Unless you're a bigger band geek than most, the word euphonium likely means nothing to you. It derives from the Greek euphonos, meaning "of good sound." It's essentially a little baritone tuba that hails from the 1840s in Germany. Depending on where you live, a euphonium player may be referred to as a euphoniumist, euphonist, or (in the U.K.) euphist or euphologist. There, now. Don't you feel smarter?

You may be asking why we bring this up. As part of the Weekly Volcano's ongoing commitment to highbrow entertainment, we're happy to shine a spotlight on euphonium soloist Steven Mead. Born in Bournemouth, England, Mead makes his first appearance in the Northwest this Saturday. That's a big deal, as Mead is at the very least one of the foremost euphonium players in the world. He's been featured soloist with the great military bands of Europe, premiered over 250 solo works, played on 65 albums, and taught at the Royal Academy of Music and Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester among numerous accolades. Basically, Steven Mead is the Eric Clapton of euphonium. In fact, if you surf over to euphonium.net, you'll find it's his website. His December schedule takes him to Germany and Hong Kong.

He'll appear at Broadway Center in conjunction with a new piece, "Under the Bridges of Paris." Were you aware we have an internationally-recognized classical composer in Tacoma? Well, it's true. Deborah J. Anderson, whose "Northwest Passage" premiered at the Seymour Botanical Conservatory in 2010, wrote a new piece that promises to carry us off down the Seine. This lovely composition will be accompanied by a video travelogue. As the good Doctor might say, allons-y!

It's all put together by the Tacoma Concert Band - for over three decades one of the finest such organizations in the West. Under the baton of maestro Robert Musser, Professor Emeritus at the University of Puget Sound, the band's 2015-2016 season includes an evening of "Bach to Broadway" Feb. 27 and familiar and current jazz April 30. The latter program features jazz vocalist and composer Eugenie Jones, born in West Virginia but currently residing in Bremerton, whose albums Black Lace Blue Tears and Come Out Swingin' were highly-praised examples of the form.

And that brings us back to the humble euphonium. If it seems to you a baritone tuba may not be the most nuanced of instruments, check out Mead's renditions of "Carnival of Venice" on YouTube. You'll discover a sound somewhere between trombone and saxophone, a full-voiced contrast to the bombast found elsewhere in the piece. In your face, Eric Clapton.

Hands Across the Sea, Tacoma Concert Band, Sat., 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21, Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, $18-$36, 253.591.5894