www.arielartists.com G booking@arielartists.comSPIRITS TO ENFORCE art to enchant

“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 Louisi-

ana-Monroe

“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

short bio

testimonials

Engaging and eclectic, the Mirari Brass Quintet

brings a spirit of joyful collaboration and innova-

tion to music spanning many centuries and

genres. The 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 fifth season, Mirari has performed extensively across

the United States, forging connections with audiences through

lively and polished performances. The group has performed on

concert series for the Fredericksburg Music Club (TX), the

Manteca Kindred Arts Concert Association (CA), and Friends

of Music at Emanuel (CT), as well as held concert residencies at numerous universities, including Cornell University, SUNY Potsdam’s

Crane School of Music, and many more.

Since 2009, Mirari Brass has added nearly two dozen works to the brass quintet repertoire, with group members also contributing a

number of arrangements and original compositions. Their debut album, Spires (2012), offers as its centerpiece Mirari’s commissioned

work from Rome Prize winner and Guggenheim Fellow Eric Nathan, adventurously contextualized by works from the Renaissance and

Baroque periods, as well as jazz standards re-imagined and transformed.

The Mirari Brass Quintet showcases its passion for music education through master classes, clinics, and performances with students of all

ages. All collegiate music professors, the quintet members relish extended time to interact with young musicians. Presenting clinics on

topics such as Fearless Performance, Yoga for Musicians, and Creative Improvisation, the Mirari Brass Quintet examines all aspects of life

as an artist and helps to foster the development of complete musicians.

As a central tenet of the group, and by their name’s definition, all Mirari members share an admiration and respect for each other not

only on stage and in music, but also in friendship. Mirari Brass is Alex Noppe and Matthew Vangjel (trumpets), Jessie Thoman (horn),

Sarah Paradis (trombone), and Stephanie Frye (tuba).

“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

“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

P H O T O B Y J A S O N A L D R I D G E

MIRARI BRASS brass quintet

ARTISTSAriel

www.arielartists.com G booking@arielartists.comSPIRITS TO ENFORCE art to enchant

PUBLIC CONCERT

In eighteenth-century Europe, a growing demand for music outside

of the aristocracy led to the creation of ticket-based concert series.

Audience members at these concerts would be treated to a wide

variety of music from different performers and composers: sympho-

nies, concerti, arias, and even oratorios. In this program, Mirari

creates a modern version of this public concert, featuring music

from a large number of styles and genres. To achieve the effect of a

larger array of performing musicians, the quintet will borrow many

works from outside the standard brass vehicles, including choral,

strings, opera, and jazz combo.

The musical journey begins with Canyon Run, a modern fanfare by

Mirari trumpeter Alex Noppe, influenced both by contemporary

American music and jazz. Mirari then goes back in time with a set

of Renaissance works originally for voice. Elegy, again by Alex

Noppe, was written in 2011 for the memorial service of his grand-

mother. The centerpiece of the program is Felix Mendelssohn’s

monumental String Quartet No. 1, orchestrated here by the late

hornist Verne Reynolds. Mirari opens the program’s second half

with a set of American (both North and South) dances by Enrique

Crespo. Hornist Jessie Thoman is featured on a beautiful and

powerful arrangement of “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s opera

Turandot. Next is music by Eugene Bozza, who lived through many

European stylistic periods of the 20th century, as can be heard in

his Sonatine for Brass. David Sisco’s new work is written specifically

for Mirari Brass, with movements conceived as musical portraits of

each group member. The final two jazz works are a contrasting set

of tunes, beginning with trumpeter Thad Jones’s beautiful ballad A

Child Is Born and coming to an energetic and thrilling close with the

staple tune of the Charles Mingus Big Band, Moanin’.

