Natalie Colegrove has listened to somewhere between 150 and 200 episodes of The Brass Junkies, most of them during the pandemic while she was still in high school, and is a longtime Patreon supporter of the show. So it was a real treat to finally have her on the other side of the microphone!
Natalie is a euphonium soloist, a winner of The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Solo Competition, and the person behind the social media for about eight organizations and artists, including the International Tuba Euphonium Association.
Joining me as guest co-host was Mike Roylance, Principal Tuba of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
You can watch the full episode on Natalie’s artist page.
What struck me most about Natalie is how intentional she is about everything. That includes the dress she wore for her Army solo, the musical decisions she was still making a month before the performance, and the theme she picks for each year instead of a New Year’s resolution.
A few of the things we talked about:
The Artist Solo Competition in Valencia that left her ready to quit the euphonium, and the phone call that came the very same evening
How her synesthesia shapes the way she marks her music (and why G major gives her so much trouble)
Why she chose Paul Reade’s Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden, and how a 1987 British gardening show became her favorite TV show
Her micro bakery, 40 loaves of sourdough a week, and the most perfectly timed prop in Brass Junkies history
Why she stepped away from posting her own playing, and the biggest mistake she sees people making on social media right now
After the interview, I shared a Mockingbird Mentor Series conversation with Abby Cohen of the River City Brass Band, presented by The Mockingbird Foundation. Abby talks about her first lesson with Lance LaDuke and the one-hour assignment that changed the direction of her career. Natalie and Abby both started out as young euphonium players with big plans, and both got the same message from Lance: go make the thing.
Head to Natalie’s artist page to watch the full episode and read the show notes and full transcript.
