ONYX BRASS QUINTET 

FROM GREAT BRITAIN

   Easily the classiest brass ensemble in Britain, the Onyx is now in its 11th year.  This dynamic ensemble, with that distinctively polished British Brass sound, is appearing at Candlelight as part of its North American debut tour.  “With its scrupulous attention to balance, timbre and nuance of phrasing,  . . .where total integration of five musical personalities becomes an ensemble that is much more than the sum of its parts . . . five stars” - BBC Music Magazine

                A dynamic young ensemble with that distinctively polished British brass sound, Onyx Brass celebrates its tenth anniversary with its North American debut tour.

                Onyx Brass was formed by five former principals of England’s National Youth Orchestra, and indeed takes its name from that fact (an anagram of ex-NYO).  Since the group's inception, Onyx has developed an unsurpassed reputation for the presenting and performing of all types of music.  The group has played at festivals all over Europe including the prestigious Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival in Germany and the Bastad chamber Music Festival in Sweden.  Onyx has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, particularly for its' performances on London's South Bank and Wigmore Hall.

                 The multi-award winning ensemble currently consists of five top quality brass players, all of whom graduated from leading British universities and music colleges.  Among them, they have played in some of the world’s top orchestras including Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, the Royal Opera House, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern, London Brass, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic to name but a few.

                 Onyx Brass has recorded two highly acclaimed Compact Discs, frequently broadcasts on BBC Radio 2 and 3, and has performed at schools, cathedrals, and halls around Great Britain as well as throughout Europe.  It is Ensemble-in-residence at Radley College, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.  The quintet has commissioned many new arrangements and compositions for the chamber repertoire, ranging from a new suite of Gershwin or Cole Porter songs to asking some of the best living composers like Jonathan Dove and John Tavener for new works.  Many of these pieces have been published by Brassworks, which devotes part of its catalogue to "Onyx Edition".

Additional information about the quartet may be found at its website, www.onyxbrass.co.uk

                BRIAN THOMSON (trumpet) is Professor of trumpet at Trinity School of Music and has served as principal trumpet with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.  He is currently co-principal trumpet with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 

                NIALL KEATLEY (trumpet) has performed with many leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, and the London Brass. 

                ANDREW SUTTON (horn) is a member of the English Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of the English National Opera, as well as the London Winds, the Haffner Wind Ensemble, and the Ensemble Modern of Frankfurt. 

                AMOS MILLER (trombone) is guest principal trombone of the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada in Spain and regularly performs with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Musici, Ensemble Modern, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and the London Sinfonietta.

                DAVID GORDON-SHUTE (tuba) teaches at Radley College and Eton College, has been a soloist with Yehudi Menuhin’s “Live Music Now!” for four years running, and is a coach to the National Symphony Orchestra of Vietnam.  He regularly works with the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, London Brass, and the London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble.

                TIMOTHY JACKSON (horn) has been the co-principal horn of the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for a number of years.  Before, during and after this appointment, Tim has worked and continues to work with all of the leading orchestras and ensembles in the country.  Most recently, he joined the London Symphony Orchestra for their recordings for the new Star Wars film under the direction of John Williams.

Artist Management:
Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists
www.concertartists.com
scook@concertartists.com