The Canadian Brass is a Canadian

brass quintet A brass quintet is a five-piece musical ensemble composed of brass instruments. The instrumentation for a brass quintet typically includes two trumpets or cornets, one French horn, one trombone or euphonium/baritone horn, and one tuba or bass t ...

formed in 1970 in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, by

Charles Daellenbach Conrad Charles Daellenbach C.M. (born July 12, 1945) is an American and CanadianProfile
at Cana ...

(

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

) and

Gene Watts Eugene "Gene" Watts is an American-Canadian trombonist and a founding member of the Canadian Brass, a brass quintet based in Canada. Early life and education Watts was born and raised in Sedalia, Missouri, and studied at the University of Misso ...

(

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

), with

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

player Graeme Page and

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

ers Stuart Laughton and Bill Phillips completing the quintet. , Daellenbach is the sole original member in the group, with the other members being trumpeters Caleb Hudson and Brandon Ridenour, hornist

Jeff Nelsen Jeff Nelsen (born December 11, 1969) is a Canadian French horn player and is Professor of Horn at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. He has performed in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony, the Ne ...

, and trombonist

Achilles Liarmakopoulos Achilles Liarmakopoulos (born 29 August 1985) is a Greek trombonist. He has been a member of the Canadian Brass since 2011. Early life and education Born in Athens, Greece, Liarmakopoulos started trombone lessons at the Philippos Nakas Conservato ...

. The group is known for the use of humor in their live performances and an irreverent attitude that includes their signature attire of formal black suits with white running shoes. They have performed internationally and have recorded more than 130 CDs and DVDs. They have commissioned, performed, and recorded hundreds of transcriptions and original works for brass quintet. Canadian Brass has a library of more than 600 compositions and arrangements written specifically for them. The quintet was named the "one of the most popular brass ensembles in the world" in 2015 by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. They have appeared on all the major North American TV networks, ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'', ''

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,'' and Hunan TV in China.

History

The Canadian Brass originally included "Ensemble" in its name, but in 1971, the Hamilton Philharmonic's then-music director Betty Webster suggested that the quintet should be officially named the Canadian Brass. Canadian Brass made its American debut at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1975. A significant international visit was made in 1977 when they were sent to

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

as a cultural exchange between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The ensemble was chosen and sent on this cultural mission by then-Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. They are now remembered in China as the first Western musicians allowed into China after the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

had suppressed Western art and music. In 1979, the Canadian Brass became the first chamber ensemble to solo the MAIN stage at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. As ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reported, their sold-out performance "clearly establishes the Canadian Brass as a main-stage attraction." In addition to their heavy international touring schedule for nearly 50 years, and their extensive recording catalog, they have been on the ''Billboard'' charts in each decade of their existence, recording for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

, BMG,

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Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

, Steinway Label and Opening Day Entertainment occupying virtually all the spots open to brass players. As of 2018, the Canadian Brass recordings have been released by

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

-base
Opening Day Entertainment Group (ODEG)
headed by the Daellenbachs. The first recordings the Brass created were for the CBC radio transcription service, including their very first major concert in Toronto the summer of 1971. Record producer Eleanor Sniderman discovered the group and put the group on its first commercial LPs in 1973 and 1974, which then attracted major artist management in New York City. In 1977, the same year the Brass represented North America in the People's Republic of China, a live radio broadcast on WQXR was heard by multi-Grammy award-winning producer Jay Saks, who was impressed, and brought the group to the prestigious

RCA Red Seal RCA Red Seal is a classical music label whose origin dates to 1902 and is currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment. History The first "Gramophone Record Red Seal" discs were issued in 1901.Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...

award. Stuart Laughton founded Opening Day in 1993, as a recording company specializing in Canadian performers and compositions (five JUNO nominations and a win resulted). By 2003 Laughton was seeking a partner for the heavy work load, and in talks with Chuck Daellenbach agreed to share, then relinquish control. Daellenbach extended the scope of the company, creating Opening Day Entertainment Group and entering into partnership with producer Trey Mills later that year. Mills signed over to Mary Beth Daellenbach in December, 2007. Opening Day Entertainment Group remains an independent recording label now directed by Mary Beth Daellenbach. As of 2014 ODEG has released over 70 CDs for artists in a variety of genres.

