L-R: Craig Knox, tuba; Richard King, horn; Geoffrey Hardcastle, trumpet; Maestro Naoto Otomo; Anthony DiLorenzo, trumpet and composer; Steven Witser, trombone

The Center City Brass Quintet (CCBQ) traveled to Tokyo to perform the world première of Chimera, a concerto for brass quintet and orchestra, on July 15, 2006. Particularly exciting for the Quintet was that the new piece – which was commissioned by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra - was composed by its very own Anthony DiLorenzo. DiLorenzo, trumpeter and founding member of the CCBQ, is also a well-known composer whose works are heard regularly on the major television networks and in motion pictures, and have been performed by major ensembles such as the San Francisco, Colorado and Utah symphony orchestras. The performance was with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under the direction of its Resident Conductor, Naoto Otomo. It took place in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space, a modern concert hall seating 2,000 in which the Tokyo Symphony has a regular concert series.

The 18-minute work is in three movements, and utilizes an orchestra comprising full string, woodwind and percussion sections, and a reduced brass section. The brass quintet soloists performed at the front of the stage, spanning both sides of the podium. The piece was greeted with enthusiasm by the near-capacity crowd, which demanded numerous curtain-calls and an encore. The Quintet obliged with a solo performance of Fire Dance, also by DiLorenzo.

DiLorenzo, who has composed and arranged numerous works for the CCBQ over the years - many of which the Quintet has recorded on the Chandos label - explains why this was a particularly special project for him: "There are very few concertos for brass quintet and orchestra, and I was so excited not only to have the opportunity to help fill that void, but also to write a piece that took advantage of the playing and personalities of my colleagues in the CCBQ, whom I have known and worked with for so many years. And it was great that this première was with a major orchestra in one of the world's capitals."

The commission came about at the urging of Maestro Otomo, who has known the Quintet since 2001 when it participated in the inaugural Music Masters Course in Kazusa (MMCK), a summer festival which he co-founded with Alan Gilbert, Music Director of the Stockholm Philharmonic. The educational festival attracts conservatory students from Japan, Europe and the U.S., who come to study with the CCBQ and other prominent faculty from around the world. Members of the Quintet have returned each summer since to participate in the festival.

Also especially noteworthy about the concert was the presence in the audience of former Prime Minister of Japan, Hata Tsutomu, who traveled to Tokyo with his wife especially to hear the concerto, having heard a performance of another DiLorenzo piece earlier this summer at the MMCK festival. The esteemed guest came backstage afterwards to congratulate DiLorenzo and the Quintet on its performance.

Trumpeter Anthony DiLorenzo is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and was student competition winner and soloist with the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has played Principal Trumpet with the New World Symphony and Utah Symphony orchestras, and Second Trumpet with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Trumpeter Geoffrey Hardcastle is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has held acting positions with the Cleveland Orchestra, and is currently playing Second Trumpet with the Buffalo Philharmonic. In addition to their work with the CCBQ, Anthony and Geoffrey both play with the ensemble Proteus 7 as well. For more information about the CCBQ, please visit the website.

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Center City Brass Quintet