National Brass Ensemble to Perform Chicago Debut Concert at Symphony Center, 9/20

CHICAGO-Symphony Center Presents is pleased to announce the Chicago debut of the National Brass Ensemble (NBE) in a special concert at Symphony Center on Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. The NBE is composed of 24 of the finest brass players in the United States. For this concert, the NBE is joined by a timpanist, three percussionists and two harpists. All of the musicians hail from major U.S. orchestras in Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Detroit. The program of works by Gabrieli, Verdi and John Williams is inspired by the NBE's soon-to-be released CD, Gabrieli, recorded by the NBE in 2014 in conjunction with the group's debut concert at the Green Music Center in Sonoma, CA.

CSO musicians including Principal Trumpet Christopher Martin, Trombone Michael Mulcahy, Principal Tuba Gene Pokorny and Assistant Principal Timpani Vadim Karpinos, as well as former Associate Principal Horn Gail Williams, perform as part of the NBE. Riccardo Muti, Zell music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, joins the NBE to lead arrangements of two Verdi overtures-La forza del destino and Nabucco-arranged by San Francisco Principal Trombone Tim Higgins. Selections from Sacrae Symphoniae by Giovanni Gabrieli, also arranged by Higgins, as well as Music for Brass, which was written especially for this ensemble by Academy Award®-winning composer John Williams, complete the program.

The NBE's creation was largely inspired by the Grammy® Award-winning 1968 recording, The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli, which featured the brass ensembles of the Chicago Symphony and the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras. Formed in 2014 as a joint venture between the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), Oberlin Conservatory of Music (OCM) and Sonoma State University's Green Music Center (SSUGMC), the NBE includes brass players from nine major U.S. orchestras with many of the NBE players having ties to the three academic institutions.

The NBE players participated in a June 2014 residency in Sonoma, California where music written primarily by Gabrieli and arranged by NBE member Tim Higgins, was rehearsed. The culmination of the historic residency was a studio recording made at Skywalker Sound Stage following the group's first performance in June 2014 at the Green Center in Sonoma, CA. The recording from OBERLIN MUSIC and 50 Oak Music is set to be released on October, 9, 2015. However, patrons at the September 20 NBE concert are invited to a special CD pre-sale and signing with members of the ensemble in Grainger Ballroom immediately following the performance.

Tickets for all Symphony Center Presents Special Concerts may be purchased by calling Symphony Center at 312-294-3000, online at cso.org, or by visiting the Symphony Center box office at 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60604. All performances take place at Symphony Center unless otherwise noted.

Artists, programs and prices are subject to change.

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