Oberheu

Steve Oberheu (b. 1976) has enjoyed a long and highly-varied career as a musician, composer, educator, and writer. Born and raised in Danville, Virginia, he started on trumpet in middle school band at age 9 and switched to tuba at age 11. He also picked up guitar at age 12 and bass a year later. He attended Virginia Tech where he was active in marching band, wind ensemble, orchestra, brass quintet, tuba-euphonium ensemble, and tuba quartet as well as a variety of rock and punk rock bands. He graduated in 1999 with his BA in Music Education. 

Steve then spent three years in Switzerland at the Conservatoire de Lausanne where he studied with Roger Bobo, completing his Diplôme de Virtuosité in 2002. While in Switzerland he performed with brass bands, orchestra, and the Swiss Tuba & Baritone Association (STUBA). During this time in Switzerland, Steve became more interested in writing and composition, completing his first works for brass ensembles as well as writing and editing articles for the website tubanews.com. 

Steve then headed to Los Angeles to work on his Master’s Degree at the University of Southern California where he studied with Tommy Johnson. After one year at USC he spent the summer in Japan as tubist with the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra before spending the 2003-04 season in Mexico as principal tuba of the Orquesta Sinfónica UANL in Monterrey. Steve returned to Los Angeles after one season to complete his MM in Tuba Performance. In 2005, Steve moved to Winnipeg, Canada. As a performer he has appeared with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and the Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra.

He is a founding member of the Dirty Catfish Brass Band and has appeared or recorded with artists such as Begonia, Royal Canoe, Al Simmons, Ashleigh Ball, Steve Bell, Rayannah, and Jeff Presslaff. As an educator, Steve has been teaching music privately since 2002. From 2006-2009 he was Instructor of Tuba & Euphonium at the University of North Dakota. In 2010, Steve began teaching full time in Winnipeg. He returned to school to obtain a Post-Baccalaureate Degree in Education from the University of Manitoba in 2012. He has taught music at every level from university to elementary.