DATE: March 18 2007, 3 PM

SITE: The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts   Map 

PROGRAM      View Complete Program 

• In Gabrieli's Day (compositions by Marenzio, Mazzi, Gabrieli, Cangiasi and Gastoldi)
• Incisioni - Five Engravings in Brass by Vittorio Rieti (1898-1996)
• Reflecting Light (2006) by Adam Schoenberg (b. 1980)
• Two Fancies by John Ward and Giovanni Coperario
• Music of the 26th N.C. Regimental Band, C.S.A.
• Copperwave (2006) by Joan Tower (b. 1938)

When the American Brass Quintet gave its first public performance forty-six years ago, brass chamber music was still relatively unknown to concert audiences. That modest debut on December 11, 1960, marked the beginning of an international career for the ensemble that 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 new brass works, and the inspiration to a whole new generation of brass quintets 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, Melinda Wagner, and Charles Whittenberg, are considered among the most significant contributions to the brass quintet repertoire. During the '05-'06 season, the ABQ premiered new works by Paul Moravec, David Sampson, and Adam Schoenberg, produced volume two of the ABQ's recordings of the Civil War brass music of the 26th North Carolina Regimental Band, and released a new compact disc called In Gabrieli's Day, the music of 16th-century Venice. As part of their forty-fifth anniversary celebration last May, the ABQ premiered Joan Tower's Copperwave, commissioned for the ABQ by The Juilliard School, and presented a brass chamber music forum called The State of the Art that brought together players from nearly a dozen professional brass quintets in a discussion of the past, present, and future of the brass chamber music field. Upcoming projects include a new work in 2007 from composer Billy Childs commissioned for the ABQ by a grant from the New York State Music Fund, and four new works by emerging composers supported by a multi-year grant from the Jerome Foundation.

Equally committed to the promotion of brass 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. Many young ensembles, including the Extension Ensemble, Manhattan Brass Quintet, Meridian Arts Ensemble, and Urban Brass Quintet have worked with the ABQ through these residencies, and have gone on to establish their own presence in the brass chamber field. 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 has clearly defined itself among the elite chamber music ensembles of our time.

Artist Website: www.americanbrassquintet.org