Owen Goddu is a euphonium performance and musicology master’s student at Baylor University and is a euphonium and tuba performer and educator in the Waco area. Through his career, Owen has engaged in both solo and chamber performances in Richmond, Virginia and Waco. In his performance, Owen puts a unique emphasis on vocal music, especially Schubert song cycles. This fascination with song cycles has led Owen to perform and advocate for the performance of thematic or narratively driven recital programs. Believing that an hour to tell a cohesive story though music is one of the most precious opportunities a musician has, Owen has completed a slew of narrative recitals. Most recently, Owen completed the recital projects “On The Road” and “We Are The Future: A Musical Love Letter to my Youth” that were focused respectively on moving from Virginia to Texas and the joys of childhood.
As a chamber performer, Owen has primarily performed with brass quintets and tuba quartets. Along with his playing, Owen has arranged multiple pieces for both of these ensembles and has composed original works for tuba quartet. In addition, Owen has arranged piano trios for trumpet, euphonium, and piano in an attempt to stretch the chamber brass repertoire.
As an educator, he has taught both in ensemble and private settings. Through an unrelenting focus on song and artistry in Owen's teaching, his students have received state and regional honors in Virginia and Texas. In addition to success in honor bands, Owen believes teaching through song and expressiveness to students, even at a young age, will allow their own creativity and passion to guide them on their unique musical journey. In his own educational journey, Owen received his bachelor's of music from Virginia Commonwealth University with high honors where he was given the Excellence in Musicianship award. Notable teachers of Owen are Dr. Kent Eshelman and Dr. Ross Walter.
Outside of his active musical schedule, Owen enjoys spending his time cooking for his friends, petting every dog he passes, and playing chess poorly.
In my lecture "Blue Collar Bands" I will discuss the development of British Brass Bands through the 19th and 20th century and its working class origins. This lecture will cover the musical, cultural, and financial impacts of the Brass band. With that background established, I will discuss how the tuba and euphonium were integral to the development of brass bands, and how brass bands shaped the development and repertoire of the early euphonium and tuba.