Members

Current

Charles Daellenbach Conrad Charles Daellenbach C.M. (born July 12, 1945) is an American and CanadianProfile
at Cana ...

–

* Jeff Nelsen –

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

* Fabio Brum – trumpet *

–

, euphonium * Caleb Hudson –

, piccolo trumpet

Past

* Stuart Laughton – trumpet * Graeme Page – french horn * Bill Phillips – trumpet *

– trombone, euphonium * Ronald Romm – trumpet, piccolo trumpet *

Martin Hackleman Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

– French horn * Fred Mills – trumpet, piccolo trumpet * David Ohanian – french horn * Jens Lindemann – trumpet, piccolo trumpet * Christopher Cooper – French horn *

Ryan Anthony Ryan Anthony (May 17, 1969 – June 23, 2020) was an American trumpet player known for his performances as a member of Canadian Brass and his role as principal trumpet of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He died on June 23, 2020, after an eight-ye ...

– trumpet, piccolo trumpet * Joe Burgstaller – trumpet, piccolo trumpet * Jeroen Berwaerts – trumpet * Bernhard Scully – french horn * Charles Lazarus – trumpet * Justin Emerich – trumpet * Brandon Ridenour – trumpet ("Trumpet Dream Team", 2006–2010; 2009–2013; 2019-2022) * Chris Coletti – trumpet * Manon Lafrance – trumpet * Eric Reed – French horn * Keith Dyrda – trombone, euphonium

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:500 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:05 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:1970 till:2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1970 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1970 Colors = id:tpt value:red legend:Trumpet id:tptd value:pink legend:Trumpet_Dream_Team id:hrn value:blue legend:French_Horn id:tbn value:purple legend:Trombone id:tba value:green legend:Tuba id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars Legend = position:bottom columns:1 PlotData= width:12 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Laughton from:start till:01/01/1971 color:tpt bar:Laughton from:01/01/2003 till:01/01/2005 color:tpt bar:Phillips from:start till:01/01/1972 color:tpt bar:Romm from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/2000 color:tpt bar:Romm from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2010 color:tptd bar:Mills from:01/01/1972 till:01/01/1996 color:tpt bar:Lindemann from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/2001 color:tpt bar:Anthony from:01/01/2000 till:01/01/2003 color:tpt bar:Anthony from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2010 color:tptd bar:Burgstaller from:01/01/2001 till:31/12/2004 color:tpt bar:Burgstaller from:01/01/2007 till:01/01/2009 color:tpt bar:Lazarus from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2005 color:tptd bar:Berwaerts from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2010 color:tptd bar:Emerich from:01/01/2005 till:31/12/2006 color:tpt bar:Lafrance from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2010 color:tptd bar:Ridenour from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2013 color:tptd bar:Ridenour from:01/01/2019 till:01/01/2022 color:tpt bar:Coletti from:01/01/2009 till:01/01/2019 color:tpt bar:Hudson from:01/01/2013 till:end color:tpt bar:Brum from:01/01/2022 till:end color:tpt bar:Page from:start till:01/01/1983 color:hrn bar:Hackleman from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1986 color:hrn bar:Ohanian from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/1998 color:hrn bar:Cooper from:01/01/1998 till:31/12/2000 color:hrn bar:Nelsen from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2004 color:hrn bar:Nelsen from:01/01/2007 till:01/01/2010 color:hrn bar:Nelsen from:01/01/2018 till:end color:hrn bar:Scully from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2007 color:hrn bar:Scully from:01/01/2013 till:31/12/2017 color:hrn bar:Reed from:01/01/2010 till:01/01/2013 color:hrn bar:Watts from:start till:01/01/2010 color:tbn bar:Dyrda from:01/01/2010 till:01/01/2011 color:tbn bar:Liarmakopoulos from:01/01/2011 till:end color:tbn bar:Daellenbach from:start till:end color:tba

