LATEST NEWS
July 21, 2008
Canadian Brass in the UK - Radio Special
In case you couldn't make it to the UK concerts, and
if you missed the radio broadcast that occurred over
this past weekend, you still have one more opportunity
to catch a bit of the Brass! Click here
for information on the "Bandstand" broadcast.
July 14, 2008
Legends
Tour Adds Five Players to the Stage
Following on the release of their new LEGENDS
CD, Canadian Brass is about to perform three very special
concerts in the USA. Since the music on the CD concentrates
on expanded forces, so do the concerts — ten players
will be featured!
Canadian Brass Legends Ensemble: Joe Burgstaller, Ryan
Anthony, Brandon Ridenour and Joey Tartell on trumpet,
Jeff Nelsen and Gavin Reed on horn, Gene Watts, Pete
Ellefson and Zak Bond on trombone and Chuck on tuba.
Joe, Ryan, Jeff, Gene and Chuck are well known to Canadian
Brass friends, representing the core Canadian Brass
ensemble that has been recording together since 2001.
Added to this group, Brandon Ridenour has been playing
with the group for the past season— Brandon is
a recent graduate of The Juilliard School. The Brass
first met Brandon at the Music Academy of the West in
Santa Barbara, which is also the common link between
the Brass and two other members, Zak and Gavin. They
all jumped into the awareness of the group with their
high degree of excellence exhibited at the Academy sessions
years ago.
Jeff’s association with the Indiana University
Jacobs School of Music has put him shoulder-to-shoulder
with some of the finest musicians in the world. Two
of his brass faculty colleagues will join us on stage
next week: Pete and Joey. Of special interest to our
friends in the Chicago area, Pete will be playing Mahler’s
8th Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at
Ravinia the night before he plays that same stage with
the Brass! Joey, who has recently returned from a tour
of Egypt with the Smithsonian Jazz Ensemble, also collaborated
for years with fellow Canadian brass player Maynard
Ferguson as his lead trumpet player!
Come out to hear these legendary musicians perform
legendary repertoire. Be sure to take the opportunity
to talk to these fine members of the Legends Tour after
the concerts.
Click here to navigate
to the Concert Calendar.
June 12, 2008
July
1 Release Jazz Roots Preorders Now Open!
Never thought you would hear Canadian Brass joined
by jazz piano? How about electric bass?
Unknown to many, it's already been done! In the early
1970s, the Brass challenged the perception of musical
boundaries through two recordings which were among the
first to create the brand-new "crossover"
genre. These classic LPs, Rag-Ma-Tazz and Unexplored
Territory, are presented in Jazz Roots
for the first time in one CD package, as a homage to
the story of jazz.
First came Rag-Ma-Tazz—a ragtime era
and ragtime influenced music recording. The first eight
ragtime pieces are classic Scott Joplin, the king of
ragtime composers. Composers all over the world were
well aware of the American ragtime craze, resulting
in a plethora of jazz influenced compositions, from
Claude Debussy to two Canadian composers who added their
musical view of the era in their original composition
for the Brass: film composer Larry Crosley and dean
of Canadian composers Eldon Rathburn.
In 1977, Unexplored Territory became the first
runaway best seller for Canadian Brass. Stereo Review
featured this recording as its pick of the month, suggesting,
“The Canadian Brass enters its golden age.”
Never before had there been such a successful collaboration
between a classical artist with a jazz ensemble. This
recording was a result of the unique professional collaboration
of the Brass with pianist-composer Don Gillis, a writer
who went on to become the music director for Muppets’
creator Jim Henson. Gillis brought his own jazz quartet
to the recording project, along with names that have
become a who’s-who of Canadian artists, including
the “First Lady of the Guitar” Liona Boyd.
Significantly, Unexplored Territory also features
the first appearance of the Brass’ signature tune
“Just a Closer Walk”!
The Brass is pleased to make this classic material
available, and hope you'll share your impressions through
fanmail@canbrass.com. You can place an advance order
for this two-disc CD here!
June 6, 2008
Frackenpohls Endow Scholarship
Canadian Brass is proud to tell you about their chief
classical arranger over the past 30 years. Art &
Mary Ellen Frackenpohl have set up a programme for young
brass quintets very much in keeping with our own philosophy:
learn through performance.
