Current members of the National Brass Ensemble (courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony)
The National Brass Ensemble (NBE) was formed in 2014 as a joint venture involving the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the Green Music Center of Sonoma State University. The idea was to bring together major brass, percussion, and timpani players from major venues in the United States in order to present and record “joint” performances. I first became aware of the ensemble about a year later when Oberlin and SFCM jointly released an album entitled simply Gabrieli.
As might be guessed, the album was devoted almost entirely to the music of Giovanni Gabrieli. This consisted of sixteen selections from that composers’s 1597 volume entitled Sacrae symphoniae (sacred symphonies). All of those selections were arranged for NBE resources by Timothy Higgins, then (and still now) Principal Trombone with the San Francisco Symphony (SFS). These were followed by a “bonus track” entitled “Music for Brass,” composed for NBE by John Williams. At that time the ensemble consisted of 26 players, most of whom held principal positions in the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, SFS, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
About eight years have elapsed since the “birth” of NBE. Since that time, brass players from Los Angeles and Detroit have left the group. On the other hand there are now players from Indiana University, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Nashville Symphony, along with the Principal Trumpet for both the San Francisco Opera (SFO) and the San Francisco Ballet. Current membership also includes two harpists and an organist. As might be expected, the repertoire has expanded.
Almost exactly a month from today, NBE will perform here in San Francisco at Davies Symphony Hall. The ensemble will be conducted by Eun Sun Kim, SFO Music Director. The program will present world premiere performances of compositions by Jonathan Bingham and Arturo Sandoval, as well as Higgins’ latest venture into arrangement (which may also be his most ambitious undertaking).
The opening selection will, appropriately enough, be a fanfare. Richard Strauss composed his “Wiener Philharmoniker Fanfare” (Vienna Philharmonic fanfare) in 1924, scored for brass and timpani. This will be followed by “DEIFIED,” Bingham’s premiere composed on a commission from the Emerging Black Composers Project. The title of the new Sandoval composition is simply “Brass Fantasy.” The program will then conclude with “The Ring,” Higgins’ effort to extract and develop themes from the four operas of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (the ring of the Nibelung). (Hey, it worked for Anna Russell, whose distillation took a little over twenty minutes!)
This performance will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 20. Ticket prices range from $20 to $110. Tickets are being managed by the SFS Box Office, which is located at the entrance to Davies on the south side of Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. Tickets may also be purchased through a Web page on the SFS Web site, which has a display showing which price categories apply to which areas in the hall. Finally, tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 415-864-6000.
As of this writing, Davies Symphony Hall is operating at full audience capacity. A face covering is required for entry into Davies Symphony Hall and must be worn at all times. The SFS strongly recommends that patrons wear a non-vented respirator, such as an N95, KN95, or KF94 face mask. SFS also requires proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone entering Davies Symphony Hall ages 12 and up who is eligible—including patrons, performers, volunteers, and staff. “Full vaccination” is defined as two weeks after completion of the two-dose regimen of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or other WHO authorized COVID-19 vaccine. At this time, proof of booster shots is not required. Patrons under age 12 must show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (PCR test taken within 2 days of event entry or antigen (rapid) test taken within one day of event entry.
For those patrons under age 12 who wish to show verification of a negative COVID-19 test result, the following are acceptable as proof: a printed document (from the test provider or laboratory) or an email, text message, Web page, or application (app) screen displayed on a phone or mobile device from the test provider or laboratory. The information should include person’s name, type of test performed, negative test result, and date the test was administered. A photo verifying negative test results from a self-administered antigen (rapid) test taken within one day of event entry is also acceptable. Additionally, patrons may bring unopened at-home rapid tests with them to Davies Symphony Hall to take with a verified EMT present. Further information is available at the “Patron Safety at Davies Symphony Hall” Web page.
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