Concertino for Tuba was written in 2016 as a piano transcription to both the versions for band and orchestra, composed in 2003 and 2005, respectively. The duration is 13 minutes. The band version is grade 4 with the solo tuba grade 5. The solo tuba and band orchestration was adapted from Concertino for Euphonium and Band commissioned by the United States Army Band ?Pershing?s Own? in 1995. In 2002 Gary Bird asked me to compose a piece for him with band that was to be premiered by the Volga Band of Saratov, Russia conducted by Mary Ann Craig in 2004. Gary knew several of my compositions and asked me to compose a piece similar my Concertino for Euphonium and Band that was composed for Bob Powers and the United States Army Band. In 2004 Gary told my that he would be playing a solo with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and asked me to do a version for symphony orchestra. It was premiered by the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra; Istvan Jaray, Conductor in 2006. The orchestral version was recorded by Gary Bird and the Oak Grove Symphony Orchestra; Jack Stamp, Conducting. It is on the CD Tuba Safari on Albany Records. The band version was recorded by Gary Bird and the IUP Wind Ensemble; Jack Stamp, Conducting. Concertino for Tuba and Orchestra was a Semi Finalist Winner in the American Prize Composition Competition ? Orchestra Division in 2017, the only concerto awarded a prize in the Orchestra Division that year.

Gregory Fritze is a prize-winning composer and Fulbright Scholar, as well as an active performer and conductor. He recently retired from Berklee College of Music where he was Professor and Chair of Composition and tuba instructor, serving on the faculty from 1979 to 2016. He has written over ninety compositions for orchestra, band, chamber ensembles and soloists. He has won over sixty composition awards both nationally and internationally, including First Prize in the 1st WASBE (World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles) International Composition Contest 2017, First Prize Winner of the Reneé Fisher Composition Prize, First Prize Winner in the Concurso Bienal de Composición de Musica para Banda, Ciudad de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain), Menzione d?Onore (highest award given) of the Mario Bernardo Angelo-Comneno International Music Competition by the Accademia Angelica Costantiniana Arti E Scienze (Italy), First Prize in the 1991 TUBA International Etude Composition Competition and several others. His compositions include works published by several publishers in the United States, South America and Europe that have been performed extensively throughout the world.

Gregory Fritze is also a very active tubist. He was Principal Tubist with the Rhode Island Philharmonic for thirty-three years as well as performing with many other ensembles in New England and Florida.

He has been a frequent traveler to Spain since 1993 and has promoted compositions by Spanish composers around the world. He is the only composer who has been commissioned six times by Spanishbands for Certamen competitions, with each band winning first prize.

He has thirty-four compositions commercially recorded on Albany Records, MSR Classics, Crystal Records, Mark Records and others. He has been a guest lecturer, conductor and performer at many colleges, universities and music festivals in the United States, Canada, Japan, South America and Europe. He was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1954 and has Composition degrees from the Boston Conservatory and Indiana University. He now resides in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida.

My Bonny Lad is an old Northumbrian folk song first seen in a publication in 1922. The first verse of the lyrics are:

Have you seen ought of my bonny lad?

Are you sure he's well-o?

He's gone o'er lang wi' a stick in his hand,

He's gone to row the keel-o.

Composer, John Frith has taken this beautiful melody and expertly crafted a "Theme and 8 Variations" of it for Tuba and Piano about 6 minutes in length and appropriate for advanced performers.



Tubists now have a high quality solo in their repertoire of this style.