Mike Roylance

Mike W. Roylance, born in Washington, D.C., was appointed principal tuba of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2003 while finishing his graduate studies at DePaul University in Chicago. He attended the University of Miami and received a bachelor of arts from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.

At Rollins College, he served on the faculty conducting the brass ensemble and directing the Pep Band. He was also professor of tuba and euphonium at the University of Central Florida. While in Chicago, Mr. Roylance performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and he was the principal tuba of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for the 2001-02 season.

Prior to joining the Boston Symphony in 2003, Mike spent fifteen years as a freelance musician and teacher in Orlando, Florida. He performed on tuba and electric bass in a wide genre of ensembles such as orchestras, chamber groups, Dixieland bands, big bands, and Broadway shows.

He was a member of Walt Disney World’s “Future Corps” and the Walt Disney World Orchestra. While living in Orlando, he was also a member of the Rosie O’Grady’s Dixieland Jazz Band as well as the Sam Rivers RivBea Jazz Orchestra. His career includes performances throughout Europe and Japan. Mike Roylance has studied with such notable players as former University of Miami professor Connie Weldon, James Jenkins of the Jacksonville Symphony, Bob Tucci of the Bavarian State Opera, former Boston Symphony Orchestra tubist Chester Schmitz, Gene Pokorny of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Floyd Cooley, formerly of the San Francisco Symphony.

Mr. Roylance currently teaches at Yale University, the New England Conservatory, and Boston University. An avid pilot with an instrument rating and an active cyclist, Mike Roylance lives in Boston with his wife Amanda their two daughters.