Mainzer Dombläser

The Mainzer Dombläser (Cathedral Brass) provide the festive setting for Pontifical Masses at Mainz Cathedral on high feast days. The ensemble has existed for more than one-hundred-and-forty years under the heading Mainzer Dommusik, harking back to courtly and military ensembles at the Electoral court of Mainz. Professor Mathias Breitschaft altered the ensemble’s set-up in 1985, establishing today’s formation: the group now consists of two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba. This formation, the instrumental set-up of which has been popular since the Renaissance, now performs festive music for brass ensemble dating from all periods. In addition to concerts at Mainz Cathedral as well as in other churches at home and abroad, the ensemble appears at matinees, serenades, open-air concerts, receptions, and a variety of other events. The musicians also perform as a larger brass ensemble, joined for example by organ and percussion. Their broad repertoire encompasses a wide range of musical styles, uniting classical works, jazz, and pop. Numerous CD and radio productions demonstrate the ensemble’s artistic diversity.