Kari Brooks, reporter

Roger Webster and Jamie Prophet are two of the United Kingdom's finest trumpet/cornet players. With them and four other very talented musicians, the Alliance Brass took the stage to give an entertaining concert that was full of variety.

The concert began with March for Brasses by Goldman (arr. by Mark Freeh), and quickly contrasted with another piece arranged by Freeh, Mozart's Ave Verum. The “Finale” from the Violin Concerto by Mendelssohn (arr. by Meecham) featured Lesley Howie on alto horn. She whirled through the technical demands of this classic piece with great facility and ease. The Alliance Brass also brought along for the concert Ewan Stefani, who wrote a modern piece, We See Into The Life of Things. This piece consisted of very individualistic parts, and with the help of a laptop and sound set-up on stage, incorporated technology with the brass sextet. The sextet would play one section of music and then paused while Stefani took what they had just played and added echoes and new sounds to it. This work was truly unique and well performed.

Another highlight of the concert was the lively rendition of Herman Bellstedt's Napoli, featuring Michael Dodd on euphonium. This crowd pleaser featured Dodd who exhibited great energy and showmanship…it was very apparent that he was an experienced solo performer. David Nesbit - tuba, joked that the best part about having euphonium in the ensemble is that they get to play the hard stuff that would otherwise be given to the tuba! That doesn't seem to be a problem for Michael Dodd after hearing his talents on this piece. The group's performance of Napoli was definitely an enjoyable one to all.

The concert concluded with Russian Sailors Dance by Gliere (arr. by Frank Siekman). This intense piece was the perfect way to conclude the program. The ensemble's seamless timing lined each quick passage together like a puzzle. Roger Webster and Jamie Prophet sounded like one trumpet with their matching style and tone. ITG hopes to see the Alliance Brass Ensemble at many future conferences!