Brass Music by Female Composers

 With another presentation on various brass music on the horizons, I decided that it made sense to go ahead and post about the music that I plan on sharing.  All of this music is written by female composers.  Through my research, I found a lot of great music though a great deal of it was missing recordings which was truly a shame.  Hopefully, these great pieces can be recorded and posted in the near future!

The first piece to talk about is Florence Anna Maunders's Transmission 1.  Maunders has won multiple international awards for her music.  Her music has many unique stylistic fingerprints which are based on the music that interested her in her childhood.  For more information about her, please visit her website.  This particular performance is played by a group of New York City performers named The Brass Project.   This group is active around the world at various conferences and performances.  Simultaneously, the group has commissioned 35 new pieces.  This recording was done during the COVID-19 pandemic virtually (much like many other performing artists).

Melinda Wagner is a highly in-demand modern composer who has written works for the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony.  Wagner took some time to write a work for brass quintet titled Brass Quintet No. 1.   Wagner's works continue to be a major force in musical circles around the globe as she writes fantastic music for a litany of ensembles.  This particular performance is performed by the American Brass Quintet.  As one of the premier brass quintets in the world, this group has lasted over 60 years playing solely classical music.  This group is particularly special for me this semester as the University of Iowa is currently hosting them for a residency.  

This recording is Gina Gillie's Trio for Brass.  Dr. Gina Gillie serves as an Associate Professor at Pacific Lutheran University where she teaches horn and composition.  Although Dr. Gillie is not as prominent of a composer as the previous two composers, she still has written a number of great works.  This particular performance of Gillie's Trio for Brass is performed by the Black Bayou Brass which consists of Aaron Witek on trumpet, James Boldin on horn, and James Layfield on trombone.   This performance occurred live at the 2015 Big 12 Trombone Conference.

Note: The rest of the music provided in this article will not have YouTube videos.  Instead, please follow the links and find the appropriate audio recordings from the listed websites.

Augusta Read Thomas - Fête

Every year, the International Women's Conference commissions a few composers to write pieces for the Conference.  At their 2020 conference, the Monarch Brass premiered Augusta Read Thomas's piece, Fête.  This fanfare for 6 trumpets and 3 trombones was dedicated to Shulamit Ran on the occasion of her 60th birthday.  A professor at the University of Chicago, Thomas has received critical acclaim for her work - her piece Astral Canticle was a Pulitzer Prize finalist while also having her work featured on a Grammy-winning CD.  For more information, please see her website.   

Lauren Bernofsky - Haubrich Suite

Lauren Bernofsky has been hailed as a "master composer" by Lukas Foss.  Her work has been performed in major symphony halls all around the world.  Her work, Haubrich Suite, was written for a brass ensemble of 2 trumpets, 2 horns, trombone, and tuba.  This link takes you to her SoundCloud where you can listen to this performance.  Unfortunately, the group that performed this piece is unlisted; however, this piece was premiered at the International Women's Brass Conference in 2019 by Monarch Brass which might be where the recording was taken from.  

Nicole Piunno - Sojourn

Another piece written for the 2019 International Women's Brass Conference, Nicole Piunno's Sojourn is a piece for 6 trumpets that exemplifies the excitement of a journey while also fighting through the pain that might arise throughout that journey.  As a relatively young composer (Piunno got her DMA in 2014), Piunno's music has already been performed by the Principal Brass Quintet of the New York Philharmonic, the Monarch Brass Ensemble, and at a number of collegiate bands.  This recording is from the International Women's Brass Conference.  The link also provides the program notes for the piece.  For information on Nicole Piunno, please see her website.

Stacy Garrop - Legends of Olympus

Stacy Garrop writes for many different ensembles.  From her work as an opera composer to her work as a composer-in-residence at Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Garrop has found her place as a freelance composer in the Chicago area.  Her work Legends of Olympus was commissioned in 2016 by the Gaudete Brass Quintet.  This work depicts the five of Greek gods and goddesses - Helios, Aphrodite, Hermes, Apollo, and Dionysus.  For more information about the Gaudete Brass Quintet, please look here.  For more information on Garrop, please look here.