Michael Lind

International Tuba Soloist and Teacher; performed with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

Biography

Michael Lind has played in the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra since 1977 and was a member of the Philharmonic Brass Ensemble. As a musician he has performed worldwide with many famous musicians and has recorded numerous CDs from classical works to jazz. Lind has taught at Indiana University in the United States and is known worldwide as a teacher and soloist.

Lind promoted and organized the first Tuba-Swedish Workshop in 1977, the second-Tuba Workshop in 1992, the first Scandinavian Brass Symposium in 1978, the Scandinavian Brass Ensemble and the Scandinavian Tuba Jazz and Symphonic Band. Many composers have written especially for him but he has also reviewed some forty works by Nordic composers for wind instruments.

Since 1993, Michael Lind has taught at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm.

Lind has produced a number of historic, state-of-the-art recordings that defined the highest level of tuba performance at the time of their release. His first recording, issued on the Four Leaf Clover Records in 1979, as observed by one reviewer that Michael’s recording of the famous “Carnival of Venice” … comes off as Mr. Clean - I’ve never heard such impeccable technique anywhere else - on any brass instrument.” This observation had been confirmed at the First International Brass Congress held in Montreux, Switzerland, in 1976, when Lind’s performance of “Carnival” solicited a spontaneous and enthusiastic rousing standing ovation from the hundreds of brass authorities from throughout the entire world! Lind single-handedly validated the performance of music of historical significance in the evolution of brass solo repertoire. All of a sudden, everyone was proudly programming Carnival, etc., on their recitals and recordings.

No less an authority than the late great Harvey Phillips wrote the following about Michael Lind for his first recording, Play Tuba: “In the Summer of 1974 Michael Lind came to Bloomington, Indiana for private study. In 1977, I arranged an American recital tour for Michael. He was a tremendous success everywhere he went. Not just a musical or artistic success but a personal success as well! Through his musical artistry Michael set new standards of performance. The flood of compositions he continues to inspire from composers throughout the world is also a part of that legacy.”

One of Lind’s colleagues, the great trombonist Christian Lindberg says of Lind when he first hear him perform, “… Michael Lind presented an appearance that created a true sensation, and the first thought that came to mind was that this was Paganini reborn with a tuba in his hand. … his influence as a teacher has created a whole new generation of world class brass players in Scandinavia.”

And from one of our great tuba artists, Robert Tucci, “Lind is a pioneer, a great performer, a great inspiration to those who composed some of the finest works in our literature and to his students. His abilities and efforts, both in regard to the objectives he set for himself and in particular, to the events and meetings he organized, were amazing.”

What better validation to receive the prestigious ITEA Lifetime Achievement Award for one of the great tuba artists of all times, Michale Lind, could there possibly be than references like the above? Lind’s official curriculum vitae is a fifteen-page document of incredible accomplishment and dedication to the musical art of tuba and brass performance. This short bio merely scratches the surface of all the incredible accomplishments of Michale Lind and this most worthy designation.

-2014 International Tuba Euphonium Conference Program

Michael Lind (DK/S). Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, he is solo tubist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Stockholm and tuba instructor at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm since 1975. In 1974, he studied at the Indiana University (USA) with Harvey Phillips and he has also studied with Arnold Jacobs.

As a tuba soloist, he has performed and lectured in Scandinavia, Europe, the United States, Canada, Korea and Japan. He has made several records and CD’s which include both classical and jazz compositions. In 1980, he was a visiting professor at Indiana University. Michael has organized several symposia and workshops in Scandinavia such as the first Scandinavian Brass Symposium in 1978, the first and second Swedish Tuba Workshops and he was co-organizer of the second Scandinavian Brass Symposium in 1989. He is a founding member of the Scandinavian Brass Ensemble, the Scandinavian Brass Quintet, Scandinavian Tuba Jazz and the Symphonic Wind Band.

Michael Lind’s playing has inspired some 60 composers, mostly from the Nordic countries, to write for him. He has also commissioned around fifty works for various combinations of brass instruments. He is a recipient of the Military Music Society’s medal “Pro Musica Militaire” for his contributions to Swedish military music and he became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1993. Lind has been a member of TUBA Honorary Advisory Board since 1978.

-1997 International Tuba Euphonium Conference Program

Walter Hartley

James Self