Works to be performed on the “Public Concert” program include:

Alex Noppe, Canyon Run

Claude Le Jeune (arr. Noppe), Revecy venir du printans

John Wilbye/Thomas Vautor/William Byrd (arr. Stephanie Frye), English madrigals (selected)

Noppe, Elegy

Felix Mendelssohn (arr. Verne Reynolds), String Quartet No. 1 in

E-flat major, Op. 12

Enrique Crespo, Suite Americana

Giacomo Puccini (arr. Tony Rickard), “Nessun Dorma” from Turandot

Eugene Bozza, Sonatine

David Sisco, New work TBA

Thad Jones (arr. Noppe), A Child Is Born

Charles Mingus (arr. Noppe), Moanin’

INTO THE MIRROR

Mirari Brass Quintet’s “Into the Mirror” 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, 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 on canvas

artwork of stacked architectural blueprints of a plaza in Berlin.

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.

Surrounding the Sisco and Nathan pieces are shorter vignettes

from the lives and artistic sensibilities of the quintet members.

From bombastic and virtuosic fanfare, to the witty and buoyant,

to the deeply spiritual, 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. The audience is invited to

“reflect and wonder” (the definition of “Mirari”) alongside the

musicians, and to explore the intricacies of music as both a

means of personal expression and a social experience.

program offerings

MIRARI BRASS brass quintet

ARTISTSAriel

www.arielartists.com G booking@arielartists.comSPIRITS TO ENFORCE art to enchant

program offerings (cont.)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

Noppe, Elegy

Louis Romanos, New work TBA

Greg Bartholomew, Marvel

Austin Jaquith, Quintet for Brass

Imogen Heap, Hide and Seek

Eric Nathan, Spires

Thad Jones (arr. Noppe), A Child Is Born

Chick Corea (arr. Noppe), Spain

MUSIC OF OUR ROOTS

American 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.

A whirlwind of virtuosic technique, John Cheetham’s A Brass

Menagerie borrows concepts from many other prominent modern

American composers, including Bernstein, Copland, and Stravinsky,

to create a fusion of musical ideas. Newly composed, but at once

familiar, Enrique Crespo’s Suite Americana begins with a lighthearted

and jovial rag before transitioning to a waltz with Peruvian flair.

Caprice Fox’s Silence of Time, written originally for the vocal jazz

group New York Voices, possesses beautiful and languid harmonies

that allow the group to display idiomatic lyricism, showing how brass

instruments are essentially extensions of the voice. Mirari continues

with another new composition by Georgia composer Louis Roma-

nos, a percussionist from New Orleans (until uprooted by Hurricane

Katrina) best known for writing for film, live dance, and the Louis

Romanos Quartet. Finally, Eric Nathan’s Spires, the title track of

Mirari’s debut album, is a tour-de-force of brass technique and

pointillistic composition.

The second half opens with Rich Campbell’s American Riffs, a set

of infectious grooves drawn from the rhythms of 1970s funk.

Mirari tubist Stephanie Frye is featured in Hodesanna by noted

composer John Stevens. Another synthesis of styles, its five

movements draw from bebop, waltz, tango, and the blues within

contemporary classical forms. Mirari closes with a series of

homages to American popular music, beginning with several

songs from one of the most popular Broadway musicals of all

time, West Side Story. Finally, Mirari presents two tunes by bassist

Charles Mingus, both radically different takes on the blues.

Works to be performed on the “Music of Our Roots” pro-gram include:

John Cheetham, A Brass Menagerie

Enrique Crespo, Suite Americana

Caprice Fox, Silence of Time

Louis Romanos, TBA

Eric Nathan, Spires

Rich Campbell, American Riffs

John Stevens, Hodesanna

Leonard Bernstein, West Side Story Suite

Charles Mingus, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and Haitian Fight Song

P H O T O B Y J A S O N A L D R I D G E

MIRARI BRASS brass quintet

ARTISTSAriel

www.arielartists.com G booking@arielartists.comSPIRITS TO ENFORCE art to enchant

MASTER CLASSES

The Mirari Brass Quintet has decades of collective educational

experience, and loves to work with students of all levels, whether

they specialize in brass or simply have a general interest in music

and performance. Mirari can work one-on-one, with small groups,

or with large audiences. In addition to the traditional master class

setting, in which specific pieces are used to bring focus to larger

performance concepts, Mirari can also speak as a group on some

topics on which they are expert. These topics can be geared

towards audiences of all ages and ability levels, and can be mixed

and matched to suit the needs of any event:

