Madison Brass Band, Eastern Iowa Brass Band
Madison College-Truax, Mitby Theater 1701 Wright St., Madison, Wisconsin 53704
press release: The Madison Brass Band is honored to host the Eastern Iowa Brass Band for a free, joint concert at the Mitby Theater on the Madison College Campus at 7 PM on Friday, July 15th. The Eastern Iowa Brass Band is celebrating their 30th anniversary this summer with a four-day, three-state tour of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. The tour will include joint concerts with the Madison Brass Band, the Illinois Brass Band, the Chicago Brass Band, and the Big River Brass Band.
Both groups will perform the best of their summer repertoire, concluding with a spectacular finish as both bands join together to play a couple of American favorites. Standard British brass band instrumentation features conical bore horns, producing a rich, mellow sound that is both dynamic and colorful. In place of the trumpets, French Horns and woodwind instruments used in concert bands in the United States, the British Brass Band uses cornets, flugelhorn, tenor horns, euphoniums, baritones, trombones and tubas, as well as percussion. The 30+ member ensembles perform from a repertoire which features original works for brass band, as well as arrangements of well known orchestral and wind band literature. Concert programs also include marches, medleys, hymn tune arrangements, folk songs, Broadway showtunes and novelty features.
The Eastern Iowa Brass Band is based in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and was established in 1985 after Don Stine, director of the city band, attended a seminar on the growing brass band movement in the United States. Regular rehearsals began soon thereafter, and the band competed in its first North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) Championship in April of 1986 where they placed second in their class. The strong showing at such a prestigious competition prompted the founders to incorporate and formed the foundation for what is now one of the most prominent amateur brass bands in the country. For the past 30 years, the Eastern Iowa Brass Band has been entertaining audiences throughout Iowa, the midwest and even beyond. Over the last thirty years the band has produced a number of recordings. A new compact disc entitled Reverence will soon be available. It contains arrangements of sacred melodies and hymn tunes. Watch the band's website for release date and details: http://easterniowabrassband.com.
The Madison Brass Band has been performing since 2002 and was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2004. The band’s members are serious amateur and professional musicians who are enthusiastic about keeping the great British and American brass band tradition alive in the greater Madison area. The band currently rehearses weekly in preparation for twelve or more performances per year. The band has participated in the U.S. Open Brass band Championships, the Iowa Festival of Brass Bands, and the North American Brass Band Association Championships (NABBA). At the U.S. Open in 2014 Dr. Don Deal won BEST SOLOIST. At the U.S Open in 2015 the percussion section won BEST PERCUSSION, and conductor Craig Mason won BEST NEW COMPOSITION/ARRANGMENT. The band also won the NABBA 2nd section in 2012. The band premiered its first commissioned composition in the spring of 2015 by Wisconsin composer Rick Kirby, entitled City of Tears.
For additional information contact David Woolpert, 608.206.5573, dwoolpert@me.com