Tubist Brett Stemple was appointed associate professor of music at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST) in 2017, where he also serves as the head of brass and percussion. As YST’s vice dean of ensembles, Dr. Stemple steered the evolution of the YST Orchestral Institute, a creative musicians’ laboratory, designed as an innovative forum for conservatory-level ensemble training. 

Stemple has served as a trailblazing force in several key Southeast Asian music institutions. In addition to first joining YST as artist faculty in 2004 (only the second year of the Conservatory’s existence), he was a founding-member of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). Appointed by MPO’s founding music director, Kees Bakels, Stemple served the Orchestra as the section principal tuba for nineteen seasons (1998 – 2017). With the MPO, he appeared on over twenty recordings on the BIS, Vox, and EMI labels, and was recognised as one of the tonal foundations of the Orchestra’s sound: “amongst the outstanding brass players, the tubist is particularly worth mentioning” (Klassik.com). 

Stemple continues to maintain an active orchestral portfolio, performing regularly with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra (Singapore), and the Macao Orchestra, among other ensembles throughout Asia and beyond. Stemple received conservatory training at the Eastman School of Music, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Tuba Performance (with a minor in philosophy), summa cum laude. After receiving a music fellowship from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Stemple pursued graduate study with renowned tuba educator, Daniel Perantoni, graduating with a master’s degree in Tuba Performance (1996), and a Doctor of Music degree in Performance and Pedagogy (2018). His research focus includes investigating the intersection of ‘Flow’ psychology with traditional brass teaching, particularly within a 21st-century conservatory context.