Robert Whaley

ARTIST INFORMATION

Meet the Musician

Where were you born? Where do you call home now?

Cape Girardeau, Missouri | Kalamazoo, Michigan

Where did you study? Who did you study under?

University of Kansas, Professor John D. Hill/University of Iowa, Professor John D. Hill | Arnold Jacobs, Tuba, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, 1966-67. I also took some lessons with Mr. William Bell of the New York Philharmonic during my sophomore year in college.

When did you first discover your instrument? How old were you?

I started playing trumpet in the 4th grade in Mt. Vernon, Missouri. In the 6th grade, I was in Jennings, Missouri performing trumpet in the Junior High School Band. One day, I was “messing around” with a small E-flat tuba in the band room before rehearsal started. The band director asked if I wanted to try playing the tuba. I said, “Why not.” I struggled to perform the high notes on the trumpet, and the tuba was much easier for me. I was 10 when I started on trumpet and 12 when I changed to the tuba.

How did you come to be with the KSO? What is your best memory here?

In 1966, I had just been hired as an instructor of Tuba at the Department of Music at Western Michigan University. There was a tuba position open in the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. I auditioned and won the position in August. I performed as a concerto soloist with the orchestra in the spring of my first season. Last fall was my 58th season with the KSO.

Who is a musician/mentor who inspires you? What makes them special?

I have had a number of musicians who inspire me: my tuba teachers and especially tuba performers like Michael Lind of Sweden, Harvey Phillips of the New York Brass Quintet, and Professor of Tuba at Indiana University. I am especially influenced by my colleague in the KSO, Principal Trumpet Scott Thornburg. I think he is one of the very best trumpet performers in the country. His musicianship is second to none. I love listening to him in rehearsals – it is stunning.

What is your favorite piece you’ve ever played? What did it feel like to play?

The Sixth Symphony of Gustav Mahler. This symphony has perhaps the most important tuba part of any orchestra piece with several solos passages. I feel the tuba part matched the way I perform in an ideal way. I thoroughly enjoyed performing it – it was a “high.”

What do you love most about Kalamazoo? What are your hobbies/interests outside of the music world?

I think Kalamazoo is a wonderful place to live, and if you like the “arts,” it is a great place to live – without living in a great big city. Outside of music, my hobbies are golf, tennis, and reading – especially about physics and other science subjects.

Your playlist recap is here…who is your most listened-to artist? (of any genre)

The Cleveland Orchestra – Metropolitan Opera – especially Soprano Maria Callas and Bass James Morris