The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s premier brass ensemble will perform at the Nicolet College Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m. The Wisconsin Brass Quintet, founded in 1972, is a faculty ensemble-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music.

The group has performed throughout the United States, including at Carnegie Recital Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York, and has conducted master classes in such prestigious settings as The Juilliard School and the Yale School of Music. In addition to its busy national performance and master class schedule, the group has given more than 250 clinics and performances throughout Wisconsin in the past 30 years.

“Wisconsin Brass Quintet ranks among the nation’s top performing ensembles of contemporary and classic music written for brass,” said Nicolet Theatre Director Jim Nuttall. “In the Northwoods we seldom get to experience this caliber of musicianship in live performance. It’s a rare treat that music lovers will not want to miss.”

The ensemble’s repertoire, drawing from works of all periods and styles, has earned rave reviews. Barry Kilpatrick of the American Record Guide, wrote, “I’ve reviewed over 250 brass recordings in the past five years, and this is one of the very best. The WBQ is a remarkable ensemble that plays with more reckless abandon, warmth, stylistic variety and interpretive interest than almost any quintet in memory.”

Appearing through an arrangement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arts Outreach program, the quintet’s musicians are John Aley and Jessica Jensen, trumpet; Daniel Grabois, horn; Mark Hetzler, trombone; and John Stevens, tuba.
The ensemble has produced three CD recordings, on the Summit, Mark and Crystal labels, featuring original music by John Stevens, Douglas Hill, Verne Reynolds, Daron Hagen, John Harbison, and Enrique Crespo. An earlier LP recording features the only recording of Jan Bach’s “Rounds and Dances” and Hilmar Luckhardt’s “Brass Quintet.” Each of these works was composed for the Wisconsin Brass Quintet, in keeping with the WBQ’s commitment to commissioning and performing new music of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Tickets are $15, and can be purchased in advance online by visiting nicoletlive.com or by calling the box office at 715-365-4646, 800-544-3039, ext. 4646: TDD 715-365-4448.