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the LGBTubenQuintet

The Lawrence Graduate Bayreuth Tuben Quintet is a tuben horn quintet that, fluid by design and inclination, is comprised of at least six members who identify as, know, or would like to know, someone who is LGBTQ+.

the LGBTubenquintet

queering wagner

The tuben horn (often referred to as the “Wagner tuba”) is an orchestral misfit, approximately the size and shape of a euphonium but played with a French horn mouthpiece. In recent years, the instrument has been featured in scores for video games and adventure films but otherwise, tuben horns, usually found in sets of four, take up space in instrument lockers in symphony halls until dusted off for the yearly Wagnerian blow-out.

That is until 2019, when a group of new-music French horn superstars decided to take up the cause of the neglected instrument in the form of the Lawrence Graduate Bayreuth Tuben Quintet. Current members include founder Ann Ellsworth, renowned soloist and recording artist, John Gattis, known for his work with Wavefield Ensemble, Kyra Sims, New York’s premiere comedian horn player, Leander Star, horn player with the new music wind quintet The City of Tomorrow, and Lydia Van Dreel, horn professor at the University of Oregon.

In May of 2022, The Lawrence Graduate Bayreuth Tuben Quintet released their eponymous debut album. The record features world premiere recordings of Rei Coman’s “Gaelic Call,” commissioned by the ensemble as well as adapted works by Eve Beglarian, John Cage, Moondog, Arvo Pärt, and Alex Temple.

Informed by their decidedly un-Wagnerian values of inclusivity, diversity, and visibility, the LGBTuben Quintet aims to build and expand the cannon for their flexible ensemble and advance a non-hierarchical agenda that includes affecting positive social change and creating broader representation for the historically underrepresented.