BRASS FUNDAMENTALS

CHAMBER MUSIC FUNDAMENTALS

MUSIC BUSINESS AND MARKETING

THE ART OF PERFORMING

SPECIALIZED LECTURE/DEMONSTRATIONS The Mirari Brass Quintet offers a variety of lecture/demonstrations on more specialized topics. These can be tailored as necessary to suit the needs of any given audience, and can be mixed and matched as well.

CREATIVE IMPROVISATION Alex (trumpet) will take your students through a variety of games and exercises that build creativity in style and musical expression. They will have opportunities to each be leaders, soloists, and ensemble members and learn how to communicate and collaborate with each other in an experience like none they have had before! This clinic is designed for musicians from middle school through college and can work with any group size (20-40 players is optimal). Students on any instrument or voice can participate and no prior experience in improvisation is necessary. This is not explicitly a jazz clinic—the art of improvisation crosses over all stylistic boundaries and will benefit all musicians. Band directors and music teachers will also receive Alex’s handy guide, Group Improvisation Games for the Music Classroom.

PHRASE AND FLOW Matt (trumpet) takes your students through the essential ele-ments of creating a beautiful sound. This class applies to all, but is especially pertinent for wind players, as the key for us is efficient and effective use of air. The students will be engaged in a number of exercises designed to maximize their lung capacity and to help develop a firm understanding of how air relates to creating a beau-tiful phrase on their respective instruments.

FEARLESS PERFORMANCE Jessie (horn) has been traveling all around the United Stated shar-

ing Jeff Nelsen’s Fearless Performance concepts through master classes and lectures. Have you ever performed something amaz-ingly in the practice room and then performed that same thing on stage less than optimally? Whether you are performing on stage, in the classroom, or in life, your ability to perform is es-sential to being excellent. Jessie will give you the tools to learn how to be Fearlessly optimal at every opportunity!

INSTRUMENTAL YOGA Sarah (trombone) focuses on body alignment for success. Pos-ture, alignment, and overall fitness play an important part in a student’s musical development. Sometimes we hinder ourselves physically without even knowing it! In this master class, Sarah works with students to show them how proper alignment and basic fitness principles can help them produce beautiful mu-sic. Together, we will learn some simple stretches and postural cues that can get students on the right track. Over time, these easy stretches can prevent injury and encourage a tension-free playing style. The class includes a discussion of cardiovascular fitness and how it can benefit us as musicians.

THE ENTERPRISING ARTIST Stephanie (tuba) believes that all successful artists are also entrepreneurs, and students, whether they realize it or not, have already started down an entrepreneurial path. We will discuss what it takes to “Make It” in music, creating great promotional materials, building a positive reputation, and connecting with audiences. Students will be given resources on how to construct a resume/CV and write a cover letter. Finally, we will take a look at the many forms a career in music can take! This class is designed for musicians from high school through graduate school, but can be applied to any student aspiring towards a career in the arts.

FORM AND FUNCTION: MUSIC OF AND FOR THE PEOPLE This demonstration class is an opportunity to share and explore how people have used and continue to use music as a part of their everyday lives. This class will demonstrate through per-formance the many different uses and types of music from all time periods and geographical locations, as well as sharing the inherent humanistic, unifying qualities of organized sound. As well as performance, short explanations and opportunities for audience participation allow the listener to experience sound, motion, and a myriad of cultures through a variety of musical styles, genres, and function. Information can be geared towards any age and ability demographic as the program is not only designed for music education, but also as a tool for connection across all peoples, as music is an essential part of many cultures.

additional offerings

MIRARI BRASS brass quintet

ARTISTSAriel