Empire Brass
The Empire Brass Quintet Brass was founded in the early 1970s by graduates of the Tanglewood Institute at the University of Boston. An early friend and patron of the musician Leonard Bernstein; the two founding members Rolf Smedvig and J. Samuel Pilafian ( Tuba ) played music together at the premiere of the play Mass on September 8, 1971 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The ensemble is regularly travel the world to solo concerts and joint performances with American orchestras, there were guest appearances in the United States known TV Shows Good Morning America ( CBS ), Today Show ( NBC) and the children's program Mr. Rogers ' Neighborhood (PBC ) and numerous CD recordings on Telarc.
Current members:
- Kenneth Amis, tuba
- Mark Hetzler, trombone
- Michelle Perry, Horn
- Marc Brian Reese, trumpet
- Rolf Smedvig, trumpet