When the American Brass Quintet gave its first public performance on December 11, 1960, brass chamber music was still relatively unknown to concert audiences. That debut marked the beginning of an international career for the ensemble that includes performances in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and all fifty of the United States; a discography now numbering fifty-one recordings; the premieres of over one-hundred new brass works, and the inspiration to a whole new generation of brass quintets worldwide. ABQ commissions by Samuel Adler, Bruce Adolphe, Daniel Asia, Jan Bach, Robert Beaser, William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, Robert Dennis, Jacob Druckman, Eric Ewazen, Anthony Plog, Huang Ruo, David Sampson, Gunther Schuller, William Schuman, Ralph Shapey, Joan Tower, Melinda Wagner, and Charles Whittenberg are considered among the most significant contributions to the brass quintet repertoire. In the past fifteen years alone, the ABQ has released recordings of over twenty-five major new brass quintets. The presentation of challenging contemporary brass music alongside earlier eras carefully edited by ABQ members for modern performance, has become a trademark of ABQ programming, and has helped establish the American Brass Quintet as the leader in the field of serious brass chamber music today. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Samuel (Sam) Adler (born March 4, 1928) is an American composer and conductor. ... Bruce Adolphe (b. ... Daniel Asia (b. ... Jan Bach (born December 11, 1937 in Forrest, Illinois) is an American composer. ... William Elden Bolcom (born May 26, 1938) is an American composer of chamber, operatic, and symphonic music. ... Elliott Cook Carter, Jr. ... Jacob Druckman (June 26, 1928 – May 24, 1996) was an American composer born in Philadelphia. ... Eric Ewazen (b. ... Gunther Schuller Gunther Schuller (born November 22, 1925) studied at the St. ... William Schuman William Howard Schuman (August 4, 1910–February 15, 1992) was an American composer and music administrator. ... Ralph Shapey Ralph Shapey (March 12, 1921 - June 13, 2002) was an American composer and conductor. ... Joan Tower (born September 6, 1938 in New Rochelle, New York) is a contemporary American composer. ... Melinda Wagner (born 1957 in Philadelphia) is a US composer, and winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in music. ... Charles Whittenburg (July 6, 1927 in St. ...

Equally committed to the promotion of brass 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. Many young ensembles, including the Extension Ensemble, Manhattan Brass Quintet, Meridian Arts Ensemble, and Urban Brass Quintet have worked with the ABQ through these residencies, and have gone on to establish their own presence in the brass chamber field. 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 Juilliard School is one of the worlds premiere performing arts conservatory located in New York City, it is informally identified as simply Juilliard, and trains in the fields of Dance, Drama, and Music. ... The Aspen Music Festival and School, founded in 1949, is an internationally renowned classical music festival that presents world-class music in an intimate, small-town setting. ... The Meridian Arts Ensemble is an American chamber music ensemble based in New York City, specializing in the performance of new works for brass and percussion. ...

Through its acclaimed performances, signature programming, 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, this country's 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 current ABQ consists of Raymond Mase and Kevin Cobb on trumpet, John Rojak on bass trombone, Michael Powell on tenor trombone, and David Wakefield on horn. The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... There have been several well-known people named Michael Powell or Mike Powell, including: Mike Powell (writer and filmmaker), creator of the movies Discretion and Chorus Mike Powell (athlete), world record holder in the long jump Michael Powell (director), a British film director of the The Red Shoes (film) Michael... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... Horn may refer to: horn (anatomy), a hollow, pointed projection of the skin of various animals Horn, Austria horn (diacritic), a diacritic mark used to indicate that a normally rounded vowel such as o or u is to be pronounced unrounded horn (instrument) horn, a slang term for any wind...

External links

• American Brass Quintet
• Art of the States: American Brass Quintet

See also

• chamber music
• Canadian Brass
• brass instrument