Tuba Faculty
Timothy Northcut
TIMOTHY J. NORTHCUT is Professor of Music and Instructor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he also serves as Music Director/Conductor of the CCM Brass Choir. A three-time recipient of CCM’s Ernest N. Glover Outstanding Teacher Award (1997, 2003, 2010), he was further recognized with the University of Cincinnati’s Mrs. A. B. (Dolly) Cohen Award for Excellence in University Teaching in 2003 and named one of Ohio’s Top 100 Educators in Ohio Magazine.
From 1998-2001, he was Executive Director of the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute, an international seminar for brass musicians in collaboration with Summit Brass, America’s premiere large brass ensemble. In 2008, he served as Artistic Director and Host of the 2008 International Tuba Euphonium Conference.
Currently, Tim performs as Principal Tuba with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and is a member of both the Carillon Brass Quintet and Summit Brass. His career also includes service as a member of The United States Army Field Band (Washington, DC), along with numerous solo and chamber music engagements.
Tim holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Tennessee Technological University, a Master of Music in Performance from The Catholic University of America and has completed coursework toward a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Arizona State University. Tim attributes his success to the mentorship of his teachers: James Garrett, R. Winston Morris, Harvey Phillips, David Fedderly, Warren Deck and Daniel Perantoni.
David Kirk
DAVID KIRK is principal tubist of the Houston Symphony and Associate Professor of Tuba at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, positions held since 1982. Mr. Kirk studied at Juilliard under Don Harry. Dave’s other teachers include Chester Schmitz, Warren Deck, Neal Tidwell, and his Houston Symphony colleagues.
Kirk appears as a guest performer and teacher in North America and Japan. He enjoys an international reputation for effective teaching of musicianship and physical aspects of wind playing. He is an active recitalist, chamber music collaborator, and conductor.
In 2022, Dave performed the Texas premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ Concerto for Tubist and Orchestra with the Houston Symphony led by Andrés Orozco-Estrada.
In summer 2025, he serves on the faculties of the Texas Music Festival, Rafael Méndez Brass Institute and Brevard Music Center. He is a guest performer at Strings Music Festival (Steamboat Springs, CO).
His orchestral playing is heard on Houston Symphony recordings under conductors Sergiu Comissiona, Newton Wayland, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Krajewski, Hans Graf, and Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Kirk’s solo playing is featured on Mark Custom Recordings’ The Music of Leroy Osmon, Volume 1.
Kathleen Brantigan
KATHLEEN AYLSWORTH BRANTIGAN is Artistic Director and, along with her husband, Chuck, founder of The Denver Brass. She formerly served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music. As a professional tubist, Kathy performed more than 80 concerts annually with The Denver Brass and the recital quintet, Denver Brass5, as well as with the Summit Brass at the annual Rafael Méndez Brass Institute. Kathy has been the Executive Producer of more than 20 recordings by The Denver Brass, heard on the Delos, Centaur, Klavier and Denver Brass labels. She is actively involved with the International Tuba-Euphonium Association, serving as its treasurer from 1999 through 2008, and as Host of the 2006 International Tuba-Euphonium Conference at the University of Denver.
Warren Deck
WARREN DECK, former Principal Tubist of the New York Philharmonic, held the positions of Principal Tubist with the Houston Symphony, and tuba professor at Rice University and the University of Denver. He made his solo debut with the New York Philharmonic by performing the world premiere of Roger Kellaway’s Songs of Ascent for Tuba and Orchestra. He has made four recordings with the Canadian Brass for Sony Classical and Phillips labels, and Tuba, a recording of leading tuba and euphonium players from Germany and the U.S. on EMI Angel Records. Deck is a faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival.