Herzliche Wilkommen bei Die Liedermäuse!
Our name, (Dee Leeder-MOY-seh) means "The Musical Mice" and we bring the sounds of Bavaria, Oktoberfest and the Alps to Arizona!
No flaming accordions or backflipping tubas here, ach...NEIN! Our goal is to bring authentic flavor and old-world sound to your event.
We play popular polkas, marches, waltzes, tanzlmusi und boarischer- as well as a few modern favorites.
Ready for fun and games? We can also conduct Masskrugstemmen, pretzel-eating, beer races and Oktoberfest-themed trivia.
Lace up that dirndl, sport those lederhosen and raise the beer....Prost!
If you're in the mood for something completely different, check out Sirsy, an indy rock duo. Link to upcoming shows here!
Nikki and Steve
Trumpet, euphonium & clarinet
Steve got his start on clarinet by happenstance - someone just gave him two clarinets. He was fortunate to be in a school district in west Texas where the school paid for private lessons. His first teacher was Vin Richards, who was playing 2nd chair clarinet in the El Paso Symphony. Steve went on to make a name for himself on Bb clarinet, as well as bass clarinet and other instruments, throughout school. After changing his major from chemical engineering to music at Cal Poly Pomona in California, Steve transferred to Northern Arizona University where he met Nikki. While studying at NAU with the late Michael Sullivan, Steve was the principal bass clarinetist for the NAU Wind Symphony and performed bass clarinet with the Flagstaff Symphony and the Flagstaff Festival Orchestra.
When he and Nikki moved to the Los Angeles area, he became one of the founding members of the Los Angeles Clarinet Choir under the direction of Margaret Thornhill and Vicky Ramos-Dresel. He also played regularly with the Claremont Winds (later called the Symphonic Winds of the Pacific) and the Orange County Wind Symphony. He also sat in on occasion with the Corona Symphony and Symphony in Irvine, CA. Steve currently plays bass clarinet in the Tempe Symphony, Glendale Community College Low Clarinet Choir and Scottsdale Community College Clarinet Choir.
Nikki (aka Nikki Mouse) got her first taste of German/Bavarian music as a small child when she lived several years in Trier, Germany due to her dad being in the Air Force. She didn't actually start playing an instrument until a few years later when she picked up her dad's trumpet. In middle school, she added euphonium and trombone to her arsenal and has been all three ever since! She attended Northern Arizona University as a music education major (where she learned even MORE instruments). After she got married to Steve, our clarinet player, they moved to the Los Angeles area where she played in several high level community groups such as the Fullerton Community Band, Claremont Winds, Golden State British Brass Band and the Orange County Wind Symphony.
While in California, Nikki also formed a wind band called the Scoutones in the former Rio Hondo District. She is currently the Ensemble Leader for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Arizona Band based in the Phoenix area where she directs and fills in on missing brass instruments as needed - sometimes at the same time! She is also in the trumpet section for the East Valley-based group, Swing Memories Big Band.
Rob
Tuba
Rob has played tuba and trombone since 1991 and has been part of the San Jose State Spartan marching band and Arizona State University concert band. He lived in Bavaria in 1992 where he played with the Dorfener Stadtkapelle. Rob became quite fluent in the German language, with a touch of Bayrisch. That experience inspired him to bring the sounds of Bavaria and Tirol home to the U.S. Rob is a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Arizona Band and volunteer staff with the Barry Goldwater High School Pride Regiment as a low brass and marching coach.
Rob received a BS in Aviation Management from Arizona State in 1999 and has worked in the aviation field since 1993. He currently manages an aircraft for a private owner based in the Phoenix area.
Rob is also an 18 year veteran of the US Coast Guard Reserve and has spent the majority of that time performing search and rescue and security patrols. He proudly helps maintain the world's premier icebreaker and Antarctic research vessel, the "Polar Star".
Ted
Trombone
Ted began playing trombone at 10 and never stopped. 3 degrees, one of which is a Dr. of
Musical Arts, and 50 years later he’s still playing and teaching. After touring and performing in the 80’s and 90’s, Ted served as the General Manager of the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale in West Texas. Ted moved to Phoenix in 2006 where he teaches all the bass family of instruments at Music and Arts and looks forward to performing with
Die Ledermäuse and other area groups.
Mike, DMA
Tuba and baritone
Tuba and baritone
I am starting my first full year of teaching ever in the classroom here at Union Park. I am super excited about teaching and growing with all my students throughout the school year. I have three wonderful kids who all attend Union Park which is the greatest perk of the job. Along with my wife, Ally, we have our own little homestead five minutes from the school where we have bees, chickens, fruit trees, and a large garden. When we aren't bottling honey or making soap, you can usually find us hiking during the weekends.
As far as my background, I received my Doctorate from the University of Arizona in 2016, where I studied with Dr. Kelly Thomas. I am the founder of the award-winning British style brass band The Colorado Brass. During my time with Colorado Brass, I won Best New Arrangement for brass band at the U.S. Brass Band Open (along with my wife) as well as 2nd place with my tuba quartet at the North American Brass Association's National Championships.
In addition to teaching at Union Park, I teach low brass private lessons in the Phoenix metro area. My student’s accomplishments include; Acceptance to University of Colorado School of Music, Acceptance to The Battalion (Drum Corps), Colorado All-State Band, Colorado Honor Band, CSU honor band, and having received excellent ratings for solo and ensemble competitions. In addition, I have performed with a number of local groups, including the Colorado Wind Ensemble and the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra.
I also hold a Master’s and Bachelor’s of Music degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where I studied with Thomas Stein. My doctoral dissertation was on the use of the tuba quartet to increase technical facility in young tuba and euphonium students. If you purchase a copy, I get 3 cents in royalties!
Wendy
Trombone
Wendy is originally from SoCal and is currently working toward an undergrad degree in Music Learning and Teaching at Arizona State University. They started playing tenor trombone in 2014, and has been performing non-stop since. (Although now they have also picked up bass trombone… and pretty much every other instrument created.)
They have performed with the Golden West Pops, SCSBOA All-Southern Honor Ensembles, the CBDA All-State Honor Ensembles, the Claremont’s Young Musician’s Orchestra, and the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra. Currently they are on the executive t boards of The ASU Trombone Society and the IDEA Student Committee through ASU. They are also a performing member of the ASU Trombone Studio, the ASU Wind Symphony, and other small ensembles around campus. In the future Wendy hopes to teach beginning/intermediate music while also studying for the LSAT. In their free time Wendy enjoys playing music (obviously), going hiking, reading, and trying a billion other hobbies like sewing, composing, woodworking, and more.
Before this Wendy hadn’t really played Bavarian music (they are also ~25 years younger than the rest of the band), but says that, “Sousa is close enough… right?”
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