The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass is composed of some of America's top brass musicians who will perform an eclectic offering of holiday music, with a sprinkling of other specialized brass selections from their repertory. The 11-piece ensemble includes a player on French horn, five trumpets, three trombones, a tuba, and drums. Also a narrator for a reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” with full musical accompaniment.
A recent Big Brass holiday program included work by Bach, Handel, and Tchaikovsky – along with a West Side Story medley, a couple of New Orleans jazz pieces and seasonal favorites including God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Angels We Have Heard on High, Good King Wenceslas, Sleigh Ride and Silent Night.
The Rodney Marsalis band had its beginnings on the streets of New Orleans. Taught from a young age by his cousin, Wynton Marsalis, and on the advice of his uncle, Ellis Marsalis, Rodney created a concert format that breaks barriers between genres and creates connection between the audience and performers.
A veritable "dream team," the band’s virtuoso brass players have performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Baltimore Symphony, the São Paolo State Symphony Orchestra, the Imani Winds, Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, Dallas Brass, and Boston Brass. Recent performances include Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, China's National Center for the Performing Arts, Tangelwood's Seiji Ozawa Hall, a residency for the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, and a special feature on the National Public Radio show, "All Things Considered."
“Impressive. So compelling nothing else really mattered.” -- Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Engaging, fun and classy.” – Eugene (Oregon) Scene
The Newark Balkan Chorus is a youth chorus based out of the Newark Street School in Newark, VT. They sing traditional music from Eastern Europe and were featured in the 2002 film, “In The Bedroom,” which was nominated for four Academy Awards.