage Grove Presbyterian Church, freeing up her Thursday nights for rehearsal. Linda volunteers with Eugene middle schools, teaching music to young people. She also marches in the One More Time Marching Band, and plays in various handbell choirs in the area.
AN UPDATE ON OUR PAST DIRECTORS!
Nathan Stokes
Nathan, who directed the Oregon Tuba Ensemble for the 2013-2014 season spent one year as the band director at Wy’East Middle School in Hood River, Oregon. In 2015-2016 he will be the band director for South Medford High School in Medford, Oregon.
Sean Turner
Sean, who directed the Oregon Tuba Ensemble for the 2012-2013 season is in his second year at Whitaker Middle School in Salem. He also assists with the marching band and jazz bands for Salem School District.