|
|
Now in its 51st season,
the American Brass Quintet has been
internationally recognized as one of the premier chamber music ensembles of our
time and an icon in the brass world. The ABQ's rich history includes
performances in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, Asia,
Australia and all fifty of the United States; a discography of over fifty
recordings; the premieres of over one-hundred contemporary brass works, and in
the last decade, mini-residencies that have brought the ABQ's chamber music
expertise to countless young musicians and institutions worldwide. ABQ
commissions by Samuel Adler, Bruce Adolphe, Daniel Asia, Jan Bach, Robert
Beaser, William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, Jacob Druckman, Eric Ewazen, Anthony
Plog, Huang Ruo, Steven Sacco, David Sampson, Gunther Schuller, William Schuman, Equally committed to the
promotion of brass chamber music through education, the American Brass Quintet
has been in residence at The Juilliard School
since 1987 and at the Aspen Music Festival
since 1970. Since 2001 the ABQ has offered its expertise in chamber music
performance and training with a program of mini-residencies as part of its
regular touring season. Designed to offer young groups and individuals an
intense chamber music experience over several days, ABQ mini-residencies have
been embraced by schools and communities throughout the Through its acclaimed
performances, diverse programming, commissioning, extensive discography and
educational mission, the ABQ has created a legacy unparalleled in the brass
field. Hailed as "the high priests of brass" by
Newsweek, "positively breathtaking" by the
New York Times, and "of all the brass
quintets, the most distinguished" by the
American Record Guide, the American Brass Quintet has clearly defined itself
among the elite chamber music ensembles of our time.
Trumpeter Raymond Mase has been a member of the American Brass Quintet since 1973 and is responsible for many of the ABQ's performance editions and recordings of 16th-, 17th-, and 19th-century brass music. He is also a founding member of the Summit Brass and principal trumpeter of the New York City Ballet Orchestra. Mr. Mase can be heard on well over one hundred recordings, including as soloist on the Albany, Deutsche Grammophon, Summit, Koch, Cambria, Troy, MHS, and Furious Artisans labels. In addition to his performing and teaching, Mr. Mase is Chair of the Brass Department at The Juilliard School, a member of the Aspen Music School faculty,and has served on the Board of Directors of Chamber Music America. Trumpeter Kevin Cobb became a member of the American Brass Quintet in the fall of 1998. Prior to his joining the ABQ, he had been a member of the Manhattan Brass Quintet and Meridian Arts Ensemble. Currently Mr. Cobb serves on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, SUNY Stony Brook, the Hartt School, and the Aspen Music School. He performs regularly with such organizations as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Speculum Musicae, and is co-principal trumpeter of the Aspen Festival Orchestra. His first solo CD entitled One features an all-American program of unaccompanied trumpet solos on the Summit Label. David Wakefield, horn David Wakefield, horn, joined the American Brass Quintet in 1976 while he was a doctoral student at The Juilliard School. A member of the Aspen Music School faculty since 1976 and the Juilliard School faculty since 1987, and the Hartt School since 2011, he also served as Associate Dean for Performance Activities at The Juilliard School. Principal horn of the Little Orchestra Society, Mr. Wakefield has performed with the New York, Vienna, and Brooklyn Philharmonics, Houston Symphony, and regularly with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the New York City Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has premiered over 250 new works and worked closely with such composers as Milton Babbitt, Luciano Berio, Elliott Carter, John Corigliano, Jacob Druckman, Eric Ewazen, George Tsontakis, and Charles Wuorinen. Michael Powell, trombone Michael Powell has been tenor trombonist of the American Brass Quintet since 1983. He also performs and records regularly with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Little Orchestra Society, Zankel Band, Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble, and Aspen Festival Orchestra. Mr. Powell has performed as soloist with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Kansas City Philharmonic, and at the Aspen and New Hampshire Music Festivals. He has taught master classes in trombone and chamber music worldwide. Mr. Powell commissioned, premiered and recorded the Sonata for Trombone and Piano by Eric Ewazen, with the composer as pianist. He is on the faculties of The Juilliard School, SUNY Stony Brook, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and the Aspen Music School. John D. Rojak, bass trombone American Brass Quintet member since 1991, John Rojak is also bass trombonist with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and New York Pops, and has performed and recorded with the New York Philharmonic and Orpheus. He served as bass trombonist for the sixteen-year run of Les Miserables on Broadway and was the first bass trombonist to be artist-in-residence at Quad City Arts (Iowa). Recent solo recordings include The Romantic Bass Trombone on MMC Records, Eric Ewazen's Rhapsody for Bass Trombone and Strings for Albany Records, and Walter Ross' Trombone Concerto No. 2 with the New York Chamber Symphony. He is on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, Bard College Conservatory of Music, and the Aspen Music School. |
|
|
