River City Brass Band
Encyclopedia
The River City Brass Band is a modified British-style brass band
based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. The band performed its first concert on November 21, 1981, with its founder Robert Bernat as conductor. In addition to its accessible performance style, RCBB is renowned for its recordings and original compositions. Part of its mission is to propagate and promote the brass band through recordings and commissioning new works and arrangements. To date, RCBB has released fifteen recordings that are distributed nationally and internationally. The band annually performs nearly sixty concerts in the Pittsburgh area. RCBB differs from most brass bands in that the instrumentation has been altered. French Horns
are used instead of tenor horns, and a soprano trumpet
is employed in place of a soprano cornet
. The result is a lighter, brighter, more "orchestral" sound than the traditional brass band.
On April 29, 2010 the band appointed a new conductor to replace retired conductor Denis Colwell after a series of concerts with guest conductors "auditioning" for the spot. James Gourlay of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band
, was selected, and will be leaving Scotland in August.
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. The band performed its first concert on November 21, 1981, with its founder Robert Bernat as conductor. In addition to its accessible performance style, RCBB is renowned for its recordings and original compositions. Part of its mission is to propagate and promote the brass band through recordings and commissioning new works and arrangements. To date, RCBB has released fifteen recordings that are distributed nationally and internationally. The band annually performs nearly sixty concerts in the Pittsburgh area. RCBB differs from most brass bands in that the instrumentation has been altered. French Horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
are used instead of tenor horns, and a soprano trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
is employed in place of a soprano cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
. The result is a lighter, brighter, more "orchestral" sound than the traditional brass band.
On April 29, 2010 the band appointed a new conductor to replace retired conductor Denis Colwell after a series of concerts with guest conductors "auditioning" for the spot. James Gourlay of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band
Grimethorpe Colliery Band
The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a brass band, based in Grimethorpe, South Yorkshire, England. It was formed in 1917, as a leisure activity for the workers at the colliery, by members of the disbanded Cudworth Colliery Band...
, was selected, and will be leaving Scotland in August.