Soloist
Candice Neel
A next-generation American euphonist and one of the most-followed euphonium players on social media, out of the University of Oklahoma and the Frontier Brass Band.
| Nationality | American |
|---|---|
| Plays | Adams · Adams Artist (Rising Artist) |
Candice Neel (born 2004, Moore, Oklahoma) is among the most visible of the euphonium’s next generation. She began on piano as a child and took up the euphonium at thirteen; while still in high school she launched the Instagram account “smallhandsbigmusic” to document her practice and performances, and has since grown it into one of the most followed euphonium presences on social media, with a following in the tens of thousands.
She studied at the University of Oklahoma as principal euphoniumist under Brian Dobbins. Since 2022 she has been the solo euphonium of the Frontier Brass Band — a competitive Oklahoma ensemble — winning the US Masters in Kansas City twice and placing at the Dallas and St. Louis Gateway festivals, along the way sharing the stage with soloists such as David Childs. She has appeared as a featured soloist on staples like Pryor’s Blue Bells of Scotland and Sparke’s Harlequin, and pairs performance with a strong teaching bent, running a private studio and working with local marching bands. She is an Adams Rising Artist.
[EDITOR: update her current institution/status per your knowledge — graduated 2026, heading to the University of Colorado for graduate study.]