Dr. Brian Holmes, French Horn, Joins the Menlo Brass
August 5, 2006 — Menlo Park, California — We are pleased to announce that French hornist
Brian Holmes has joined the Menlo Brass Quintet. Dr. Holmes is already
well known to the musical community in the San Francisco Bay Area as a
published composer and skilled musician. The Menlo Brass have been working
collaboratively with Brian (as a composer and arranger, as well as on
horn) since first getting together in 1985. We are looking forward to a
long and fruitful association with this talented artist.
Having followed his career since our
meeting, we could not have been happier when he accepted the invitation to
take over the French horn chair.
Brian brings a wealth of performing
and composing experience to Menlo Brass. He is co-principal horn of the
Peninsula Symphony, a member of the San Francisco Composers Chamber
Orchestra, and has played regularly with the San Jose Symphony and Opera
San Jose. Active as a composer, he usually writes for chorus or solo
voice, with numerous performances, awards, commissions, broadcasts, and
publications to his credit.
Brian received a Bachelor’s degree
from Pomona College, and earned a PhD in experimental low temperature
physics from Boston University. He is a professor of Physics at San Jose
State University. He is also a nationally recognized expert on the physics
of brass musical instruments, giving many invited talks all over the
country.
Sam King Leaves the MBQ
After 24 Great Years
July 4, 2006 — Menlo Park, California — After 24 years with the Menlo Brass Quintet,
Sam King is striking off on his own following our 350th
performance on July 4, 2006 (and over 1,000 rehearsals over the years).
Sam was a founding member of the group in 1982, along with trumpeters Dan
Hallock and Ron McWilliams. Trombone artist Barbara Sigler joined the
quintet in 1991, and Bob Lipton and his tuba have been with us since 1993.
We are appreciative of the years of professional and personal association
with Sam; he has contributed a great deal to the quintet’s growth and
successes.
Sam’s great love of the music of J. S. Bach is marked by more than 50
of Bach’s compositions included in our library. Sam’s playing can be heard
on our “A Simpler Life” CD.
Sam, who was awarded a Master’s of Divinity degree from the Western
Seminary, is looking forward to putting more of his time and
concentration into his ministerial activities, in addition to his career
as a statistician and, of course, continuing to perform on the French
horn.
Looking for a new player for a group such as ours is always a daunting
task. Although performing ability is of paramount importance, the new horn
player will be joining "family." The Menlo Brass Quintet works
exceptionally well together, and we hope to find someone who can join us
with that same spirit. Sam will be missed, and we wish him the best.
Menlo Brass Quintet Premieres Piece by Local Composer
“Tribute
to Johannes Brahms” by John Blakelock
April 29, 2006 — Menlo Park, California — The Menlo Brass is excited to present the World Premiere performance of “Tribute to
Johannes Brahms” by John Blakelock, on Sunday evening, May 7, 2006, as the
centerpiece of their
"Spring Diversity" concert
at the First Baptist Church of Menlo Park, 1100 Middle Avenue, Menlo Park,
CA.
John Blakelock received a B.A. in Music from Washington College in
Chestertown, Maryland, and went on to earn a Master's in Composition from
the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Mr. Blakelock
currently resides in Berkeley.
Mr. Blakelock wrote this “Tribute
to Johannes Brahms” when he was struck by Brahms’ use of a diminished
seventh chord in the beginning of his Third Symphony. John decided to start a
composition in a similar fashion, basing much of the harmonic and melodic
content in the piece around the diminished seventh chord.
One of his goals was to
transform the sound of a diminished seventh from something that passes on
and resolves, to an objective in itself. In emulation of other aspects of
Brahms’ music the use of
counterpoint and the importance of interior melodic lines this tribute is a piece where
every voice has equal importance. On February 14, 2006, the Menlo Brass
recorded the “Tribute to Johannes Brahms” for John Blakelock's composition
portfolio.
The Menlo Brass Quintet is a well-respected
brass ensemble that has been performing in the San Francisco Bay Area for
over 20 years. The group is dedicated to developing new music for Brass
Quintet, and consistently includes original works for Brass Quintet (in
contrast to transcriptions and arrangements) at each of their concerts. The quintet has worked closely with a number of composers to
present striking new works in their finest form. Members of the Quintet
are: Dan Hallock and Ron McWilliams, trumpets; Barbara Sigler, trombone;
Sam King, French horn; and Bob Lipton, tuba.
The Menlo Brass Wins Recording Competition
The Menlo Brass Quintet's recording of the
Bar-B-Que Suite, a new work by Idaho composer Dan Smith, has been chosen
as the winner of the Boise Brass Quintet's 2005 Brass Quintet Recording
Competition.
The competition was open to brass quintets from all
over the United States. Each quintet recorded the Bar-B-Que Suite,
and the recordings were judged by the Boise Brass Quintet.
Mr. Smith announced the winner as the Menlo Brass
Quintet on Wednesday, May 11, 2005. His statement conveyed his appreciation for
the MBQ's "time, interest, and musicianship," and also noted that he was
"honored to have [the MBQ] perform this work in July."
The world premiere performance of the
Bar-B-Que Suite was featured at
a patriotic Concert and Barbecue at the First Baptist Church of Menlo Park on
July 3, 2005.
Click to hear a recording of the Menlo Brass in rehearsal,
playing "♫Fanfare" – from Quintet for
Brass, a composition by
Daniel Gall.
The Menlo Brass can be heard
on a holiday CD from Schola Cantorum, "Christmas Reflections: 40th
Anniversary Holiday Collection."
 The Menlo
Brass Quintet has joined Schola Cantorum for several combined concerts.
This retrospective CD includes the Quintet accompanying them on In
Dulce Jubilo, by Michael Praetorius.
Contact
Schola Cantorum to purchase
your copy of the CD, or pick one up at the next
Menlo Brass concert. |
