Boston Brass
For over 30 years Boston Brass has set out to establish a one-of-a-kind musical experience. From exciting classical arrangements to burning jazz standards and the best of original brass repertoire, Boston Brass treats audiences to a unique brand of entertainment that captivates all ages. The ensemble’s lively repartee, touched with humor and personality, bridges the ocean of classical formality to delight audiences with great music and boisterous fun. The philosophy of Boston Brass is to provide audiences with a wide selection of musical styles in unique arrangements while maintaining a friendly and fun atmosphere. The quintet plays to audiences at concert halls, educational institutions, and music festivals, and regularly collaborates with orchestras, concert and marching bands, organists, jazz bands, and a variety of other ensembles.
The Boston Brass have been featured as educators and performers at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Music Educators National Conference events, American Bandmaster Association Conference, The American Band College, Western International Band Clinic, and at the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention. They have performed in all 50 US states and 30 countries and have conducted masterclasses around the world including sessions and residencies at the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Peabody Conservatory of Music, University of North Texas, Royal Academy of Music in London, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at the National University of Singapore, and Mahidol University in Bangkok.
Their newest recording Simple Gifts features new and exciting classical and jazz arrangements. Latin Nights, features a collection of some of the greatest classical and jazz works by Latin composers and performers and features the legendary drummerSteve Gadd, the beautiful voice of Talita Real, plus percussion and guitar. Other albums include Ya Gotta Try, featuring music from Horace Silver, Chick Corea and Dizzy Gillespie, produced by legendary jazz recording genius Rudy van Gelder and Within Earshot, featuring classical works by Shostakovich, Ginastera, Dvorak, Liszt and others. Boston Brass has two holiday recordings, Christmas Bells are Swingin’, and The Stan Kenton Christmas Carols, featuring the Boston Brass All-Stars Big Band playing the truly phenomenal charts made popular by the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Boston Brass tours a vibrant holiday show each year featuring many of the charts from these two albums, combined with a variety of quintet and combo selections which has established the show as a perennial audience favorite.
2011 marked the 25th Anniversary of Boston Brass and was celebrated with the 25 Fanfares Project, wherein 25 fanfares were premiered by composers from all over the country. Boston Brass also premiered a new major commission by noted wind ensemble composer Brian Balmages and new arrangements by former member and tuba player Sam Pilafian. Additionally, Boston Brass was very excited to have the opportunity to collaborate in the 2010/2011 season with the fabulous Imani Winds in a program entitled “Sketches of Spain,” featuring the music of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. In the 2012/2013 season the quintet began touring their “Notes from the Balcony” program with the Enso String Quartet featuring a program of music based on Romeo and Juliet.
Boston Brass is a Yamaha Performing Group and performs exclusively on Yamaha instruments. With shared goals of musical excellence and educational outreach, Boston Brass and Yamaha endeavor to present concerts and masterclasses around the world, including a 2018 tour of major music conservatories in China.