MIRARI brass quintet www.arielartists.com G [email protected]SPIRITS TO ENFORCE art to enchant ARTISTS Ariel “The Mirari Brass Quintet presented a virtuosic program that thrilled and inspired our audience. Equally at home performing everything from Renaissance transcriptions to Charles Mingus charts, the ensemble is quickly establishing itself as one of the premier groups of its kind.” –Dr. James Boldin, University of Louisiana-Monroe “It was like someone pressed shuffle on my iPod and found all my favorite music. The Mirari Brass Quintet performs a dynamic mix of genres that delights. Beautifully executed and lots of fun!” –Cynthia Johnston Turner, Director of Wind Ensembles, Cornell University “These stellar musicians are the perfect combination of talent and insight. Their performances are full of contagious musical expression, and their master classes are clear and simple, yet have a dramatic effect on the way students play with one another.” –Cory Mixdorf, Georgia State University “The quintet’s performance was flawless, energetic, and captivating, as well as being educational and entertaining. The group demonstrated advanced knowledge and communication skills when working with the students, who were inspired to reach new levels in their own performances.” – Dr. Kathryn Aducci, San Jose State University “The Mirari Brass Quintet presented a program that was thoroughly enjoyable and expertly executed! The variety and pacing of the selections kept the entire audience engaged. The original compositions and arrangements by trumpeter Alex Noppe are a great addition to the repertoire.” –Dr. Travis Bennett, Western Carolina University E ngaging and eclectic, the Mirari Brass Quintet brings a spirit of joyful collaboration and innovation to music spanning many centuries and genres. Commissioners of multiple new works for brass, the group performs a spectacular tight-rope act, balancing intensity with levity and refined virtuosity with pure fun. Now in its seventh season, Mirari has performed extensively across the United States, performing in more than twenty-seven states, and appearing in concert residencies at numerous universities, including University of Missouri-Kansas City, Truman State University, Pacific Lutheran University, Cornell University, SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, the University of Louisiana, San Francisco State University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, and many more. In 2014, Mirari was a featured artist at the International Tuba & Euphonium Conference, as well as the International Trumpet Guild Conference in 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. Throughout their existence, Mirari Brass has been dedicated to commissioning and arranging new works to expand the brass quintet genre; since 2009, they have added more than two dozen works to the repertoire. In one of their most popular projects, the group commissioned Rome Prize winner and Guggenheim Fellow Eric Nathan to write Spires, a major work based on a set of overlaid architectural drawings by Julie Mehretu. This piece later became the title track of their debut album, Spires (2012). Reflecting the multi-faceted interests and diverse talents of its members, Mirari leans heavily towards commissioning composers who have backgrounds apart from the brass idiom, such as choral (Austin Jaquith), theater (David Sisco), and jazz (Louis Romanos). Group members have also contributed a number of arrangements and original compositions. All collegiate music professors, the members of Mirari showcase their passion for music education through master classes, clinics and outreach performances for students of all ages. They have presented clinics on topics such as Fearless Performance, Yoga for Musicians, and Creative Improvisation, examining all aspects of life as an artist. Mirari Brass is Alex Noppe and Matthew Vangjel (trumpets), Jessie Thoman (horn), Sarah Paradis (trombone), and Stephanie Frye (tuba). short bio press PHOTO BY JASON ALDRIDGE
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“The Mirari Brass Quintet presented a virtuosic program that thrilled and inspired our audience. Equally at home performing everything from Renaissance transcriptions to Charles Mingus charts, the ensemble is quickly establishing itself as one of the premier groups of its kind.”
–Dr. James Boldin, University of Louisiana-Monroe
“It was like someone pressed shuffle on my iPod and found all my favorite music. The Mirari Brass Quintet performs a dynamic mix of genres that delights. Beautifully executed and lots of fun!”
–Cynthia Johnston Turner, Director of Wind Ensembles, Cornell University
“These stellar musicians are the perfect combination of talent and insight. Their performances are full of contagious musical expression, and their master classes are clear and simple, yet have a dramatic effect on the way students play with one another.”
–Cory Mixdorf, Georgia State University
“The quintet’s performance was flawless, energetic, and captivating, as well as being educational and entertaining. The group demonstrated advanced knowledge and communication skills when working with the students, who were inspired to reach new levels in their own performances.”
– Dr. Kathryn Aducci, San Jose State University
“The Mirari Brass Quintet presented a program that was thoroughly enjoyable and expertly executed! The variety and pacing of the selections kept the entire audience engaged. The original compositions and arrangements by trumpeter Alex Noppe are a great addition to the repertoire.”
–Dr. Travis Bennett, Western Carolina University
Engaging and eclectic, the Mirari Brass Quintet brings a spirit of joyful collaboration and innovation to music
spanning many centuries and genres. Commissioners of multiple new works for brass, the group performs a spectacular tight-rope act, balancing intensity with levity and refined virtuosity with pure fun.
