London Brass

The ensemble London Brass was formed by members of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble in 1986, with the aim of exploring the virtuosity and rich sonorities presented in chamber music works for brass instruments. Many of the founding members could draw on their longstanding experience with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, and consequently London Brass soon became a much-sought-after ensemble, known particularly through its concerts and exceptional recordings. Despite taking a new direction by including a jazz trumpet and a jazz trombone in the mid-1990s, the ensemble has always remained true to its roots. Composers such as Django Bates, Mike Gibbs, Mark Anthony Turnage, Michael Nyman, and Richard Rodney Bennett regularly dedicate new works to the ensemble. The musicians’ repertoire spans from the music of the sixteenth century—by Giovanni Gabrieli, for example—to Freddie Mercury, and the ensemble has performed its programmes in venues such as the Lincoln Center New York, at a steel factory in Norway, and under a cluster of trees in the Dolomites. London Brass is a welcome guest at international festivals and concert series. The brass players have appeared, for example, at the BBC Proms in London and at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2002, in honour of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee—a concert that was broadcast on television across the globe. Currently, London Brass is ensemble-in-residence at the Royal College of Music in London.