Sasha Koushk-Jalali

Tuba

Sasha Koushk-Jalali began his musical career at age 10 with the Southampton Youth Brass Band. He joined the National Youth Brass Band in 2004, where he won the Harry Mortimer Award as Overall Winner in the solo competition, before moving to the National Youth Orchestra in 2006. That same year, he accepted a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied with Patrick Harrild, graduating in 2010.

Since then, Sasha has built a busy freelance career performing across the UK and internationally. He has won principal tuba trials with the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Alongside performances with Septura, he works regularly with ensembles such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, English National Opera, Aurora Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, London Contemporary Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the studio, Sasha records extensively for film, television, and video game soundtracks with London’s leading session ensembles. Credits include The Matrix Resurrections, Doctor Strange, Deadpool, Zero Dark Thirty, Star Wars Battlefront, and The Whale.

Sasha is Professor of Tuba at the Royal College of Music, and also regularly teaches at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Outside music, he enjoys rock climbing, squash, and all things tech.

What is your favourite Septura piece to play?

Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonata. Organ music works so well for brass, and Simon’s arrangement really does it justice. The end is particularly satisfying to play.

What would you do if you weren’t a tuba player?

I’ve always been interested in working with music technology. I have a mini recording studio set up at home and often make my own music. I guess if I wasn’t a Tuba player, I’d like be involved in some sort of avant-garde musical research, like developing a usable brain-computer-music-interface.

Favourite Septura moment?

The live Radio 3 In Tune performances we have done. The knowledge that your music is being spread far and wide always adds a little special something to the situation.