CONWAY, Ark. (October 27, 2009) – The American Brass Quintet (ABQ) will perform Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Reves Recital Hall on the Hendrix College campus. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 450-1422.
The American Brass Quintet, celebrating its 50th year during the 2009-2010 season, is internationally recognized as one of the premiere chamber music ensembles of our time.
Through its acclaimed performances, diverse programming, commissioning, extensive discography and educational mission, the ABQ has created a legacy unparalleled in the brass field. Hailed as "the high priests of brass" by Newsweek, "positively breathtaking" by the New York Times, and "of all the brass quintets, the most distinguished" by the American Record Guide, the American Brass Quintet has clearly defined itself among the elite chamber music ensembles of our time.
The quintets’ rich history includes performances in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and all fifty of the U.S.; a discography of more than 50 recordings; the premieres of more than 100 contemporary brass works, and in the last decade, mini-residencies that have brought the quintets’ chamber music expertise to countless young musicians and institutions worldwide.
American Brass Quintet commissions by Samuel Adler, Bruce Adolphe, Daniel Asia, Jan Bach, Robert Beaser, William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, Jacob Druckman, Eric Ewazen, Anthony Plog, Huang Ruo, Steven Sacco, David Sampson, Gunther Schuller, William Schuman, Ralph Shapey, Joan Tower, Melinda Wagner, and Charles Whittenberg, are considered among the most significant contributions to the modern brass quintet repertoire.
In the last three seasons the quintet has premiered new works by Gordon Beeferman, Justin Dello Joio, Shafer Mahoney, David Sampson, and Grammy-winning, composer-pianist Billy Childs, and released two new recordings—Cheer Boys Cheer (volume two of civil war brass music of the 26th N.C. Regimental Band, and Jewels. In commemoration of their 50th anniversary, the ABQ will soon release their eighth recording on the Summit label—a double CD of new works called The State of the Art—the ABQ at 50.
Equally committed to the promotion of brass chamber music through education, the American Brass Quintet has been in residence at The Juilliard School since 1987 and at the Aspen Music Festival since 1970. Since 2001 the ABQ has offered its expertise in chamber music performance and training with a program of mini-residencies as part of its regular touring season. Designed to offer young groups and individuals an intense chamber music experience over several days, ABQ mini-residencies have been embraced by schools and communities throughout the United States and internationally.
The performance is brought to Hendrix College by the Harold Thompson Concert Fund. For more information on upcoming music events at Hendrix, visit www.hendrix.edu/music.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 165 colleges featured in the 2008 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Value Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.
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