Fine Arts Brass

Fine Arts Brass has been performing for over 30 years, and in this time the ensemble has established for itself a place in the Hall of Fame for Brass chamber music. Founded in 1980, the ensemble’s name makes reference to the musicians’ first rehearsal space: the Barber Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Birmingham. The ensemble’s continuing success can be related to the ability to adapt to a diverse range of stylistic and technical challenges: their performance schedule ranges from classroom concerts for school-children to broadcasts with the BBC. The unique Brass sound, coupled with a readily apparent joie de vivre and a passion for music, can be made out as reasons why the five musicians have toured over sixty countries to date and have appeared at almost every English music festival. The ensemble’s repertoire is as diverse as one might hope for, encompassing works of all musical genres from the Renaissance to the avant-garde. In its history, the ensemble has commissioned over fifty new works and relishes the opportunity of working closely with composers—among them Malcolm Arnold, Robin Holloway, Michael Nyman, John Woolrich, Michael Torke, and many more. The CD catalogue of Fine Arts Brass lists more than thirty titles, with many new additions planned. Reviewers in classical music magazines regularly apostrophise the ensemble as an exceptional artist.