Dr. Arthur and Mary Ellen Frackenpohl have endowed
a fund to establish The Frackenpohl Honors Brass Quintet
that will provide financial and experiential support
to five undergraduate brass majors. Potsdam College
will administer the endowment annually. Part of the
endowment will go toward scholarships for the student
members of The Frackenpohl Honors Brass Quintet, while
experiential support includes enabling the Quintet to
travel and perform while also providing opportunities
for guest artists, teachers and performers to interact
with the Quintet through clinics and master classes.
Dr. Frackenpohl has published more than 400 instrumental
and choral compositions and arrangements including three
large choral works, a chamber opera, two string quartets,
five brass quintets, a piano sonata and numerous works
arranged for the Canadian Brass, the most recent being
J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. His works have
been performed throughout the United States, Canada,
Europe, Australia and Japan. Dr. Frackenpohl earned
degrees from the University of Rochester, the Eastman
School of Music and McGill University.
Mrs. Frackenpohl graduated from Crane in 1954 with
a degree in Music Education. She taught flute privately
and played extensively for more than 20 years, also
serving as an adjunct faculty member at The Crane School
of Music and St. Lawrence University. In celebration
of her 50th reunion from Potsdam, the Frackenpohls established
the Mary Ellen Walkley Frackenpohl '54 Student Ensemble
Travel Endowment to provide travel money for ensembles
from The Crane School of Music.
Those wishing to support the Frackenpohl Honors Brass
Quintet may do so by contacting the Potsdam College
Foundation at (315) 267-2118.
May 13, 2008
LEGENDS
Available Now, and Coming Soon to Stage!
The compositions featured on LEGENDS are absolutely
essential to appreciating the Canadian Brass legacy.
The group virtually invented the "double brass quintet"
in the early '80s with their guests, the Berlin Philharmonic
Brass. They went on to record and perform with the Boston
Symphony, the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia
Orchestra brass sections. Combining music which represents
several centuries of the highest musical art tradition
along with the performers who have made a significant
contribution to the Brass' cultural heritage has produced
LEGENDS.
The new CD can be all yours here!
The Brass has for many years invited guests to perform
alongside them for recordings and concerts, starting
with the New York Philharmonic Brass (1983 in Ottawa
onstage at the National Arts Centre even before Joe
Alessi and Warren Deck had joined the Philharmonic!).
Then came a 1984 Sony recording made in Germany with
the Berlin Philharmonic Brass, followed by a decade
of concerts and recordings on Sony and BMG and Decca
labels with both the New York Philharmonic brass and
the Boston Symphony Orchestra brass. Suddenly we looked
up and realized that it was time to make a recording
expanded to ten with our own “alumni” –
joining Gene, Joe, Brandon, Jeff and Chuck are former
members and colleagues establishing the dectet Canadian
Brass Ensemble as heard in LEGENDS. To celebrate
the release of this recording we are performing several
concerts this July including the prestigious Ravinia
(Chicago) and Interlochen venues. Hope to see a lot
of our friends and fans then. View the July concert
dates here.
March 10, 2008
Fan Response to BACH
Brass fans have had a few weeks now to really give
a good listen to Canadian Brass’ newest release, BACH.
What do they think? Here’s what Chuck had to report:
It’s fun to be hearing so much positive response
to a CD, especially in these days of reading about the
‘demise’ of the CD. We felt each piece was incredibly
special on the BACH CD, and apparently our
friends & fans are feeling similarly. Ron Romm's arrangement
of the "Little Fugue in G minor" is an absolute
"must play" amongst brass players all over
the world now, 35 years after he made this arrangement
for our first LP made in Canada. It was that LP that
caught the attention of New York manager Kazuko Hillier
(then wife of Juilliard String Quartet's Raphael Hillier).
Kazuko said that he approved the artistry of the group
and that she "fell in love with the guys."
Tony Rickard is a name that has become well known to
audiences attending our annual concert in Avery Fischer
Hall every December. Tony is responsible for many of
the heroic large brass works we feature along with the
principal brass guys out of the New York Philharmonic.
In the Bach Overtures we felt he had achieved the grandeur
of an entire orchestra in this arrangement for ten brass
and tympani. You will be seeing the name Michael Allen,
arranger of "Aire pour les trompettes", a
lot more this spring when we release LEGENDS
featuring some great solo performances by Ryan Anthony,
Joe Burgstaller, Jeff Nelsen and Bernhard Scully. These
recordings are putting us back on the Billboard
charts – 4th decade in a row – and are confirming the
‘coming of age’ for brass the world over.
What do you think of BACH? Let us
know by emailing friends@canbrass.com!
February 11, 2008
Joe Burgstaller named Distinguished Visiting Artist at Peabody Institute!
