Famed Canadian Brass to Perform August 11
For Immediate Release July 29, 2008
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Renowned for their dazzling virtuosity and freewheeling performance style, Music Academy Summer Festival favorites the Canadian Brass will bring their unique blend of consummate musicianship and wit to the Lobero Theatre on Saturday, August 11. Tickets to the 8 pm performance cost $43.
Now in its 37th year, this celebrated Toronto-based quintet has a long history of performing and recording the classical repertoire, particularly music of the Baroque era. The group constantly forges new ground, boasting more than 50 recordings in addition to videos and television specials - a testament to its long-lasting popularity and universal appeal. The Grand Rapids Press has hailed the Brass as "practitioners of superlative technique and purveyors of entertaining shows."
Currently consisting of Brandon Ridenour (trumpet), Josef Burgstaller (trumpet), Jeff Nelsen (horn), Eugene Watts (trombone), and Charles Daellenbach (tuba), the Canadian Brass have delighted audiences across North America, Europe, Japan, Australia, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union. The first chamber ensemble to tour China, the group has performed in major venues throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and the Kennedy Center. The Brass also have appeared as featured guest artists with every leading American orchestra and perform regularly at many summer music festivals, including Tanglewood, Mostly Mozart, and Ravinia.
The ensemble's current repertoire encompasses more than 200 pieces and ranges from Bach and Wagner to Sousa and Ellington. The group also performs contemporary works and has commissioned works from such composers as Lukas Foss, Peter Schickele, and William Bolcom. The Canadian Brass have been Festival guest artists since 2000.
Remaining highlights of the Music Academy of the West's 61st Summer Festival include the West Coast premiere of William Bolcom's comic opera A Wedding, which will be presented August 8 and 10 at The Lobero, as well as a community concert featuring Peter Oundjian conducting the Academy Festival Orchestra in a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, which will take place August 16 at The Granada in Santa Barbara. Additional highlights will include a conducting turn by Anne Manson at Santa Barbara's First Presbyterian Church on August 9. Featuring the Academy's exceptionally talented Fellows, with illustrious guest performers and faculty, the events are presented at the Academy's scenic Miraflores campus and in venues throughout Santa Barbara.
The Lobero Theatre is located at 33 East Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara. For information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. The Music Academy will broadcast live performances by the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera at Hahn Hall beginning in October. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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