R. Winston Morris

Who is R. Winston Morris?

Ralph Winston Morris is the professor of tuba and euphonium at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee. He is editor of The Tuba Source Book and the Euphonium Source Book.

Moris earned his academic degree in music from East Carolina University in 1962. As the conductor of the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble, he started promoting jazz tuba performance in an ensemble setting as early as 1967. Morris created the first tuba/euphonium ensemble at Tennessee Tech.

The Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble has performed under Morris' direction on Bourbon Street and at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Disney World, the National MENC Conference in Kansas City, the International T.U.B.A. Conference in Austin, Texas, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. The ensemble has also performed in Carnegie Hall 7 times, produced 22 commercial recordings—some which have been grammy nominated—and generated more than 600 compositions for the tuba, euphonium and tuba ensemble. Morris put together the first euphonium choir and organized the first recording project for euphonium choir.

R. Winston Morris was a student of William Bell, tuba player for the John Phillip Sousa Band. Winston was also a member of the Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort with Rich Matteson, Ashley Alexander, John Allred, Buddy Baker, Harvey Phillips and Daniel Perantoni. Currently, he is the tubist for the Brass Arts Quintet.