Euphoniumist Jenna Hoffman was the 2024-25 winner of the Mason Wind Symphony Concerto Competition and has won a job with The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band. She is currently completing her senior year of a bachelor’s degree in music education at the Dewberry School of Music, where she studies with Dr. Mark Jenkins (George Mason professor and principal of the U.S. Marine Band) and previously with Mr. Phil Franke (former principal of the U.S. Marine Band).
Ensemble Director: Dr. David Porter
Dr. David Porter is a retired CMSgt tubist from The United States Air Force Band, Washington D.C. with The Concert Band/Ceremonial Brass/Symphony Orchestra/Airmen of Note/Singing Sergeants/Dixieland Band, and Tower Brass Quintet. He is currently George Mason University Adjunct Faculty Tuba/Instrumental Pedagogy and Co-Director of the George MasonTuba Euphonium Ensemble. His teachers have been Roy Holder, Ronnie Spencer, R. Winston Morris, Dr. Karl Hinterbichler, Dr. Michael Nickens, David Fedderly, Milt Stevens, Gene Pokorny, Chrissellene Petropoulos, and Eugene Rabine.
Dr. Porters’s solo performance includes the USAF Concert Band and Chamber Series/Principal Tuba—New Mexico Brass Quintet and New Mexico Symphony Orchestra/McLean Orchestra/Maryland Symphony Orchestra/American Festival Pops Orchestra, Tim Zimmerman—King's Brass/Eurobrass/Camerata Brass/Tysons McLean Orchestra Brass/National Brass, and Kings Street Brass.
George Mason University Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble
The George Mason University Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble has been in existence for over 17 years. They draw from a diversified student population of music majors, music minors, and non-majors. They have performed at six regional conferences and nine international conferences as well as many appearances on and off the local GMU campus and have become known as a nationally recognized group by the International Tuba Euphonium Association. GMUTEE has commissioned and performed over 12 new works for tuba/euphonium ensemble from seven different composers including Kevin Day and Wycliffe Gordon. The group remains as front runner of the low brass department for recruiting students to enjoy and play chamber music and is led by Adjunct Professors Dr. David Porter, Tuba and Dr. Mark Jenkins, Euphonium. The instruction includes understanding and applying the artistic process, vocabulary and analyzation, historical and cultural perspective, and utilizing these skills into their own musicianship. Recently, part of the ensemble competed in and won the 2025 International Tuba Euphonium Festival Chamber Competition in Atlanta, GA.
The group remains as a front runner of the low brass department for recruiting students to enjoy and play chamber music. They strive to represent the musical capabilities of tuba and euphonium by performing new and commissioned works explicitly for them as well as transcriptions of Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Jazz, Rock, and Modern music.
The group is led by George Mason Adjunct Tuba Dr. David Porter and George Mason Adjunct Euphonium Dr. Mark Jenkins. This year highlights the group in diverse and varied musical selections providing a broad scope of delightful and stylistically challenging literature.
GMUTEE has performed in the local community at the Fairfax Festival of Lights, Herndon Wintermarket, Fairfax Holiday Market, and Senior Living Centers. The GMUTEE has a fall tradition of performing an OcTUBAfest recital.
GMUTEE Student Alumni Professional Careers
US Army Pershing’s Own Band
US Air Force Band in Europe
Royal Grenadier Guard Band, United Kingdom
King’s Brass
Washington Commanders Marching Band
Music Education Directors
Visiting Tuba Artists
Dr. Beth Mitchell, Soloist and Teacher, Pasadena City College and Azusa Pacific University, Los Angeles, CA
Avital Handler, Soloist and Teacher, Principal Tuba Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon Lezion
Patricio Cosentino, Soloist, Argentina
Dr. David Lopez, Soloist and Educator, Northern Virginia
Dr. David Earll, Soloist and Teacher, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Guest Artist Days
The George Mason Tuba Euphonium Ensemble often hosts Tuba Guest Artist Days featuring masterclasses, clinics, and recitals.
In 2022, international music artists Dr. Beth Mitchell and Ms. Avital Handler offered a masterclass to our Mason tuba students, a clinic on the latest tuba techniques, and a spectacular recital featuring the Mason Tuba Euphonium Ensemble, and Mason faculty Dr. David Porter (tuba) and Dr. Mark Jenkins (euphonium). All music directors, students, and families are invited to these informative sessions.