Brass Band of Central Florida

This coming November the Brass Band of Central Florida (BBCF) will travel to England to compete in its second UK brass band competition within the past fifteen months. Based on their first place finishes in the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) competition and US Open Brass Band Championships along with their unique blend of British brass band style with an American twist, the BBCF has caught the attention of the brass band world.

In September of 2005, the BBCF flew to England at the invitation of organizers for the 153rd British Open Brass Band Championships. The event was held at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and each of the eighteen invited bands performed Bramwell Tovey’s test piece The Night to Sing which was written exclusively for the 2005 competition. The following day the BBCF shared the stage with three of the top British bands including the Black Dyke Band, the Buy As You View Band and the Foden’s Richardson Band at the "Brass on Sundays" gala concert. The BBCF opened the concert and delighted the audience with their thirty minute all-American performance and then joined forces with the Foden’s Richardson Band for the concert finale.

In November of 2006, the BBCF will return to England after accepting an invitation to perform as one of two featured bands at the World of Brass Gala Concert at The Sage, Gateshead. This time the BBCF will take the stage with the Grimethorpe Colliery (UK Coal) Band, stars of the movie Brassed Off and long-time winners of the Brass in Concert Championships. The next day the BBCF will perform a 23-minute entertainment program competing against the world’s best names in brass banding including Brighouse & Rastrick, Buy As You View, Fairey, Leyland, Mount Charles, Polysteel, Reg Vardy, Scottish Co-op, Sellers International, Whitburn and defending champions - Grimethorpe Colliery (UK Coal). Preceding their appearances at The Sage, the band will perform concerts in London, Birmingham and Peterborough as well as recording a CD in a marathon two-day session.

Founded in 1999, the all-volunteer 30-member band has an active performance schedule including concerts, competitions and Central Florida school music seminars. The band has appeared with world-class soloists David and Robert Childs (euphonium), Philip Smith (trumpet), and Steven Mead (euphonium). Conductor/Musical Director Michael J. Garasi leads the BBCF and was the first American brass band conductor to be nominated by the on-line brass band magazine, 4 Bars Rest for the “Newcomer of the Year” Award in 2004. As an arranger, Michael won the “Best New Arrangement” Awards at the U.S. Open Brass Band Championships in both 2004 and 2005. In April of 2006, the band recorded their second CD titled ’Tis a Gift, which was released this past fall. Highlights of the holiday recording produced by Jim Cheyne include solos by internationally acclaimed trombonist, Herb Bruce; Dale Edwards, bass trombone; Gail Robertson, principal euphonium; Bob Hinckley, principal cornet; and John Copella, flugelhorn. Also featured are arrangements by Assistant Conductor Rick Mizell and arranger Chris Sharp. Michael Garasi contributed several new arrangements for the project including the title selection of the CD. More information about the BBCF is available on their web site.

Website:
Brass Band of Central Florida
The Sage Gateshead - venue for Brass in Concert events