Our own Joe Burgstaller joins a tradition of Canadian Brass musicians that hold positions at major musical institutions
across North America, having recently been appointed Distinguished Visiting Artist at the venerable Peabody Institute of the
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland! Beginning this Spring 2008 Semester, Joe will present master classes, give
private instruction to trumpet majors, and coach chamber ensembles. Late applications to study with Joe and Ed Hoffman
(Baltimore Symphony, Asian Youth Orchestra) for the Fall 2008 semester will be accepted. Visit The Peabody Institute for information about how to apply to the Trumpet Studio at the Peabody
Institute.
January 3, 2008
Recently we alerted you to an article the Canadian
Press published regarding Manon Lafrance joining the
Canadian Brass Trumpet Dream Team. Well, now we'd like
to show you the supporting video interview with Gene
Watts which is currently posted over at the Halifax
Daily News. Watch
the video here.
January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
December 26, 2007
Recently the Canadian Press ran a story about Manon Lafrance,
trumpet-player extraordinaire and newest addition to
Canadian Brass.
First female member of the Canadian Brass Trumpet Dream Team now one of the guys
TORONTO - After almost four decades as an all-male group, the Canadian Brass is mixing things up.
Manon Lafrance is the newest - and first female - member of the venerable quintet, which has seen many male members come and go over the years save for its two constants: founders Charles Daellenbach on tuba and Gene Watts on trombone.
Lafrance, a trumpet player, is fitting in just fine since she joined last spring and embarked on her first big tour with the group this holiday season, Watts said in an interview.
Read the rest: http://canadianpress.google.com
December 23, 2007
Canadian Brass wishes you happy holidays, and an even happier New Year!!
We have had an incredible year. Many thanks to all of you! Stay posted for Jeff's January "Backstage Brass" as he looks back at our 2007. We have exciting things planned for 2008 including new CD releases and concerts in California to Corfu, Indiana to Austria, and numerous places in between.
Best wishes from us to you for a fantastic
2008!
December 20, 2007
Canadian Brass would like to thank everyone who celebrated the holiday season with us during our 2007 Christmas tour. We have one concert remaining, and it's for our friends in Toronto. We look forward to seeing you at our annual Christmas Concert on Saturday night (Dec. 22) at Roy Thompson Hall.
CANADIAN BRASS
with Juno and Gemini award-winning organist Eric Robertson
Annual Toronto Christmas Concert
Saturday, December 22 at 8pm
Roy Thomson Hall
FOR TICKETS CALL 416-872-4255
roythomson.com
| masseyhall.com
December 14, 2007
As you know, Canadian Brass have released a new Christmas CD with ArkivMusic called "Christmas Tradition". If you're curious to learn more about its origins, listen in live December 15th on WVXU 91.7 FM at 7am to catch Jon Feidner of ArkivMusic discuss with Naomi Lewin why he wanted a new album featuring the group’s new members. If you miss it, don't worry - you can catch it on demand starting next week!
~
The latest installment of Backstage Brass is live... join in the fun and go behind the scenes with the hardest working Brass ensemble in showbiz.
Don't forget to a leave a comment for Jeff and the rest of the Brass...
December 3, 2007
Our Do The Canadian Brass YouTube group is a happening place with 70 members strong. Stop by and take in a few of the latest video uploads and make your own if you're feeling brave!
The Lancaster Intelligencer published a story on Canadian
Brass in anticipation of their upcoming performance
this Thursday. Read A
Christmas Tradition, written by Rebecca
J. Ritzel.
If you're looking for gift ideas this holiday season, visit the Canadian Brass Store for inspiration. Holiday specials include CD gift packs, a unique pocket trumpet and more...
TUNE IN TO BRASSCAST SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2nd
Recently Jeff Nelsen was delighted to take some time from his busy schedule
to catch up with Lucas and Peter from Brasscast,
a weekly brass-oriented podcast.
If you haven't checked it out, now's your chance - especially on December 2nd when Jeff's interview will be
live... and of course the episodes are archived for future listening too.
Enjoy!
November 13, 2007
In case you missed it, Manon Lafrance was featured
in an October edition of Tulsa World in an article titled,
"Canadian
Brass set to play Bartlesville".
November 6, 2007
Backstage Brass with Jeff
Nelsen is back! Visit canadianbrass.com/backstagebrass for issue #1 - "What Does It Take?" and enjoy
a large offering of Brass-related pics & commentary!
Don't forget to leave a comment for Jeff and the rest
of the Brass...
