Annual Octubafest features misunderstood' instrument

For tuba professor Dan Perantoni, Octubafest is not about him.\n"I mainly do this for my students," Perantoni said. \nEvery Jacobs School of Music tuba student has been practicing since early September and is required to perform at some point during the six-day event. Perantoni said his goal is to make sure every tuba student is in top form for the event, which kicked off Oct. 26 and closed its series of performances last night in Ford-Crawford Hall.\nA long-standing Jacobs School of Music tradition, Octubafest -- a worldwide event for tuba and euphonium -- is celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year. Perantoni, who is currently in charge of the event, said retired IU tuba professor Harvey Phillips started Octubafest. \nAs a world musician, Phillips wanted to form an event where the tuba and its slightly smaller version, the euphonium, would become the most important pieces, said Perantoni, a former student of Phillips.\n"Over the years, it's an instrument that was misunderstood," he said.\nOver the last 20 years, however, the tuba gained exposure, Perantoni said, citing the "Jaws" theme song as an important milestone. John Williams composed the theme and wrote the melody for renowned tuba player Tommy Johnson, who died Oct. 16 of this year. \nPerantoni said the "Jaws" theme was an important step in popularizing the versatile instrument.\n"We can play six octaves, which is more than most wind instruments," Perantoni said. "It can be used in jazz, classical -- and our literature has expanded greatly over the last 30 years."\nWith six nights of performances, Octubafest offers an opportunity to listen to not only classical music, but also pop and jazz. \n"I hope my performance impressed the audience," said senior Matthew Davison, who played a cello piece during the concert's opening night. "And thanks to the wonderful pianist, I can make a perfect ensemble."\nThroughout the hour-long event, audience members kept their attention fixed on the stage. Some even closed their eyes and rocked their heads to the beat of the music.\n"Tuba is usually for orchestra. Today, however, I could hear solo tuba, and it was a great opportunity to listen to delicate and strong sound," said Bloomington resident Erick McGuire, who attended the Oct. 26 event. "The tuba sound was so magnificent to me."\nPerantoni said he thought the overall turnout for the festival was good, with some shows drawing a lot of children.\n"This is one of the first years I've seen families bring their kids," he said. "They've been well-behaved and quite enthusiastic."\nLast night's festival-concluding "Octubaween" show featured all ensembles playing sets that included student-written pieces.\n--Arts Editor Andrea Alumbaugh contributed to this story.