In its 11th season, Seraph Brass was founded by trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden with a mission to showcase the excellence of women 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 its “beautiful sounds" (American Record Guide), "fine playing” (Gramophone), and “staggeringly high caliber of performance” (Textura). In addition to performances and residencies, Seraph performs as a 10-piece ensemble, as soloists with symphony orchestras and wind bands, and in collaboration with other chamber artists.
The 2024-2025 season highlights include a residency at the Festival International De Vientos that includes a performance of Anthony DiLorenzo’s Chimera with the Cusco Symphony Orchestra in Peru, a performance at the 78th Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, and performances at the Jeju Festival in South Korea, Guanajuato’s Pro Musica Classica Series in Mexico, Foo Foo Festival in Pensacola (FL), Pro Music Joplin (MO), Trinity Concert Series in Watertown (NY), and Celebrity Concert Series in Huntsville (AL). Seraph’s residency highlights of the season include Yale School of Music, University of Miami, University of Memphis, University of Missouri, Mary Baldwin University, and the Pear Arts Residency in Fort Wayne. Seraph will be releasing a new album in March of 2025 through Tower Grove Records, showcasing new works for brass quintet and featuring compositions by Jeff Scott, Reena Esmail, Kevin Day, and Kevin McKee.
Seraph Brass performs a diverse body of repertoire, ranging from original transcriptions to newly commissioned works and core classics. The group has commissioned pieces by Grammy award winner Jeff Scott, as well as Jennifer Jolley, Joseph Hallman, Catherine McMichael, Marcus Grant, and Rene Orth. The pieces by Orth and McMichael are featured on Seraph’s Silver Medal Global Music Award-winning debut album Asteria. The group regularly participates in commissioning consortiums, recently supporting works by Kevin Day, Mischa Zupko, Sara Jacovino, and Lillian Yee. Seraph recently commissioned and premiered Jennifer Jolley’s Dust for brass quintet and wind ensemble, which was performed with various ensembles across the US. Other concerto performances have included Rick DeJonge’s Prelude and Fantasy, James Stephenson’s Dodecafecta, Suite from Mass by Leonard Bernstein and Anthony DiLorenzo’s Chimera.
Members of Seraph Brass are passionate about music education, and hold teaching positions at the University of North Texas, Shenandoah Conservatory, Texas State University, and Texas Lutheran University. In each of their tours, the group works to provide educational outreach to local schools, and they also offer a variety of entrepreneurship and career development workshops, in addition to traditional brass pedagogy and technique classes.
The ensemble has toured around the world, including performances at the Tafalla Brass Week in Spain, Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, the Busan Maru International Music Festival in South Korea, University of Toronto in Canada, the Forum Cultural Guanajuato in Mexico, International Women’s Brass Conference, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, and a two-week tour across China. Recent touring highlights have included shows and residencies at Oberlin College, Brevard Music Center, Chautauqua Institution, Swarthmore College, the Lyric Chamber Music Society in NYC, Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Michigan, Chamber Music Raleigh, National Gallery of Art in D.C., Asheville Chamber Music Series, Virginia Arts Festival, Boise Chamber Music Series, University of North Carolina School for the Arts, Michigan State University, Sarasota’s Artist Series Concerts, Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago, and Del Valle Fine Arts Presents in California, as well as concerto appearances with the Florence Symphony, the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Texas Tech University Wind Ensemble, University of North Texas Wind Orchestra, Shenandoah Conservatory Wind Ensemble, University of Nebraska-Omaha Wind Ensemble, and Swarthmore College Wind Ensemble. The group has also toured extensively as Allied Concert Services and Live On Stage artists, and was formerly in residency alongside the Dover Quartet at the Artosphere Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Members of Seraph Brass have performed with such esteemed ensembles as the London Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony, Marlboro Music Festival, Lucerne Music Festival in Switzerland, Britt Festival Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, and the Daejeon Philharmonic. Many members of Seraph Brass performed with Adele on her North American tour.
Seraph Brass is a Yamaha Performing Group.
"Seraph immediately grabbed attention with their signature opener, the Prelude from Grieg’s Holberg Suite, flawlessly tossed off from memory at a brisk tempo, then turned to Verdi’s “Sempre Libera” from La traviata, with Bowden taking the role of Violetta in expressive, diva-worthy melismas."
“The high calibre of the playing is often staggering (see the high-energy roller-coaster of a ride that is Dilorenzo's three-and-a-half-minute Go)… One comes away from the release marveling at the performances and the rich, soaring sound generated by the five musicians.”
“Fine Playing.”
“This is a very fine brass quintet that makes beautiful sounds."