Now in its seventh season, Mirari has performed extensively across the United States, performing in more than twenty-seven states, and appearing in concert residencies at numerous universities, including University of Missouri-Kansas City, Truman State University, Pacific Lutheran University, Cornell University, SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, the University of Louisiana, San Francisco State University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, and many more. In 2014, Mirari was a featured artist at the International Tuba & Euphonium Conference, as well as the International Trumpet Guild Conference in 2015 in Columbus, Ohio.
Throughout their existence, Mirari Brass has been dedicated to commissioning and arranging new works to expand the brass quintet genre; since 2009, they have added more than two dozen works to the repertoire. In one of their most popular projects, the group commissioned Rome Prize winner and Guggenheim Fellow Eric Nathan to write Spires, a major work based on a set of overlaid architectural drawings by Julie Mehretu. This piece later became the title track of their debut album, Spires (2012). Reflecting the multi-faceted interests and diverse talents of its members, Mirari leans heavily towards commissioning composers who have backgrounds apart from the brass idiom, such as choral (Austin Jaquith), theater (David Sisco), and jazz (Louis Romanos). Group members have also contributed a number of arrangements and original compositions.
All collegiate music professors, the members of Mirari showcase their passion for music education through master classes, clinics and outreach performances for students of all ages. They have presented clinics on topics such as Fearless Performance, Yoga for Musicians, and Creative Improvisation, examining all aspects of life as an artist.
Mirari Brass is Alex Noppe and Matthew Vangjel (trumpets), Jessie Thoman (horn), Sarah Paradis (trombone), and Stephanie Frye (tuba).
MUSIC OF OUR ROOTSAmerican music at its core is an art based on synthesis, influenced by the tonal language and formal construction of Europe, the sound sets and improvisatory nature of African music, and the rhythmic grooves from Central and South America. Each of the works on this program draws in various ways from those roots and each comprises a unique combination of styles that interact in often unpredictable ways. As brass instruments can be found in nearly every genre of American music, the Mirari Brass Quintet is an ideal vehicle to interpret and present these works. In addition, each of the composers featured here (save one) are from the Americas.
Works to be performed as part of “Music of Our Roots” program include:John Cheetham, A Brass MenagerieEnrique Crespo, Suite AmericanaCaprice Fox, Silence of TimeLouis Romanos, TBAEric Nathan, SpiresRich Campbell, American RiffsJohn Stevens, HodesannaLeonard Bernstein, West Side Story SuiteCharles Mingus, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and Haitian Fight Song
INTO THE MIRRORCompared to string quartets, piano trios, and many other chamber groups, the brass quintet, as a serious genre of music, is still in its infancy. As such, the Mirari Brass Quintet has made it a key component of its mission to develop and expand the available repertoire by commissioning outside composers and creating its own new works. Each of the pieces on this program was written for the group over the past five years, and (in many cases) composed specifically for the unique strengths and talents of each of the quintet members. The audience is invited to “reflect and wonder” (the definition of “Mirari”) and to explore the intricacies of music as both a means of personal expression and a social experience.The program centers around two very different works conceived for the group and written five years apart. New York-based composer and performer David Sisco completed his as-yet untitled work for Mirari Brass in 2014. Based on interviews with each member of the group, the first five movements each feature an individual Mirari member and are written around their life history, experiences, and interests. The final movement ties all the musical themes together in a cacophony of musical ideas and viewpoints, each unique but harmonious, proof that the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts. The other major work on the program is Spires by Guggenheim Fellowship-winning composer Eric Nathan. Spires is based upon artist Julie Mehretu’s ink and acrylic artwork of stacked architectural blueprints of a plaza in Berlin. Appearing at first like merely a collection of obscured lines and points, the music is rotated and viewed from different vantage points until the scaffolding falls away, leaving only a starkly clear picture of buildings and towers. In
three elided movements, the piece uses a variety of extended techniques for brass such as slides, trills, and glissandi.Surrounding the Sisco and Nathan pieces are shorter vignettes from the lives and artistic sensibilities of the quintet members, each beginning as individual expression but over time being reborn and transformed by the collective. From bombastic and virtuosic fanfare (Alex Noppe’s Canyon Run, Greg Bartholomew’s Marvel), to the witty and buoyant (Stephanie Frye’s arrangement of English madrigals), to the deeply spiritual (Austin Jaquith’s Quintet for Brass, Noppe’s Elegy), the quintet embarks on a journey through light and dark. It is a challenging, humbling, and inspiring experience to look into the mirror of one’s own artistry and observe what reflects back, and the members of the Mirari Brass invite audiences to share it with them.
Works to be performed on the “Into the Mirror” program include:Alex Noppe, Canyon Run
John Wilbye/Thomas Vautor/William Byrd (arr. Stephanie Frye), English madrigals (selected)David Sisco, New work TBA