Kevin Cobb and Louis Hanzlik, trumpet | Eric Reed, horn | Michael Powell, tenor trombone | John Rojak, bass trombone

A groundbreaking ensemble that has been at the vanguard of brass chamber music since its founding in 1960, the American Brass Quintet has forged a powerful legacy that cannot be overstated. Since its beginnings, the American Brass Quintet has dedicated itself to only performing works originally written for brass, a daunting task considering the short list of historical works for brass already in existence. This has led to the commissioning of numerous works from contemporary composers that are now considered to be among the most significant contributions to the brass quintet repertoire. ABQ has premiered works by Jan Bach, William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, Jacob Druckman, Eric Ewazen, William Schuman, Ralph Shapey, Gunther Schuller, Virgil Thomson, and Melinda Wagner among many others.

The 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 American Brass Quintet through these residencies, and have gone on to establish their own presence in the brass chamber music field. Last year, the ABQ was given Chamber Music America’s highest honor, the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award for significant and lasting contributions to the field.

”the high priests of brass’ ‘ Newsweek