tubas

Heribert Glassl had two musical loves, the tuba and the cello. While it may seem like a strange pairing, Mr. Glassl made it work. In fact, after a long career in musical instrument making, the tuba and cello are the only products he produced in his small German factory. As founder of the Musik Glassl Company, Heribert has been a regular fixture at the Frankfurt Messe from the very beginning. It was during a Frankfurt Fair that he was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History Program on April 2, 2004. 

Gerhard Meinl is the president of JA Musik, however a more apt title might be as the proud “musical mayor” of Markneukirchen Germany. The town sits close to the Czech boarder and for generations upon generations has made musical instruments a family tradition. In the case of Gerhard, he too followed the traditions of his family in making tubas and other brass instruments. Gerhard also has a strong interest in bringing music-making programs around the world by promoting the benefits of playing an instrument and urging that industry leaders become more involved with such efforts.  

Gunter Schmalfuss has taken great pride in working on one instrument most of his career, the tuba. Since 1961, Mr. Schmalfuss has studied, built and designed tubas in addition to teaching the craft of repair. Following a great tradition of handcrafted work, he has played a vital role in the expansion of the instrument’s models and design keeping up with the times but being grounded in the roots of the instrument. Mr.

Patrick Selmer is proud of his family’s long and important history as instrument makers in France. The company produces many of the finest band and orchestra instruments in the world and for decades were leaders in design and craftsmanship. Selmer Paris continues to focus on innovations and under Patrick’s leadership has played an important role in the global music market as well as being a strong and impassioned advocate for music education.