Jim Self
Tuba player Jim Self will be an artist-in-residence at the University of Central Arkansas from Oct. 1-4.
This residency is sponsored by the UCA Department of Music. This residency will include multiple public performances, class visits and meet-and-greets for students. Public performances are each day of the visit at the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts or The Brick Room. Public performances include the following:
- Oct. 1
7:30 p.m., Open Rehearsal–Jim Self and the UCA Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, Windgate Concert Hall
- Oct. 2
7:30 p.m., Public Performance: “The Natural State Brass Band, the UCA Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, and Jim Self,” Windgate Concert Hall
- Oct. 3
7:30 p.m., Public Performance: UCA Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Playing the Music of Jim Self, Windgate Concert Hall
- Oct. 4
6-6:30 p.m. and 7-7:30 p.m,. Public Performances: Jim Self and Friends, “Neighbors, An Art Show,” The Brick Room, 1020 Front St., Conway. Collaborating artists from central Arkansas include the following: Tom Richeson (trumpet/flugelhorn), Ted Ludwig (guitar), Brian Brown (drum set), David Higginbotham (double bass), and Gail Robertson (euphonium).
From Hollywood movies to a freelance musician, Self has done it all. He is most known for his tuba solo as the “Voice of the Mothership,” in John Williams’ score to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Self holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of South Carolina’s Thornton School of Music, where he is also a professor of tuba and chamber music.
“The residency with tubist Jim Self will introduce students and the community to an artist who is a legend in the film industry,” says Artist-in-Residence coordinator Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “His solo as the mothership in the iconic movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind contributed to the film’s selection for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.”
In addition to playing on more than 1,500 films, Self has composed more than 90 works and produced 21 solo jazz and classical recordings. He has recorded with hundreds of artists including vocalists Placido Domingo, Mel Tormé, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and jazz trumpeter Don Ellis.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024-25, the UCA Artists in Residence program is funded by UCA arts fees with additional support from Engage Management and Pyramid Art, Books, and Custom Framing. These events are free to UCA students and open to the public. No tickets are required. Events are located on the UCA campus, 201 Donaghey Ave, Conway, AR 72035, unless otherwise indicated. For more information about the UCA Artist in Residence program, visit https://uca.edu/cahss/artists-in-residence/ or contact Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at (501) 450-3293; gayles@uca.edu.
Written by Victoria Walter
