Biography

Tony Clements, tuba

Mr. Clements holds the post of Principal Tubist in Symphony Silicon Valley, a position that he first won with the San José Symphony in 1981. In addition to his regular symphony season, he frequently plays summer music festivals, including Music in the Mountains in Nevada City; the Mozart Festival in San Luis Obispo; the Cabrillo Festival in Santa Cruz, Sand Point in Idaho and the Lake Tahoe Festival.

Mr. Clements has performed with  San Francisco Symphony, San Diego Symphony,  Oakland Symphony,  Sacramento Symphony,  San Francisco Ballet Orchestra,  San Francisco Opera Orchestra and other Bay Area orchestras. He is also a popular Bay Area soloist, for example premiering multiple works for both tuba and euphonium with the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Barbara Day Turner. In 1988, Mr. Clements toured Japan with the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Wind Ensemble as their guest soloist, playing 'Carnival of Venice' nine times, earning him the nickname "Tuba-san."

Recently, Mr. Clements was appointed the Conductor of the Ohlone Wind Orchestra and was added to the conducting staff of the El Camino Youth Symphony. His teaching positions include Stanford University, San Jose State, Cal State Hayward and Ohlone College, where he directs the 25-member Tuba Union of the Bay Area. In addition to his musical activities, he has opened a music shop dedicated to the professional low brass player, The Low Brass Werks, in Campbell, California (www.lowbrasswerks.com).    

Tony Clements started his tuba studies at the age of 7 in Lindenhurst, New York where he was taught by Julius Rubin, a freelance trombonist, and later by Bill Barber, a member of the Gil Evans Band. At the age of 14, he moved to California, where he received most of his subsequent training and has made his career. Following studies with Gary Tirey in Ohio, and Floyd Cooley of the San Francisco Symphony, Clements attended Cal State, Northridge, where he played tuba in the symphony, bass trombone in the jazz band, euphonium in the wind ensemble and bass trumpet in the brass ensemble. He was the Assistant Conductor of the Wind Ensemble, under Morrell Pfeifle, conducted the tuba ensemble and new music ensemble, and studied tuba with Tommy Johnson, Jim Self and Roger Bobo.

Mr. Clements received his symphonic training with Mehli Mehta in the American Youth Symphony, and Myung-Whun Chung and the Young Musicians' Foundation Debut Orchestra. Along the way, Mr. Clements has spent summers playing at Disneyland and Marriott's Great America. He has also served as  Personnel Manager for both Symphony Silicon Valley and San Jose Symphony.

In his leisure time, Clements enjoys camping,  playing with his dogs, Sam & Baylee and riding one of his beloved Harley-Davidsons.

<-Back