Abbey Brass
Abbey
Brass was formed in 1983 by trombonists John
Powell (of the City of Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra) and James Fulkerson (the eminent
American composer and soloist). Then, as now, it
combined players based in the West Country with
others based in London and other musical “hubs”
(the original line-up usually included performers
from the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony
Orchestra and Royal Ballet Orchestra) in a
variety of ensemble sizes and instrumentations,
to perform concerts and lecture recitals, at
weddings and in conjunction with choral
societies, the length and breadth of Great
Britain and in France. As a celebration of its
first quarter century, Abbey Brass recently went
on tour to Italy as a dectet of American,
British, Danish and Swedish players and
academics. Its repertoire ranged from the
Renaissance to both “art” and “light” music of
the present day, bringing together a vast range
of performance experience from all points of the
compass, from the Northern Sinfonia via the
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden
to Teatro Massimo di Palermo, and from Dallas
Symphony Orchestra to Malmo Opera House. Abbey
Brass would be happy to provide you with any
combination of players, from a single trumpet
player with an organist for your wedding
ceremony, via the ever popular quintet format to
the rich, symphonic sound of the dectet and
beyond.
