American Brass Quintet to perform at Schein Hall

A celebration will take the stage next month at BIG ARTS Schein Hall as the American Brass Quintet fills the space with music from composers of the Renaissance period to works of living composers.
The American Brass Quintet, comprised of Kevin Cobb and Louis Hanzlik, who play the trumpet; Eric Reed who plays the French horn; Michael Powell who plays the trombone and John D. Rojak who plays the bass trombone, will make a stop on Sanibel to perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, at BIG ARTS Schein Hall.
Tickets are $44 to $49, and can be purchased by visiting www.bigarts.org, or calling (239) 395-0900.
“It’s a pretty standard concert for us in terms of what we present. The American Brass Quintet likes to present a diverse and varied program of works written for a brass quintet,” Reed said. “The chamber music is a wonderful way to communicate with an audience. The audience can expect to get to know some really interesting, varied musical styles and get to know the five of us. I think the audience will agree the music and the players are pretty charming.”
The concert will include music that people may recognize, pieces originally written for brass, as well as commissioned work from living composers.
“There will be three pieces by living composers and three pieces by nonliving composers, and two of those are early music,” he said about music from the Renaissance period. “It’s a beautiful way of programming. There is a real diversity of sound and color and style. It really shows what brass instruments are capable of and a great way to learn some new music and new styles. I can promise you that there is something on our program for everyone.”
Reed grew up with music filling his house as a young boy due to both of his parents being musicians. Due to that exposure, he began studying music at a very young age.
“I first played the piano and then switched to the French horn and sort of focused on that,” Reed said.
His focus on the French horn was sort of pragmatic because one of his parent’s colleagues played the horn.
“I tried it one day for fun and they thought it was sort of good that I could make a sound,” Reed said.
When the band director had enough trumpet players, playing the French horn became his instrument. When asking the musician why the French horn has kept his attention over the years he said “the sound.”
“It’s a beautiful, special sound. It’s kind of unique and that keeps us playing it and what to strive for,” Reed said.
He joined the American Brass Quintet in 2014, making this his third year at The Juilliard School. The quintet is committed to promoting brass chamber music through education, resulting in a residence at the Juilliard School since 1987.
Reed said they teach the course, the American Brass Quintet Seminar, which fulfills the students chamber music credit. The quintet organizes brass players into chamber groups, teaches them about chamber music and organizes a concert for them to perform.
“You learn from your students and you can apply that to your performance,” Reed said.
The quintet also has a summer residency at the Aspen Music Festival in the mountains of Colorado.
The American Brass Quintet was a 2013 recipient of Chamber Music America’s highest honor, the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award. The quintet has traveled to Asia, Australia, Central and South America, Europe, Middle East, and all 50 states. In addition, nearly 60 recordings have been completed, as well as premiers of more than 150 contemporary brass works.
Reed said their time on the road often times comes in waves. Some tours take them on the road for a week to 10 days, followed by a month or so with no concerts.
“We play around 20 concerts a year and a few of those are usually in and around New York City where a lot of our fans and colleagues are,” he said. “We will travel around and perform and teach at universities and (perform at) concert series like the one on Sanibel.”
For more information, visit www.americanbrassquintet.org, or visit their Facebook page, American Brass Quintet.