Awards and honours

Their awards range from three honorary doctorates to Grammy, Canadian Juno and German Echo recording awards. Founding member Daellenbach was appointed to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

, the country's highest civilian honour, in 2014. In accepting this appointment, he said, "not only do I accept this appointment for my family and myself, but on behalf of the incredible colleagues that accompanied me on this unbelievable musical journey... firstly Watts, Mills, Romm, Page and Ohanian and now the '2nd generation' colleagues of today!"

Discography

* ''Canadian Brass'' (CBC, 1971) * ''Rag-Ma-Tazz'' (CBC, 1973) * ''Make We Joy – with Festival Singers of Canada'' (CBC, 1973) * ''Royal Fanfare'' (Vanguard, 1973) * ''Canadian Brass in Paris'' (Boot, 1974) * ''Canadian Brass'' (Boot, 1974) * ''Canadian Brass: Pachelbel to Joplin'' (Welk Group, 1974) * ''Plays/Joue Rags'' (Radio Canada 1974) * ''Rag-Ma-Tazz'' (Vanguard, 1975) * ''Pucker & Valve Society Band ''(Umbrella, 1975) * ''Joyful Sounds'' (CBC, 1976) * ''National Arts Center Orchestra with the Canadian Brass'' (CBC, 1976) * ''Canadian Brass'' (Umbrella, 1977) * ''Canadian Brass Encore'' (CBC, 1977) * ''Unexplored Territory'' (CBC, 1977) * ''Toccata, Fugues & Other Diversions'' (Umbrella,1977) * ''Bells & Brass'' (Good Day, 1978) * ''Mostly Fats: The Canadian Brass Plays Fats Waller's Greatest Hits'' (RCA, 1979) * ''Unexplored Territory'' (CBC, 1978) * ''The Pachelbel Canon: The Canadian Brass Plays Great Baroque Music'' (RCA, 1980) * ''A Touch of Brass'' (CBC, 1980) * ''The Village Band: A Nostalgic Recollection'' (RCA, 1980) * ''Christmas with the Canadian Brass and the Great Organ of St. Patrick's Cathedral'' (RCA, 1981) * ''High, Bright, Light and Clear: The Glory of Baroque Brass'' (RCA, 1983) * ''Champions'' (CBS, 1983) * ''A Canadian Brass Christmas'' (CBS, 1985) * ''Live!'' (CBS, 1985) * ''Brass & Bells at Christmas'' (Salvation Army, 1985) * ''The Four Seasons'' (CBS, 1986) * ''The Canadian Brass Plays George Gershwin'' (RCA Victor, 1987) * ''Basin Street'' (FM, 1987) * ''Pachelbel to Joplin'' (Vanguard, 1987) * ''Art of the Fugue'' (CBS, 1988) * ''The Mozart Album'' (CBS, 1988) * ''Gabrieli/Monteverdi: Antiphonal Music'' (CBS, 1989) * ''Brass in Berlin'' (CBS, 1984) * ''The Christmas Album'' (Philips, 1990) * ''English Renaissance Music'' (CBS, 1990) * ''Red, White & Brass: Made in the USA'' (Philips, 1991) * ''The Essential Canadian Brass'' (Philips, 1991) * ''Red Hot Jazz: The Dixieland Album'' (Philips, 1993) * ''Wagner for Brass'' (Philips, 1993) * ''Rejoice! with Brass and Voice'' (Canticum Novum 1993) * ''Gabrieli for Brass'' (Philips, 1994) * ''Brass On Broadway'' (Philips, 1994) * ''Noel'' (RCA Victor, 1994) * ''Bolero and Other Classical Blockbusters'' (RCA Victor, 1995) * '' Swingtime!'' (RCA Victor, 1995) * ''Go for Baroque!'' (RCA Victor, 1995) * ''Ragtime!'' (RCA Victor/BMG, 1995) * ''Brass Busters!'' (RCA