The Georgia Brass Band was conceived by co-founders Joe Johnson and Christopher Priest in the spring of 1999. It is a traditional

British brass band In Britain, a brass band (known regionally as a silver band or colliery band) is a musical ensemble comprising a standardized range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 1 ...

. The band performed its first concert in September of that year and has maintained a very busy schedule ever since. Band members are selected by audition or invitation and include some of the finest musicians in the Atlanta area.

Instrumentation

Instrumentation follows the British tradition of

Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

s, 1 in Eb, 9 in B,

Flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

, Tenor Horns, 3 in E,

Baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

s, 2 in B, Euphoniums, 2 in B, Tenor Trombones, 2 in B,

Bass Trombone The bass trombone (german: Bassposaune, it, trombone basso) is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to ...

, 1 in B, Tubas (2 in E and 2 in B; often called Basses), and Percussion.

Membership

All of the GBB's members and staff volunteer their time and talents to the band. The membership represents a variety of professions, including lawyers, doctors, salespeople, business owners, educators, students, analysts, computer professionals, freelance musicians, a former college vice president, a real estate agent, an engineer, a financial planner, and even a pipe organ builder. While their backgrounds may vary, all members share a love for making good music together.

Repertoire

The band's repertoire is quite diverse, ranging from the Renaissance and Baroque eras through the 21st century. The music library contains marches, sacred arrangements, popular music, jazz tunes, movie themes, and classical transcriptions. The band also performs a number of concert selections and contest items written specifically for brass band. The brass band's versatile combination of instruments can produce a variety of tonal colors allowing it to perform transcriptions of most musical styles.

Appearances

The Georgia Brass Band has appeared on Atlanta radio and television and performed at schools, churches, concert halls, festivals, music camps, and colleges around the southeastern United States. The band has had several concert performances broadcast on WABE-FM's ''Atlanta Music Scene'' program. The band has also appeared with a number of renowned brass soloists, including former Empire Brass trombonist Scott Hartman, Atlanta Symphony principal trombonist Colin Williams, trumpet soloist Vince DiMartino,

Chicago Symphony The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

principal trumpeter Christopher Martin and bass trombonist Charlie Vernon, Black Dyke Band (UK) principal cornetist Richard Marshall and principal trombonist Brett Baker, euphonium soloist Steven Mead and former NY Philharmonic principal trumpet Philip Smith. Other notable soloists to have appeared with the band include Patrick Sheridan, Thomas Ruedi, Tormod Flaten, Demondrae Thurmond, David Childs, Chris Gekker, Mark Clodfelter, and jazz artist Ingrid Jensen. The band is a regular participant in the International Euphonium Institute held annually at Emory University in Atlanta. The band has also been featured at the US Army Ground Forces Band Tuba/Euphonium Conference, the Southeast Regional Tuba/Euphonium Conference, Atlanta Trumpet Festival, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, the International Trombone Festival, the Deep South Brass Band Festival, the Southeast Trumpet Festival, and the Great American Brass Band Festival. In 2009 and 2012 the band was a featured ensemble at the Georgia Music Educators Association conference in Savannah, GA.

Competitions

In 2006, the Georgia Brass Band became a member of th
North American Brass Band Association
(NABBA) competing in that year's championship in Louisville, KY. Bands competing in NABBA championships are divided into different levels, or "sections" according to their perceived ability. The highest three levels of NABBA competition are known as the "Championship", "Honors" and "Challenge" sections. Because the GBB had never competed, they chose to enter as a participant in the Challenge section and promptly introduced themselves to the brass banding world by winning the section with a score of 278.2 out of a possible 300 - nearly 26 points ahead of the 2nd-place band in the section. In 2007, the band returned to the championships, competing in the higher Honors section. Against the stiffer competition of this section, Georgia fared quite well and finished in second place in the section with a score of 269, three points behind the section's champion. In March 2008, the GBB competed again in the Honors section and scored an impressive 288.6 points, which was enough to give them their second championship banner in three attempts. The GBB has gone on to earn second-place finishes in the NABBA First Section (formerly Honors Section) in 2009, 2010 and 2015.

Affiliations and Mentoring