Members
Chuck Daellenbach
Chuck Daellenbach and his tuba have added music, imagination and humor to Canadian Brass ever since the group began in 1970. The warm and commanding bass sounds of his gold-plated Yamaha tuba are the bedrock of the group’s repertoire – from baroque to jazz. To audiences around the world, Chuck is also admired as a witty stage performer whose improvised banter with Gene Watts (trombone) is a concert trademark.
Chuck comes from a long line of German and Swiss musicians, and during his childhood in Wisconsin his father gave him daily music lessons. He left the Eastman School of Music with a Ph.D. at the age of 25 and headed north to teach music at the University of Toronto. His academic plans were derailed when he met Gene Watts, who had plans for a unique brass quartet – now a quintet with Chuck on tuba.
Together the two created the Canadian Brass and a new model for daring stage presentation of eclectic repertoire. “The music must be satisfying, and the format interesting and entertaining,” says Chuck.
Chuck’s energy is legendary, and he gives the word “multi-tasking” new meaning. He is a superb musician, overall stage performer, businessman, and innovator. Among his projects is a series of 200 brass works published by Hal Leonard, many with CDs, and played by students everywhere.
When not on tour, Chuck is at home in Toronto with his wife Mary Beth and their two sons.
Keith Dyrda
Grand prize winner of the 2008 Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal’s Standard Life competition, Canadian trombonist Keith Dyrda has become a musician of note on the Canadian music scene. Keith has performed as a soloist with the McGill Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal, the University of Manitoba Orchestra, and the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble.
In May 2009 Keith was the winner of the Robert Marsteller competition for solo trombone at the International Trombone Festival held in Aarhus, Denmark. Also in 2009, he was the winner of the solo competition held at the 10th annual Alessi Seminar, hosted by Joseph Alessi of the New York Philharmonic, held in Alburquerque New Mexico.
In the spring of 2009 Keith recorded a CD with CBC Radio Espace Musique, and this CD along with his live performance of the Tomasi Trombone Concerto with the OSM, have been aired frequently on national radio. The following summer, he recorded a CD of Brass Quintet repertoire with former members of the Canadian Brass Jens Lindemann and Ryan Anthony, hornist Martin Hackleman, tuba soloist Patrick Sheridan, and New York City jazz legend Wycliffe Gordon.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1989, Keith began his studies with Steven Dyer of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Now at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Keith studies with James Box, principal trombone of the Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal.
Keith has been the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards. He has attended and performed in recital at the Orford Summer Arts Festival, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Domaine Forget Summer Music Academy, and the Canadian National Youth Orchestra. He has studied with Roger Bobo, Michael Mulcahy, Joseph Alessi, Alain Trudel, Jorgen van Rijen, Ricardo Casero, Peter Sullivan, and Jens Lindemann.
Jeff Nelsen
The eclectic career of Canadian hornist Jeff Nelsen comprises a true cross-section of the music industry. He has succeeded in both classical and contemporary genres and has been inspirational in the roles of both musician and mentor for twenty years. Sometimes called the group’s anniversary baby, Jeff is the same age as Canadian Brass. As a young boy, he was inspired to become a horn player because he attended a Canadian Brass performance in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Performing and recording with Canadian Brass was a dream for Jeff since that day, and became a reality for him ten years ago, when he joined the group.
Since joining Canadian Brass in 2000, Jeff adopted an aggressive mentor role in the music world. He performs internationally with Canadian Brass and teaches horn and chamber music, and coaches people in what he calls “Fearless Performance” at the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Prior to joining Canadian Brass, Jeff was a member of several orchestras including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and performed in the horn sections of dozens of orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony. Nelsen performed two complete show runs on Broadway and toured with popular entertainers including Barry Manilow and Michael Bolton. An interesting extended Canadian Brass family story, Jeff’s Boston Symphony bassoonist sister is married to former Canadian Brass hornist David Ohanian. Jeff says that he gave David his sister, and David gave him his job. Jeff smiles and jokes, “I miss her, but it was a good trade.”
Brandon Ridenour
Brandon has also been recognized as a composer, receiving an honorable mention from ASCAP’s 2006 Morton Gould Young Composer Competition. In 2006, he also won the International Trumpet Guild solo competition playing his own composition, Sonata for Trumpet and Piano. In addition to composing, Brandon is also active as an arranger. In 2005, he began the ‘Trumpet Invasion’ project, which was also the title of his first solo CD. Rather than playing the standard trumpet pieces, Brandon’s project mission was to expand the repertoire of the instrument by creatively adapting and arranging new music. Brandon has been able to explore and stretch the boundaries of the trumpet and his arrangements are already circulating throughout the brass world. He has also created a number of new brass quintet arrangements for the Canadian Brass. Brandon’s trumpet and piano arrangements can be heard on his solo CDs (Trumpet Invasion, Trumpet Encores), which also features his father, Rich Ridenour at the piano and as an arranger. The two of them have an extensive performing career together as a father-son duo. Brandon has also had the unique opportunity to collaborate several times with award-winning composer/pianist Marvin Hamlisch. In addition, Brandon has played under the baton of James Conlon, James DePriest, Peter Eotvos, David Robertson, and John Williams, amongst others.
Brandon grew up in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, MI. He graduated from the Juilliard School in 2007 with a Bachelor of Music degree in trumpet performance. His past trumpet instructors include Mark Gould, Ray Mase, Scott Thornburg, and Gregg Good. For sounds, concert calendar, and more info, please visit -
myspace.com/bridenour
Chris Coletti
In January, Christopher premiered Ted Hearne’s Trumpet Concerto with the Huntsville Symphony, a work commissioned for him by the Symphony in 2009. This year Christopher will also be performing Barber’s Capricorn Concerto, and Shostakovich’s Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings. Christopher has performed the concertos of Tomasi, Haydn, Vivaldi, and Arutiunian, as well as Copland’s Quiet City, with orchestras in the New York area. As a recitalist, he has performed in Japan, Italy, and the United States.
As active as Christopher is in the classical scene, he also delves into the latin, jazz, and pop styles, having worked with musicians ranging from Yefim Bronfman, Pierre Boulez, and Riccardo Muti to Quincy Jones, Carlos Santana, and Gloria Estefan. Christopher has also had the pleasure of performing with Miami Sound Machinein the 2009 Latin Grammy Concert, as a member of the house-orchestra. Chris also performs regularly with the indie-rock band, Emanuel and the Fear, with whom he plays trumpet and theramin.
A graduate of the Juilliard School, where he received his Masters, and Manhattan School of Music, where he received his Bachelors, Chris is also an active arranger and orchestrator; he has already arranged for The Canadian Brass and has had his arrangements performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas and other notable ensembles.