The 2011-2012 concert schedule is nearly finalized and the Georgia Brass Band is looking forward to beginning a season featuring several high-profile performances and at least three world-class guest soloists.
In October, the band will embark on its version of a European tour by performing in Rome and Athens on 10/13 and 10/16, respectively. On the 13th, the group will pefform for approximately 75 minutes (no intermission) at Berry College's Ford Auditorium in the beautiful city of Rome, Georgia. This will be the GBB's first performance in the north Georgia town since appearing in the Rome Symphony's summer concert series in 2005. The baton will drop at 8:00 PM.
On the 16th, it's off to Athens, Georgia, to play for approximately two hours (one intermission) at the University of Georgia's Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. Never before has the band performed at "the oldest public unversity in the United States*" and it promises to be a great visit because world-renowned cornetist Richard Marshall will be the featured soloist. Marshall, who has performed with the GBB on one previous occasion, is the holder of "the hottest seat in banding" (principal cornet with the famous Black Dyke Band) and has been called "the most outstanding cornet player that [England] has ever had" - not a bad sobriquet in the country that more or less invented brass banding.
The UGA concert will begin at 3:00 PM and tickets - though free - are required (available at the UGA box office). Click here for more information.
November 13th will find the GBB back in metropolitan Atlanta, where they'll entertain parishioners and guests at the Lawrenceville Road United Methodist Church in Tucker, Georgia. The concert is slated for 7:00 PM, but you'll want to arrive early as seating is limited and the church has filled up quickly for past performances.
The band is still seeking venues for one or more holiday performances, but if you can't wait for your Christmas music fix, be sure to get a copy of A Christmas Festival, the GBB's first professionally-produced compact disk. It makes a great stocking-stuffer for the brass lovers in your life, too!
Moving on to 2012: The GBB has once again been invited to perform at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) conference in Savannah, Georgia. Virtuoso Amanda Pepping will be joining the band in the GBB's second opportunity to showcase the British Brass Band genre at the GMEA's annual event.
The performance is scheduled for 3:15 PM on 1/27/2012 at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.
In early 2012 (date TBD), the GBB will share the stage of the Salvation Army's Druid Hills, GA, temple with the Atlanta Temple Band. The concert will allow each band to show off their differing styles before taking the stage together for a few massed band charts. It's sure to be loud, and there will be something to please every musical taste.
Cancelled in 2011, here's hoping that the Deep South Brass Band Festival can dust off the mothballs in 2012. If so, the Georgia Brass Band has been confirmed as the feature act; and is currently scheduled to appear twice (2:00 PM & 8:00 PM) at the Pine Mountain, Georgia, festival on 5/4/2012.
Later in the same month, on 5/24/2012, the band will head south to Columbus, Georgia, for a performance at the Bill Heard Theatre in the city's RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. The appearance, scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM, will be a part of the International Trumpet Guild's 37th annual conference at Columbus State University; and the Georgia Brass Band will be delighted to share the stage with Philip Cobb, co-principal trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra and former member of the Salvation Army's amazing International Staff Band.
To wrap up the concert season - if all goes well - the GBB will once again head north to Middelbury, Vermont, to perform a concert at Middlebury College to benefit the Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. The band was invited to perform there in June, 2011; and the crowd's response was so overwhelmingly positive that an invitation to return in 2012 was waiting in director Joe Johnson's inbox before he arrived home from the trip. The 2012 event is scheduled for June 28th, and the Georgia Brass Band is looking forward to invading New England once again. The band also is actively seeking additional performance opportunites for the same time period in or relatively close to Middlebury to help offset travel expenses. Please contact
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if you can help.
As it becomes available, more information will be added to our schedule page, so please check back often throughout the season. We hope to see you at a performance soon!
