It’s time for brass to shine.
Trumpets and trombones, tubas and flugelhorns will take centre stage once again as Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s music department presents the fourth annual Brass Blast on Friday, March 6.
The annual student concert will feature performances by the Kwantlen Brass Ensemble. They will be joined by the UBC Brass Ensemble and by the professional “tentet” A Touch of Brass on stage at the Langley campus on Friday, March 6.
Among the KPU music students participating in this year’s concert are Josh Sung, 20, and Alysha Lebrun, 21, who are in the third and fourth years, respectively, of their degrees.
They’re encouraging anyone who has never before been to an all-brass concert to come out and give it a listen.
“Everyone has this preconceived notion of a brass ensemble, that all they do is play loud,” said Sung.
The trombone player acknowledged that he learned just how diverse brass instruments are when he took part in a performance of Brahm’s lullaby.
“I never knew they could play so softly,” he said.
At the same time, the experience will be very different for the audience than listening to a wind symphony, for example, said Lebrun, who plays trumpet.
There’s a magnificence to a collection of brass, she said.
“It’s a unique sound to hear a whole ensemble (of brass) versus a section.”
The evening’s repertoire includes a couple of late Renaissance pieces by Gabrieli, which have been arranged for brass, said Lebrun, referring to Giovani Gabrieli, an Italian composer who lived from the mid16th to early 17th century.
“The Gabrielis are fun to play,” she added. “It really shows off our sound.”
The band will also perform Legacies of Honour a lively piece with a distinctly military vibe, which includes fanfare and taps.
It’s a piece that is more typical of what people think of when it comes to brass instruments, said Lebrun.
The concert will conclude with Mass Brass, as the three ensembles take to the stage together, to perform a couple final pieces. At that point, it’s BYOB — Bring Your Own Brass — for audience members (high school band students, for example) who are invited to get up and join in.
“For us, it won’t be very rehearsed. It will be simple enough that people can play along,” said Sung.
Admission to the fourth annual Brass Blast are $10 per adult and $5 per student. Tickets will be sold at the door.
Showtime is 7:30 p.m. KPU is located at 20901 Langley Bypass.
