Celebrate Brass! at University of Wisconsin-Madison

From October 8 to 13, the UW-Madison School of Music will present its first major brass festival in 32 years - a six-day exploration of the complex nature of brass music, from the delicate woven chords of trumpets and horns to the swagger and growl of the tuba and trombone.

The event will feature famed Norwegian solo tubist Øystein Baadsvik, the only tuba virtuoso to have carved out a career exclusively as a soloist, rather than becoming a member of an orchestra or accepting a teaching post. Baadsvik will be joined by hornist Jessica Valeri (BM, UW-Madison, 1997) of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; Michigan’s Western Brass Quintet; UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Brass Quintet; renowned brass composer, trumpeter, and blogger Anthony Plog; and new UW-Madison faculty tubist Tom Curry.

The festival will include four separate concerts and master classes on each of four brass instruments (trumpet, trombone, horn, and tuba) plus a separate class on orchestral auditions with Valeri. There will also be multiple open rehearsals and two colloquium discussions - one with Anthony Plog and one with Oystein Baadsvik.

Celebrate Brass! is organized by UW trumpet professor John Aley, now in his 33rd year at the School. Aley was also involved with the first festival, which took place during his second year at UW-Madison. Aley is also principal trumpet of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Wisconsin Brass Quintet.)

The highlight concert of the week will be “Brass Alchemy,” a ticketed event, Saturday, October 11, at 8 PM in Mills Hall.

“Brass Alchemy” will feature a full contingent of soloists, guests, and students presenting dramatic and inspired works of John Williams, Morten Lauridsen, Juan Colomer, Ennio Morricone, Scott Hiltzik, Kevin Puts, Anthony DiLorenzo, and an original work of Baadsvik’s, Fnugg. School of Music professor Scott Teeple will conduct. Tickets for the general public are $25; UW-Madison music majors with ID are free; all other students (all ages, all schools), $10.00. Ticketing information: http://www.music.wisc.edu/about-us/tickets/

All other events are free. The School of Music thanks the Vilas Trust for its support. Visit http://www.music.wisc.edu/brass-festival/ for more information about the festival.