October 9, 2007
Watch a high-definition recording of Canadian Brass
dream-teamer Jeroen
Berwaerts playing the Haydn. Hear him live this
November with the Brass during their European tour -
starting in Luzern, Switzerland.
September 20, 2007
Opening Day to record Canadian Brass with the famed
Eastman Wind Ensemble September 29 & 30th in a recording
named, "Manhattan Music".
Further details here.
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Forest Festival Update, from Stuart
Since spring I've been developing the inaugural
season of what I have chosen to call The
Forest Festival. My partners are composer / environmentalist
R. Murray Schafer and Peter Schleifenbaum, owner of
the 60,000-acre Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve,
the largest privately owned tract of land in Ontario.
Our festival featured seven performances of a Schafer
drama called The Princess of the Stars, plus concerts
and other events. Our goal was to make a real contribution
to the late-summer musical and artistic life of Haliburton
Highlands region, which adjoins the world famous Algonquin
Provincial Park.
There are many outdoor festivals, of course, but I
believe none are so close to nature, nor can many compare
with the breathtakingly resonant acoustic of a wilderness
lake after sunset. It's heaven - especially for a brass
player - and to take advantage of this I have begun
The Forest Festival Brass, to be assembled each year
from available friends and colleagues. This year's inaugural
group included Karen Donnelly (Principal Trumpet of
Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra under music
director Pinchas Zukerman), Lawrence Vine (Principal
Horn, National Arts Centre Orchestra), David Archer
(Principal Trombone, National Ballet of Canada Orchestra)
and Christopher Lee (Principal Tuba, Winnipeg Symphony).
Our performance venue is a purpose-built amphitheatre
on the shores of Bone Lake in Haliburton Forest and
our brass concert was blessed with absolutely perfect
weather; warm with no wind.
With a stage grafted on to one side of the seating
area, the idea is that the audience contemplates the
lake directly in front of them while listening to the
music, although they can easily watch our performance
by looking a little to one side. After one brass selection,
beaver applauded by slapping their tails, which caused
a lot of laughs, and we attracted bats every time the
music started. Imagine 15 bats flying along just above
the water – water so still that their reflections
are perfect, like a ballet in the moonlight. The audience
was enchanted. The real star of the show, though, was
the echo acoustic, which caused repeated ooh’s
and ahh’s from both musicians and audience. Every
final chord resonated up to five seconds, and applause
was always delayed to savour this.
Best of all came just after the planned program was
completed, when the Northern Lights unexpectedly appeared
on the horizon just as we were about to pack up our
instruments. We turned off our stage lighting and I
played an unaccompanied Schafer solo called Twilight,
pointing my trumpet bell out over the lake and ending
on a high C that with echoes seemed to last forever.
There were a billion stars overhead and six shooting
stars during this one selection. People walked away
shaking their heads and saying they would bring all
their friends next year.
50th Anniversary of West Side Story
Canadian Brass gets the top spot on a CD release celebrating
the 50th anniversary of West Side Story, playing
"America" by Leonard Bernstein. Sharing the
honours with greats Kristin Chenoweth, Barbra Streisand,
Johnny Mathis and Julie Andrews, Canadian Brass helps
bring the magic of West Side Story to life. The song
"America" was tailored for Canadian Brass
by multi-talented composer Christopher Dedrick.
JEFF NELSEN RETURNS TO
CANADIAN BRASS AND
MANON LAFRANCE JOINS
CANADIAN BRASS TRUMPET DREAM TEAM
August 2, 2007 - BREAKING NEWS: JEFF NELSEN
RETURNS to CANADIAN BRASS
Perhaps one of the most talented and multi-faceted
horn virtuosos in the world today, Canadian Jeff Nelsen
has agreed to return to the Canadian Brass. Jeff’s
sabbatical began in 2005 with his marriage to mezzo
soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen. He then spent his time
as a soloist across North America and abroad, an orchestral
freelancer with the New York, Boston, and National Symphonies,
and as the hornist for two Broadway mega-musicals in
New York City.
A tribute to Jeff’s extensive musical career,
in fall of 2006 Jeff was invited by the prestigious
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music to join its
distinguished faculty as associate professor of horn.
He has already proven himself to be a valuable resource
there, sharing his eclectic musical interests and strengths
with the next generation of musicians. In a world of
rapidly changing rules in the classical music arena
Jeff brings an entirely fresh and fearless perspective
to mentoring young performers for the real world, while
still adhering to the strictest principles of a rigorous
training regimen.
