The River City Brass Band (River City Brass, RCB) is a modified British-style brass band based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 28-piece ensemble tours extensively throughout the United States and performs more than 35 concerts each year as part of their community concert series in Western Pennsylvania.

Ensemble

On November 21, 1981, under the baton of conductor

Robert Bernat Robert Bernat (July 3, 1931 – December 3, 1994) was an American composer and the founder, artistic director, and conductorof the River City Brass Band in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His musical influences included his mentor, Aaron Copland, a ...

, the River City Brass took to the Carnegie Music Hall stage for its inaugural concert. Building upon the long-standing tradition of brass bands popularized in Great Britain and the United States, RCB features 25 brass players and 3 percussionists. RCB differs from most brass bands in that the instrumentation has been altered. French Horns are used instead of alto horns, and an Eb soprano trumpet is employed in place of a soprano cornet. The result of the soprano trumpet is a lighter, brighter, more "orchestral" sound than the traditional brass band. The Band has been a featured performer at the Adelaide Festival of the Arts (Australia), Musikfest (Pennsylvania), Chautauqua Institution (New York), New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, Interlochen Center for the Arts, (Michigan), and Thalian Hall (North Carolina), among many other venues across the world. Since 1986, River City Brass has run a youth program, known as the River City Youth Brass Band, which enables young musicians to hone their craft under the close supervision of professional players as part of the band's overall mission. :“The mission of the River City Brass is to propagate and perpetuate musical culture, primarily American musical culture, across a broad spectrum of the public through the presentation of brass band performances, educational programs and the production of recordings. The River City Brass has as its central obligation service to the people of Western Pennsylvania.” As of August 2010, River City Brass has been led by internationally renowned tuba soloist and British conductor,

James Gourlay James Gourlay (born 1956) is a Scottish conductor and tubist. Biography Gourlay was born in Scotland and began to play in his local brass band at an early age. He took part in numerous solo competitions at that time and soon became Scottish ...

Musical Directors

*1981-1994

*1994-2009 Denis Colwell *2010–Present

Band members

A list of the principal band members of the River City Brass Band as of 2021:

External links

River City Brass Band
{{Authority control Musical groups from Pittsburgh American brass bands Musical groups established in 1981 Summit Records artists