Justin Gruber began his musical endeavors on the tuba at the age of 9 and currently holds the Tuba position in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Justin's orchestral pursuit began in his junior year of high school when he won the Principal Tuba position in the Florida Youth Orchestra. He held this position for the rest of high school while traveling to Carnegie Hall in 2018 and the Midwest Clinic in 2019 with his prestigious high school wind symphony. Before leaving high school, Justin was a finalist in the New World Symphony Concerto Competition, a National YoungArts winner, and was awarded the Kovner Fellowship from Juilliard.
He was then awarded the President's Music Scholarship to the University of Miami, Frost School of Music, where he studied with Dr. Aaron Tindall in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in music performance. In his first year, he won 3rd prize in the Leonard Falcone International Tuba Artist Solo Competition, as well as became an Associate Member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra. Shortly after his summer in Greensboro, being an Eastern Music Festival Orchestral Fellow, Justin won the Principal Tuba position with the New Mexico Philharmonic performing their 2021-22 season.
After his debut season, Justin attended the Brevard Music Festival as an Orchestral Fellow, where he was a finalist in the Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition. Shortly after his time at Brevard, he was Principal Tuba with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra for the remainder of their 2022 season. Justin then went on to win the Principal Tuba position with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. He is still completing his degree at Miami, with an estimated completion circa 2024, while maintaining his position with the orchestra.
Justin is a Yamaha Young Performing Artist, one of the selected winners of 2023. He was also awarded a fellowship to the prestigious Aspen Music Festival, where he will study with Warren Deck in the summer of 2023.
Justin began composing at the age of 11. He is self-taught, and his continued passion for making music fueled his compositional rise. He has written various solo, chamber, and large ensemble works. Most of Justin’s music is characteristically Neo-Romantic; he particularly has an affection for the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss.
In March of 2023, Justin won Special Prize in the 2nd ISAC International Popular Music Composition Competition for his piece, “Bumbling Naivety”. In June of the same year, he performed in the premiere of his piece, “Fanfare for the Winners,” specially commissioned for the YYPA 2023 weekend. Justin was also selected by the Pacific Chamber Orchestra for
their Dream American 2023 workshop and performance of his piece, “This Road Alone,” in October of the same year. A world premiere of Justin’s piece “Beneath the Crypt” is forthcoming with the prestigious Frost Wind Ensemble in the fall of 2024. Justin is also an avid arranger with an upcoming album release with tuba virtuoso and his teacher, Dr. Aaron Tindall. The album “At the Ballet” will feature two of Justin’s arrangements, including Prokofiev’s “Cinderella” and Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.”
Justin enjoys hiking and exploring his new city, Winnipeg. He has a passion for fitness and healthy living. Over the past few years, Justin embarked on a weight-loss journey, losing 160 lbs. With his newfound zest for life, he makes beautiful music in as many ways as possible.
https://linktr.ee/tubagruber
