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From Pachelbel to Led Zeppelin with Kootenay Brass Quintet
What kind of music can you make with five bells and a whole lot of hot air? Just about any kind! The Kootenay Brass Quintet is thrilled to bring a fun, eclectic programme to Fernie, Invermere, Fort Steele, Creston and Kimberley starting next week.
The Kootenay Brass Quintet features trumpeters Laurel Ralston and Tim Bullen, hornist Arnie Satanove, trombonist Keith Todd, and tubist Robin Clegg. All five musicians are current members of the Symphony of the Kootenays, but in their respective careers they have performed in a wide range of musical settings – funk, rock, folk, and jazz bands, musical theatre, orchestral and chamber music – bringing a wealth of experience to the group.
‘For a few years now, we’ve chatted casually at symphony rehearsals about how nice it would be to play together as a quintet,’ says Laurel. ‘This summer we finally made it happen, and we’re having a blast. There’s a tonne of great music out there for brass quintet, and it’s great fun to work on with such a talented group.’
Keith, whose first inspiration to take up the trombone was a Canadian Brass concert, is enjoying the opportunity to play in a high-calibre brass quintet again. ‘It stretches me in so many ways musically… moving together without a conductor forces you to be completely prepared and open to where the music takes you in a given moment.’
The Kootenay Brass Quintet’s upcoming performance will showcase the group’s skill and artistry with great selections written especially for brass quintet – like renowned Canadian composer Howard Cable’s ever-popular ‘A Newfoundland Sketch’ and 17th-century antiphonal pieces by Paul Peuerl – and excellent arrangements of hit Broadway tunes, folk songs, military band standards, and much more.
‘One of the best things about brass instruments is their versatility,’ Robin remarks. ‘They can be loud and flashy or soft and lyrical, sound regal and dignified or raucous and jazzy. Brass instruments have been used for centuries all over the world in art music and folk music. We want to give our audience a taste of what these instruments can do.’
The Kootenay Brass Quintet perform in Fernie on Friday, May 31 at 8 p.m. at The Arts Station and Invermere on Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church Trinity. Tickets are available at Pynelogs, the Book Bar, or by calling 250-342-4423, and at the door.
Prior to their show in Invermere the quintet will play a series of shows at Fort Steele Heritage Town, with start times of 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
The Kootenay Brass Quintet will appear at Kimberley United Church on Sunday, June 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for students, available at the door or online at www.kootenaybrasskimberley.eventbrite.ca.
And the whirlwind tour of the region will conclude with an 8 p.m. show at the The Snoring Sasquatch in Creston on June 2. Tickets $15 in advance, available at Kingfisher Quality Used Books and Black Bear Books, and $12 at the door
More on the Kootenay Brass Quintet
After years of talking about it, longtime Symphony of the Kootenays colleagues Laurel, Tim, Keith, Arnie, and Robin finally got together in August 2012 to form the Kootenay Brass Quintet. The first rehearsal was so much fun that they decided not to let distance get in their way – Laurel lives in Kimberley and the rest of the gang in Nelson – in their quest to play and perform jewels from the brass quintet repertoire. The group made their debut in November 2012 in Castlegar as part of the Kootenay Gallery Concert Series and in Nelson through Selkirk Pro-Musica. The Kootenay Brass Quintet now brings their signature sparkling sound to the East Kootenay for an early summer tour featuring everything from Renaissance to rock.
Trumpeter Tim Bullen, a graduate of the UBC Music Program, has performed with a variety of ensembles throughout the Kootenays and various parts of BC and the Yukon. He is currently a member of the Symphony of the Kootenays, the award-winning band Bessie and the Back Eddies, Hornography, and the Playmor Junction Big Band. When he’s not blowing his own horn, Tim can be found imparting his musical wisdom to the lucky students of LV Rogers Secondary School in Nelson.
Robin Clegg, tuba player extraordinaire, is a longtime member of the Symphony of the Kootenays and Prince George Symphony, as well as a frequent performer with the Kamloops Symphony, Okanagan Symphony, and countless musical theatre orchestras. Robin’s musical talents extend well beyond the tuba – the University of Victoria School of Music graduate is also an accomplished percussionist, composer, arranger, and teacher. A Prince George Citizen reviewer once commented, “If it can be beaten, blown or strummed, Robin Clegg can make music with it.”
Trumpeter Laurel Ralston studied classical trumpet at the University of Ottawa and University of Alberta. She maintains a busy performance schedule as a member of The Jazz Council, the show band Boogie Supreme, and the Symphony of the Kootenays. Laurel is also an active conductor, serving as director of the Kimberley United Church Choir and Kimberley Community Band, and is the accompanist for the Selkirk Secondary School choirs.
Arnie Satanove has served as principal horn of the Symphony of the Kootenays for the past 10 years, as well as playing in the Kamloops Symphony and Okanagan Symphony. He is a staple of Nelson’s musical theatre scene, having performed in many pit orchestras for community productions. Before moving to the West Kootenays, Arnie maintained an active musical life playing in orchestras and theatre productions around the Lower Mainland. He is a proud alumnus of the Vancouver Youth Orchestra.
Trombonist Keith Todd was first inspired to take up the trombone by a Canadian Brass concert. He went on to receive a BMus in trombone performance and his teaching certification from the University of Victoria. Keith currently plays with jazz group Bessie and the Back Eddies, the 11-piece funk band Hornography, the Symphony of the Kootenays, and performs regularly in musical theatre productions in Nelson. He teaches instrumental music at Trafalgar Middle School, where many of his bands have received local, provincial, and national recognition.
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