Victor/BMG, 1995) * ''Brass Theater II'' (CORE, 1996) * ''Plays Bernstein'' (RCA Victor, 1997) * ''A Christmas Experiment'' (RCA Victor, 1997) * ''All You Need Is Love'' (RCA Victor/BMG, 1998) * ''Take the A Train'' (BMG, 1999) * ''Goldberg Variations'' (RCA Victor, 2000) * ''Amazing Brass'' (Opening Day, 2002) * ''Sweet Songs of Christmas'' (Opening Day, 2002) * ''Sacred Brass'' (BMG, 2002) * ''A Holiday Tradition'' (True North, 2003) * ''Magic Horn'' (Opening Day, 2004) * ''Joyful Sounds'' – with organ and choir (Opening Day, 2005) * ''Concert Band Essentials'' (Opening Day, 2007) * ''Christmas Tradition'' (Opening Day, 2007) * ''High Society'' (Opening Day, 2005) * ''Wedding Essentials'' (Opening Day, 2006) * ''People of Faith'' (Opening Day 2006) – with Elmer Iseler Singers * ''Echo: Glory of Gabrieli'' (Opening Day ,2009) * ''A Christmas Gloria'' (Mormon Tabernacle Choir 2007) * ''Die Kunst Der Fuge'' (Sony, 2007) * ''Jazz Roots'' (Opening Day 2008) * ''Manhattan Music'' (Opening Day, 2008) * ''Bach'' (Opening Day, 2008) * ''Legends'' (Opening Day, 2008) * ''Swing That Music – A Tribute to Louis Armstrong'' (Opening Day, 2010) * ''Stars & Stripes: Canadian Brass Salute America'' (Opening Day 2010) with members of NEXUS * ''A Very Merry Christmas'' (Opening Day, 2010) – with various artists * ''Spirit Dance'' (Opening Day, 2010) * ''The Classics: From Pachelbel to Purcell'' (Opening Day, 2011) * ''The Classics: Between Bach & Handel'' (Opening Day, 2011) * ''The Classics: Mozart & More'' (Opening Day, 2011) * ''Brahms On Brass'' (Opening Day, 2011) * ''Takes Flight'' (Opening Day, 2011) * ''Schumann: Carnaval'' (Opening Day, 2013) * ''Christmas Time Is Here: The Encore!'' (Opening Day, 2013) * ''Great Wall of China'' (Opening Day, 2014) * ''Perfect Landing'' (Opening Day, 2015) * ''Canadiana'' (Linus, 2021)

DVD/VHS/Laser discs

* ''Canadian Brass Live'' (1986) * ''The Canadian Brass Masterclass'' (1989) * ''The Canadian Brass Spectacular'' (1989) * ''On Stage at Wolftrap'' (1990) * ''Home Movies'' - Canadian Brass - An Innovative portrait ( 1991) * ''Strings, Winds, and All That Brass'' (1992) * ''The Canadian Brass Live in Germany'' (1994) * ''Christmas Experiment'' (1998) * ''A Christmas Gloria'' (1999) * ''Bootleg Canadian Brass — Authorized Version'' (2002) * ''Three Nights with Canadian Brass'' (2003) * "Live from LPR New York" (2012)

References

External links

Official website

Listing of Canadian Brass concerts

Canadian Brass YouTube Channel
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Brass 1970 establishments in Canada Brass quintets Canadian brass bands Canadian classical music groups Chamber music CBS Records artists Columbia Records artists Members of the Order of Canada Musical groups established in 1970 Musical groups from Toronto Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year winners Philips Records artists RCA Victor artists RCA Records artists Vanguard Records artists