Join the MBU community at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, September 23 for Seraph Brass, an all-female brass quintet.
The Music Department at Mary Baldwin University is thrilled to welcome back Seraph Brass, an acclaimed all-female quintet, for this season’s opening Broman Concert. The concert is Monday, September 23 at 7:30 pm in Francis Auditorium on the Mary Baldwin campus.
Celebrating its tenth-anniversary season, Seraph Brass was founded by trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden with a mission to showcase the excellence of female brass players and highlight musicians from marginalized groups, both in personnel and in programming. Winners of the American Prize in Chamber Music, the group has been praised for their “beautiful sounds” (American Record Guide), “fine playing” (Gramophone), and “staggeringly high caliber of performance” (Textura). Seraph primarily performs as a quintet, with a dynamic roster drawing from America’s top brass musicians.
On September 23, the quintet will treat the audience to a varied program that includes arrangements of familiar music, such as Grieg’s energetic Holberg Suite and Liszt’s famous Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, alongside many pieces written expressly for the brass quintet ensemble, including recent works such as Kevin Day’s Fantasia III for Brass Quintet and Rene Orth’s Leagured in Fire, Lagooned in Gold. Also on the program is Khirkiyaan (Windows): Three Transformations for Brass Quintet by Reena Esmail; Kevin McKee’s exciting Vuelta del Fuego; Catherine McMichael’s beautiful Virgo, the Lover of Justice; and the virtuosic Go, by Anthony DiLorenzo.
Audiences will not want to miss this exciting concert!
The Broman series continues on February 24, 2025, with the award-winning young bass-baritoneJoseph Parrish. A first prize winner at numerous international competitions, including the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Gerda Lissner Art Song Competition, and the George London Foundation Competition, Parrish is quickly making a name for himself on the recital and operatic stage. He recently gave debut recitals at the Kennedy Center and at Carnegie Hall, and he has also performed with Cincinnati Opera, the New York City Lyric Opera, and Baltimore Choral Arts.
Mary Baldwin’s popular Sunday Recital Series is also underway. The first Sunday Recital is Sunday, October 20 at 3 pm with soprano Olivia Rominiyi, joined by pianist Esther Nyberg. The Sunday Recital Series also includes performances by the Greg Moody Jazz Quartet (November 10); clarinetist Lynda Dembowski, violinist Maria Lorcas, and pianist Lise Keiter (February 2); and the James River Duo (harpist Anastasia Jellison and violist Tom Stevens) (March 30).
Tickets for the Seraph Brass Concert (September 23) are still available—audience-goers are encouraged to purchase tickets online as soon as possible. Tickets are $25 for the General Public, $20 for Seniors, and $5 for non-Mary Baldwin students. (MBU students, faculty, and staff may attend free of charge.) Season tickets are also available. For more information about concerts at MBU, or to purchase tickets online, please click here. Questions may be emailed to Music@marybaldwin.edu.