Press Kit
Biography
Based in San Francisco, Brass Over Bridges is an ensemble that understands that music is all about connection. Inspired by the cultural diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area, we seek to engage audiences with music bridging barriers of style and artistic discipline.
Recipients of the Aspen Music Festival’s “American Brass Quintet Fellowship” and the Cypress String Quartet’s “Cypress Award”, Brass Over Bridges combines the sensitivity and expression of chamber music with with the resonance and color of brass instruments. In addition to their own concert series in San Francisco, Brass Over Bridges has performed at the Aspen Music Festival, The University Of The Pacific, Santa Cruz Symphony’s Spotlight On The Symphony concert series, SF Music Day, Symphony of the Redwoods Opus Concerts, and more.
In 2023, Brass Over Bridges commissioned and premiered Stefan Cwik’s “Transfigurations,” an interdisciplinary work for solo brass quintet with orchestra or wind ensemble, and animated artwork. Cwik’s version for orchestra was premiered alongside the SF Civic Symphony, and the version for wind ensemble was premiered with the wonderful students at the SF Conservatory.
Brass Over Bridges cares deeply about expanding the standard brass quintet repertoire to be more representative of our cultural landscape. The quintet has commissioned works by Julie Barwick, Kevin Day, Lillian Yee, and Hitomi Oba.
In addition to performing concerts, Brass Over Bridges is passionate about supporting students and music education. From collegiate level masterclasses, to performances for middle school students, Brass Over Bridges designs programs to educate and inspire young musicians at all levels.
For individual member bios, click here.
Recordings
Downloadable Press Photos
Repertoire by genre
This list is illustrates our core material for each genre.
Contemporary Classical
Barwick, Julie - Paths
DiLorenzo, Anthony - Fire Dance
D’Rivera, Paquito - Four Pieces
Esmail, Reena - Khirkiyaan
Higdon, Jennifer - Fanfare
Lutoslawski, Witold - Mini Overture
Plog, Anthony - Four Sketches
Tower, Joan - Copperwave
20th Century Romantic and Americana
Copland, Aaron - Copland Portrait, arr. Sutherland
Barber, Samuel - Adagio, arr. McNeff
Debussy, Claude - Girl With The Flaxen Hair, arr. Sabourin
Ewald, Victor - Quintet Nos. 1-3
Lafosse, Andre - Suite Impromptu
Pops and Jazz Arrangements
Frackenpohl, Arthur - Glad Rags For Brass Quintet
Gershwin, George - Three Preludes, arr. Schutza
Giacchino, Michael - The Incredibles, arr. Sutherland
Mercury, Freddie - Bohemian Rhapsody arr. Walton
Mingus, Charles - Goodbye, Porkpie Hat
Williams, John - Krypton Fanfare and March from Superman arr. Moore
Renaissance and Baroque
Albinoni, Tomaso - Sonata St. Mark
Bach, Johann Sebastian - Contrapunctus IX, arr. Glasel
Byrd, William - Ne Irascaris Domine, arr. Orgel
Gabrieli, Giovanni - Canzona Per Sonare No. 1-4, ed. King
Scheidt, Samuel - Canzona Bergamasca
Strozzi, Barbara - Selections from Il Primo Libro de Madrigali