Rejoining Canadian Brass creates a perfect blend in
Jeff’s life as a performer and mentor. This partnership
is a logical and exciting combination, and is what many
musicians ultimately live for. The constant
performing will only create more opportunities in learning,
advancement, and “Fearless” training for
Jeff’s students at Indiana University.
Chuck Daellenbach has welcomed Nelsen back with great
anticipation, saying, “Jeff is a remarkable young
man, equally at home performing the great horn solo
repertoire as he is collaborating with other musicians
in a symphony or Broadway orchestra. Our friends and
fans fell in love with Jeff many years ago and will
be very excited to learn about his return!”
Jeff Nelsen can be heard on the Canadian Brass’
release of their new brass and organ Christmas CD recorded
at the beginning of July. This CD will be available
exclusively through arkivmusic.com,
and released just in time for this year’s Christmas
tour.
http://jeffnelsen.com
CANADIAN TRUMPET VIRTUOSO MANON LAFRANCE JOINS
THE CANADIAN BRASS TRUMPET DREAM TEAM
Well known Canadian trumpet artist Manon Lafrance has
been asked to share her musical destiny with the Canadian
Brass. Manon is known for her work with the National
Arts Centre Orchestra and the Montreal Symphony. She
already enjoys an extremely active triple career as
orchestral trumpet, soloist, and pedagogue. She has
been professeure de trompette at the prestigious Conservatoire
de musique de Montreal since 1997, with many of her
students winning major posts in orchestras around the
world.
Distinguished conductor and performer Alain Trudel
remarked on the significant appointment of Manon to
the Canadian Brass: “What a great day for music
lovers, as the Canadian Brass welcomes their newest
member Manon Lafrance. Manon brings her unique refinement,
sensitivity and maturity (Yes, I am talking about a
trumpet player!) to the group. Together, I am sure,
they will shine in this new and exciting musical journey....and
by the way, Manon can swing too!”
Hornist Jeff Nelsen expressed his excitement about
Manon coming on board, saying, “It’s a very
happy reunion for Manon and me. In the mid-nineties
we performed, recorded, and toured Japan together with
Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
Our years were well spent with the MSO, being a part
of its role as the international flagship of Canadian
orchestral excellence, known for countless award-winning
recordings.”
This marks a new day in the history of the Canadian
Brass, with Manon being the first woman to join its
ranks, as well as the first French Canadian. “Manon
is probably dusting off her French/English dictionary
right now,” remarked Chuck Daellenbach, “not
for herself, since she is 100% bilingual, but to help
her decipher our French.” Her artistry within
the group has already been recorded. At the beginning
of July 2007, Manon joined her new colleagues Jeff,
Gene, Joe and Chuck in the recording of their new brass
and organ Christmas CD, which will be available this
fall exclusively through ARKIVMUSIC.com.
HORNIST BERNHARD SCULLY WINS MAJOR HORN POSITION
After searching the music world in 2005 for a horn
player to join the Canadian Brass on our musical adventure,
all roads led to a young Bernhard Scully – he
was recommended by nearly every horn player and teacher
with whom we talked. Well, our judgment was corroborated
this past June when the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra offered
Bernhard their principal horn position. For Bernhard
this marks a unique opportunity to return to his home
town, where he will reside with his wife and new baby
girl. For the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, it is adding
a very grounded, intelligent player who will no doubt
contribute to its world-class status.
"When the Canadian Brass asked me to join them
three years ago, I was thrilled and honored. Getting
the opportunity to be a part of the group that shaped
so much of my musical life, particularly my early years
on the horn (the most important years!) was a dream
come true. Now I am joining another ensemble dear to
my heart, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. I will miss
my friends in the Brass and will always remember the
amazing high-energy concerts, the wonderful traveling
experiences, and all the fantastic music making. Perhaps
more importantly I am grateful for the friendships I
have developed with the members of the Brass and the
many fans and colleagues with whom I came in contact
travelling the world with the Canadian Brass.
- Bernhard Scully
Chuck Daellenbach wished Bernhard great further success,
saying, “Bernhard can be counted amongst the most
elite horn players in North America. We have insisted
that he keep himself available to us for special projects
in the future. Bernhard certainly leaves us with great
memories, many permanently etched on CDs on which he
performed.”
Clarinetist Larry Paikin (on the right) recently represented
the Canadian Brass at ClarinetFest 2007 in Vancouver
this past July. We're certainly proud to see our logos
represented at such an austere event. By the way, it
would be appreciated if any of our friends or fans could
identify the handsome fellow next to Larry.
