The American Brass Quintet Comes To The Hartt Theater 10/29

The American Brass Quintet will perform the first concert in The Richard P. Garmany Chamber Music Series on Thursday, October 29, at 7:30 PM in Hartt's Millard Auditorium, on the University of Hartford campus. A special pre-concert dinner precedes each performance and begins at 6:00 PM in the University's 1877 Club. Patrons may purchase Series subscriptions or individual tickets to the performances and/or the pre-concert dinners. This Series has been made possible by a grant from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the HartFord Foundation for Public Giving. The grant is one of the first awarded by the Garmany Fund. Mr. Garmany, who lived in Avon and was an executive at Aetna, created the fund before his death in July 2008. Admission to the concert is $30 with discounts available for seniors, students, and groups. Please call the University Box Office at 860.768.4228 or 800.274.8587 or visit www.hartford.edu/hartt for tickets and information.

Members of the American Brass Quintet are Raymond Mase, trumpet; Kevin Cobb, trumpet; David Wakefield, horn; Michael Powell, trombone; and John D. Rojak, bass trombone. Hartt is especially delighted to welcome American Brass Quintet's two trumpet players: Raymond Mase, a former Hartt faculty member; and Kevin Cobb, recently appointed Hartt's principal trumpet teacher. The program includes Three Conzoni edited by Raymond Mase, Fantasia e Rondo by Osvaldo Lacerda, Brass Quintet by Shafer Mahoney, Entrance by David Sampson, Five Pieces by Ludwig Maurer, and Colchester Fantasy (1987) by Eric Ewazen.

About the American Brass Quintet

Celebrating its fiftieth year during the 2009-2010 season, the American Brass Quintet has been recognized internationally as one of the premiere chamber music ensembles of our time. 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 more than fifty recordings; the premieres of more than 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, Ralph Shapey, Joan Tower, MeLinda Wagner, and Charles Whittenberg, are considered among the most significant contributions to the modern brass quintet repertoire. In the last three seasons the ABQ has premiered new works by Gordon Beeferman, Justin Dello Joio, Shafer Mahoney, David Sampson, and Grammy-winning composer-pianist Billy Childs, and released two new recordings: Cheer Boys Cheer (volume two of civil war brass music of the 26th NC Regimental Band and Jewels (ABQ concert favorites). In commemoration their 50th anniversary, the ABQ soon will release their eighth recording on the Summit label, a double CD of new works called The State of the Art-the ABQ at 50.

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 United States and internationally.

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 clearly has defined itself among the elite chamber music ensembles of our time. For more information about the American Brass Quintet visit www.americanbrassquintet.org.

The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford that offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. With more than 400 vocal and instrumental concerts, recitals, plays, master classes, opera performances, dance concerts, and musical theatre productions a year, performance is central to Hartt's curriculum. For more information on The Hartt School, visit www.hartford.edu/hartt.

HartFord Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, dedicated to improving the quality of life for area residents. The Foundation receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families, and last year, awarded grants of more than $27 million to a broad range of area nonprofit.

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