Praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as having "a sound as clear and sure as it [is] luxurious," Carol Jantsch has been principal tuba of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 2006. She won the position during her senior year at the University of Michigan, becoming the first female tuba player in a major symphony orchestra.
In addition to her duties in The Philadelphia Orchestra, Ms. Jantsch is a renowned tuba soloist. She gives solo recitals regularly and has appeared as a concerto soloist with various ensembles, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, the St. Petersburg Symphony in Russia, the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra and the United States Marine Band. She has performed in Carnegie's Zankel Hall with the Musical Olympus Festival and has appeared on the radio on NPR's series From the Top and Interlochen Public Radio's Live From Studio A. In 2009 she was honored with a "Best of Philly" award from Philadelphia magazine. She has also won prizes in several international solo tuba competitions and alumni awards from both Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan.
Ms. Jantsch is in increasing demand as a teacher worldwide having given master classes in Europe, Asia, and North America. She enjoys working with young musicians, and has been a featured artist at various brass festivals in Finland, Germany, Canada and the United States. She is on the faculty at the Yale University School of Music and Temple University's Boyer College of Music.
Ms. Jantsch is an advocate for music education in her community. In 2018, she founded Tubas For Good, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides instruments for students in the Philadelphia School District. She coaches music students from the district both through Tubas For Good and through The Philadelphia Orchestra's All-City program. Since 2017, she has hosted an annual Tuba/Euphonium PlayIN, a free community event where players of all ages and skill levels are invited to perform as a mass tuba ensemble on the Verizon Hall stage.
Ms. Jantsch enjoys interacting with audiences in a very different way than her orchestra role as a member of Tubular, a tuba cover band that performs at bars and events. Comprised of tubas, euphoniums, drums and vocals, Tubular is committed to presenting pop and rock music in a fun and engaging way, while guilefully stretching people's notions of the capabilities of low brass instruments. As the chief arranger of Tubular, Ms. Jantsch revels in the challenge of adapting music from ABBA to Zeppelin for this unique setting.
Raised in a musical family, Ms. Jantsch began piano lessons at age six and began studying euphonium at Interlochen Arts Camp at age nine. After switching to tuba, she attended the prestigious arts boarding high school Interlochen Arts Academy, graduating as salutatorian of her class. She continued her studies at the University of Michigan under the tutelage of Fritz Kaenzig. After winning her position with The Philadelphia Orchestra in February of 2006, she returned to Michigan to complete her Bachelor of Music, graduating with highest honors.
Ms. Jantsch can be heard on numerous Philadelphia Orchestra recordings, including the 2010 release of Ewald Quintets no. 1 and 3 with fellow Philadelphia Orchestra principal brass. She released her first solo recording, Cascades, in 2009. In 2013 she premiered Reflections on the Mississippi, a tuba concerto written for her and the Temple University Symphony Orchestra by Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Daugherty. She performed the concerto with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2015, and recorded it with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and the University of Michigan Symphony Band.
Ms. Jantsch is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
