Dr. Preston Light currently serves as the Adjunct Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Tennessee Technological University. Previously, he taught Tuba and Euphonium at Xavier University, Northern Kentucky University, and was also a partial sabbatical substitute for Professor Timothy Northcut at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music during the Spring 2018 semester. Dr. Light also holds a private studio in the Greater Cincinnati area, where he teaches all low brass instruments.
An active freelancer, Dr. Light has performed with a variety of ensembles including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Pops Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Summit Brass, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, Richmond (IN) Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and with Grammy Award winning composer Hans Zimmer on his recent tour stop in Cincinnati. Preston is also in demand as a solo musician, having been a featured performer at the 2018 Midwest Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference, 2018 Mid-Atlantic Tuba Euphonium Conference, 2017 U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Tuba Euphonium Workshop, 2016 Ohio Music Educators Association Conference, and the 2014 U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Tuba Euphonium Workshop.
Preston has also won and placed in many solo and chamber competitions. Most recently, Preston was awarded 3rd place in the MTNA National Young Artist Brass Solo Competition held in Lake Buena Vista, FL, 2nd in the Tuesday Musical Brass Competition, and won the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Tuba Euphonium Workshop Solo Tuba Competition in 2018. In 2016, he was awarded first place in the Tuba Artist category at the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival. Also in 2016, Preston was a semifinalist in the Artist Tuba Solo, Mock Band, Arnold Jacobs Mock Orchestra, and ensemble competitions at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference held in Knoxville, TN, where he went on to win the Mock Band competition and was a finalist in the Arnold Jacobs Mock Orchestra Competition. Preston was also the 2016 fellow at the Brevard Music Center, where he won the Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition. In 2011, Preston was a quarterfinalist at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. He has also competed and placed in many ITEA regional competitions.
During his time at Tennessee Tech, Preston was a member of the internationally acclaimed Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble. As a member of the TTTE, Preston toured the east coast, and was a featured soloist on tours to the United States Army Band Tuba Euphonium Workshop in Washington D.C. and in New York City for the ensemble’s eighth performance in Carnegie Hall.
Outside of performing, Preston is an active educator. He has worked with numerous band in the midwest and southeast United States. He is also active within the International Tuba Euphonium Association (ITEA) and runs the online Orchestra Players Project, reviews new music, and is the column editor for the “Back Row” column in the quarterly journal. Preston is also a strong advocate for new music and has commissioned pieces by Benjamin McMillan, Frank Gulino, Dr. Steven Darling, Evan Ziegel, and Lucas Garner.
Dr. Light recently published an etude book with composer Benjamin McMillan titled "15 Orchestral Etudes for Contrabass Tuba", which can be purchased through Cimarron Music. He can also be heard on the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra's newest CD "Voyage", and on "Evolutions (Carnegie VIII)" by the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble.
Dr. Light holds a B.M in Music Education from Tennessee Technological University, M.M. from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and a D.M.A. from CCM. His primary instructors include Timothy Northcut, Chris Olka, R. Winston Morris, and Jimmie Self.