Markua Mikusch, the talented German euphonium soloist has just become a Besson artist. Recently he met with Steve at the Besson Factory in Markneukirchen, Germany where he selected a new instrument, the sparkling new Prestige 2052.
Markus will assist Besson promotion in Germany through his excellent concerts, teaching, workshops and recordings.He was born in 1973 in Memmingen, about 100 km in the west of Munich and began playing euphonium at the age of 12.His military-time was spent with the airforceband no.1 in Munich/Neubiberg (Luftwaffenmusikkorps 1 München/Neubiberg). From 1996 -2001 Markus played solo-euphonium with the brass band Oberschwaben-Allgäu under the conductors David Gilson and Markus Theinert . In 1997 he did further studies with Ernst Hutter, solo-trombonist with the big band of the SWR in Stuttgart and now leader of the "Egerländer Musikanten”. Since 1997 he’s played solo-euphonium with the "Deutsche Bläserphilharmonie". In 2004 he won an audition with the "Police-band of Bavaria" (Musikkorps der bayerischen Bereitschaftspolizei), but decided not to join the band. Last year he started to study euphonium at the conservatory in Augsburg (Leopold-Mozart-Zentrum für Musik der Universität Augsburg), for a "Bachelor of Music"-degree. During all this time he gives concerts with different bands in South Germany e.g. with the"Stadtkapelle Sigmaringen", the "Stadtkapelle Illertissen" (near Ulm),the "Stadtkapelle Ulm/Söflingen" and the "Jugendblasorchester desAllgäu-Schwäbischen-Musikbundes" (ASM), which was conducted by Prof.Maurice Hamers. His involvement with Besson as follows a visit to this year’s Frankfurt music fair where he tested the new Besson Euphoniums.
Although he had recently purchased another leading brand, he recognised immediately that the instrument he was playing on in Frankfurt was the future for him and following consultations with Steve he now has a new Besson Prestige euphonium. Markus tested 15 Euphoniums at the factory and liked all of them , such is the quality of production, and found it hard to choose which one he would actually be taking away.
We will be hearing a lot more from Marcus Mikusch in the months and years to come.
Markus has just writtne a little report on his day in Markneukirchen:
Report about the visit to Markneukirchen
Starting at 8.30 in the morning for an 4 hour drive I had to go 430 km. But I looked very forward to see and test all these wonderful instruments. After my arrival on 12.30 we took a short meal and went on to the factory.
While Steve started immediately to test and control the instruments I had the possibility to walk through the factory and getting explanations from the managing director. It was a very interesting tour, seeing all these necessary work to build an instrument. Most impressive for me was to see, how four people formed a Tuba-bell over a metal-cone, throwing the cold metal onto it to cast out the bell.
After this 45-minute-tour I joined Steven. He already had four Prestige-euphoniums ready to test for me. Also he gave me some comments to the instruments, to help me with my choice. Basicly all the instruments are nearly the same, the only differences are how you feel on the different instruments. Some are more tight concerning the sound, some are a little more moveable if you do a vibrato. So I tested the instruments in different octaves: in the pedal-registers I searched an instrument which is very centered, in the middle registers (c1 - c3) I have looked for a very moveable instrument with which I can easely produce a warm sound, using a small and quick vibrato, but also a real brass band-vibrato. In the high registers (c3 - g3) I tried some lip-thrills and bendings which should go easely. All of these instruments (I guess it have been about 15 I have tested) were very good, easy to play on it also in the high registers. I had to be careful not to become too confused, writing up the numbers I have chosen. At the end I had separated five instruments which I tried once more, and after again ten minutes I choosed my favourite. Stevens comments also helped me very much.
It was a wonderful afternoon in the factory I never will forget. Also I want to thank for having the possibility to test so many instruments directly in the factory, beeing assisted by such a worldclass-euphonium-player like Steve. I enjoyed it very much!
Markus Mikusch