The UW-Parkside Music Department and College of Arts of Humanities Presents Seraph Brass
SOMERS - UW-Parkside's Free Noon Concert Series offers the campus community a chance to listen to talented, engaging performers every Friday at noon in Bedford Concert Hall for absolutely free! The fall 2019 semester features an impressive lineup of master musicians, including Seraph Brass, who will be coming to The Rita on Friday, October 4.
Seraph Brass
Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet
Raquel Rodriquez Samayoa, trumpet
Jean Laurenz, trumpet
Rachel Velvikis, trumpet
Hana Beloglavec, trombone
Gretchen Renshaw James, tuba
Seraph Brass is a dynamic brass ensemble drawing from a roster of America’s top female brass players. Performing primarily as a brass quintet or sextet, Seraph also performs as a larger ensemble of 10 performers. Committed to engaging audiences with captivating programming, Seraph Brass presents a diverse body of repertoire that includes original transcriptions, newly commissioned works, and well-known classics. Seraph released their debut studio album, Asteria, on Summit Records in January 2018, winning a Silver Medal Global Music Award.
Winners of the 2019 American Prize in Chamber Music, Seraph Brass is a dynamic ensemble drawing from a roster of America’s top female brass players. Performing primarily as a quintet/sextet, Seraph Brass also performs as a larger 10-piece ensemble. Committed to engaging audiences with captivating programming, Seraph Brass presents a diverse body of repertoire that includes original transcriptions, newly commissioned works and well-known classics. Seraph released their debut studio album, Asteria, on Summit Records in January 2018, winning a Silver Medal Global Music Award. Seraph Brass is in residency at the Walton Art Center’s Artosphere Festival, alongside the Dover Quartet, in the festival orchestra.
Seraph Brass has toured extensively throughout the United States, China, Mexico and Europe. Featured performances of Seraph’s 2019-2020 touring schedule include a sextet recital at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Miami (FL), performances at the Busan Maru International Music Festival in Korea and a residency at the Interlochen Arts Academy. On the international stage, Seraph has performed at the Lieksa Brass Week in Finland and the Forum Cultural Guanajuato in León, Mexico. Stateside, Seraph has performed as the featured ensemble at the International Women’s Brass Conference and has performed concerts at Sarasota’s Artist Series Concerts, Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago (IL), Gettysburg Concert Association (PA), Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach (FL), SUNY Cortland (NY) and the Jamestown Concert Association (NY). The group has also toured extensively as Allied Concert Services artists. Seraph is on the roster of Manhattan Music Ensemble and G.L. Berg Entertainment. As featured soloists with band, Seraph performed Rick DeJonge’s Prelude and Fantasy with the Rowan University Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Joseph Higgins, and James Stephenson’s Dodecafecta with the Bucknell University Wind Ensemble, under the direction of William Kenny. Many members of Seraph Brass performed with Adele on her North American tour in 2016.
Enthusiastic about education, Seraph has developed strong relationships with Venezuelan “El Sistema” programs in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and has performed fundraising concerts for Play-On Philly! and Bridges: Music Through Harmony. Seraph has given residencies and performances at Stephen F. Austin University, University of Virginia, Fayetteville State University, Montana State University, Hendrix College, Arkansas Tech University, Lee University, Tennessee Tech University, University of Tennessee, Wittenberg University (OH), Eastern and Western Illinois Universities, Penn State Erie, Virginia Commonwealth University, Western Michigan University, Michigan State University, University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Metropolitan State University of Denver, among others. Seraph offers a variety of entrepreneurship and career development workshops, in addition to traditional brass pedagogy and technique master classes.
Committed to introducing new works into the chamber music repertoire for brass, Seraph Brass commissioned and premiered Wolf for solo soprano and brass quintet from Philadelphia-based composer Joseph Hallman. In its efforts to promote the work of women composers, Seraph has commissioned new works by Catherine McMichael and Rene Orth, both featured on the album Asteria. Seraph also premiered Lucy Pankhurst’s Ouroboros, with euphonium soloist Hélène Escriva, at the International Women’s Brass Conference. In addition to these original works, Seraph also has many original arrangements by trumpeter Jeff Luke featured on Asteria and Seraph Brass Live!
Members of Seraph Brass have performed with such esteemed ensembles as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Musicians from Marlboro, Luzern Music Festival in Switzerland, National Symphony, Brass Band of Battle Creek, Daejeon Philharmonic and Auckland Philharmonia. They currently hold positions in the Richmond Symphony, World and European Brass Association, Louisville Orchestra, Artosphere Orchestra, University of North Texas, Hendrix College, Louisiana State University, University of Richmond, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Shenandoah Conservatory.
Parking for the Noon Concert Series is free in Lot B or C, in any unmarked, unmetered parking space. For more information, contact the Rita Box Office at 262-595-2564. You can also find more information on The Rita homepage. Click the link below for more information:
UW-Parkside Noon Concert Series - Fall 2019
10/04 Seraph Brass
10/11 Mariachi Sirenas
10/18 European Folk Music by the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band Trio
10/25 Parkside Choirs
11/01 Parkside Student Recitals
11/08 Parkside Percussion Ensemble
11/15 Parkside Flute and Brass Ensembles
Contact:
Karen Sorensen
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Fine Arts
900 Wood Road, Box 2000
Kenosha, WI 53144
262-595-2457