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MSO Musician Andrew Doub: “Give Today To Support the MSO!”

Dear Friend,

Music has always been a family thing for us in the Doub household.

My earliest musical memory was that the church we went to was selling a lot of pianos, and dad bought one of them. So he started taking piano lessons again, at the age of forty or something. And of course, I’m a five year old boy and I want to do everything that dad wants to do, so I started taking piano lessons. The first piece I ever learned was “Mary had a little lamb,” on all the black keys.

Then in fourth or fifth grade, I picked up the trombone, and played that all the way up until the end of the seventh grade. As I was about to go to the eighth grade, I realized I was definitely the worst trombonist in the band. And my band director said, “well, we need a tuba player.” So I volunteered and it was amazing how much better of a fit the tuba was for me. Just a year and a half later I was in the Maryland All-State Band.

In the second grade, I remember being introduced to the Maryland Symphony. The concertmaster came out and everybody was losing their mind – I mean, it was like a rock concert. And all of us kids were clapping after every movement, it was just amazing. A few years later, when I was in junior high, a lady at my church invited me to go with her to hear the MSO, so I started going to more and more MSO concerts. I had just started playing the tuba. And when I heard the MSO, I kept thinking: I want to do this. This is awesome, and I want to be up there.

I got to my senior year of high school, and started thinking, well, maybe this could work! So I just decided to go for it. Now I study tuba full-time at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and I’m part of a professional brass ensemble that plays all over the country, and is touring to Mongolia next year. And I’m so proud to be in my first season as the principal tuba right here with the Maryland Symphony. It means a lot to come home to Hagerstown and play with my hometown orchestra.

My vision for the future is to land a job with a big city orchestra, in Baltimore or Philadelphia or Chicago. This matters to me because I want to do something in life that makes me happy. And music does that for me. You hear that sound from the orchestra, and it’s like, wow! I want to be part of that.

The MSO is one of our community building blocks. If we want this community to grow, then we have to invest in the MSO. So I’m writing to ask you to give a gift today to support the MSO’s vital work.

The more support the community shows for the MSO, then the more support the MSO can have for this community through our concerts and education programs. I really believe that when we come together to support the Maryland Symphony, it lifts up our entire community. Your support today of the MSO would mean so much to me and to all of us orchestra members working so hard to bring beautiful music to our community.

As someone who was born and raised here, I’m proud to be part of the Maryland Symphony family, and excited for what the future holds: both for me and for the MSO. Thank you for supporting the MSO’s vital work, and I hope to see you at our Home for the Holidays concerts coming up December 16 and 17 at the historic Maryland Theatre.

With gratitude,

Andrew Doub
Principal Tuba, Maryland Symphony Orchestra

PS
In this season of gratitude and generosity, I ask you to consider being as generous as possible in your support of the MSO. You can click here to make your gift today. Thank you for supporting the MSO!