Heather Ewer is a freelance tuba player and educator born and raised in Colorado, living her best life in New York City. She grew up in a musical family - playing percussion and tuba duets with her father, Keith, learning bass from her mother, Michelle, and playing in quintets and bands with her twin brother, Tucker. Heather studied tuba with Deanna Swoboda at Western Michigan University where she earned her Bachelor’s in Music Education, and she has a Master's in Tuba Performance from Colorado State University. Since moving to New York in 2019 and purchasing her first sousaphone, she has become a staple of the NYC brass band scene, playing in several bands around town. Favorite performances to date include playing with the Athena Brass Band at the 2024 Ohio Music Educators Conference, playing with the Sinfonietta for two sold out performances of “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, celebrating Phish for their 40th Anniversary at Madison Square Garden, and playing for the opening of the 2021 Met Gala. 

She is currently the sousaphone player for Nation Beat and Brass by the Slice, and she regularly subs with Brass Queens. In the chamber music world, Heather loves playing with her quintet the Brownstone Brass, the Metropolitubas, and sometimes as the fifth “horn” for Metropolitan Horn Authority. As of late, Heather has loved collaborating on gigs with her wonderful trumpet playing girlfriend, Jackie Coleman. In addition to playing sousaphone and classical tuba, Heather has played tuba, trombone, and upright bass in various pit orchestras in Denver and New York. Favorite musicals that she has performed include Urinetown, Chicago, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Into the Woods. At the end of 2023, Heather started subbing on Tuesday nights with the great  Brooklyn staple, Slavic Soul Party, and playing with Banda De Los Muertos, also at Barbes. 

Heather is passionate about music education and maintains a private studio while also teaching trombone, euphonium, tuba, and group lessons for the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Heather taught beginning and middle school band at multiple schools in Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado. While teaching there, she was a frequent guest clinician for marching bands, low brass sectionals, and solo and ensemble contests. Back in Brooklyn, her six years of public school band directing made Heather a natural fit to serve as the music director for the L Train Brass Band from 2020 to 2021. Heather served in this role while teaching full-time at Linden Middle School in East New York, Brooklyn. In her final year teaching middle school band, she was named a Distinguished Teacher by the Achievement First Charter Network. Additionally, Heather has presented masterclasses at both the Colorado Music Educator’s Association and the Ohio Music Educator’s Association conferences.

In addition to loving leading bands, Heather loves arranging music for them. You can hear Heather’s pop and musical theatre arrangements played frequently by L Train, Brass by the Slice, and Brownstone Brass. She is also an aspiring musical theatre composer. In May 2023, Ring of Keys’ series “Queering the Canon” featured an original song with lyrics and music by Heather. If you cannot find Heather playing some variety of tuba, it is likely because she is enthusiastically sitting in the audience of a Broadway show.