Canadian Brass

Emerging onto the scene in 1970, the Canadian Brass succeeded in elevating brass instruments and their music to a position of renewed importance within the realm of classical performance. Formed as a quintet whose core members encompassed trumpeters Frederic Mills and Ronald Romm, French horn player David Ohanian, trombonist Eugene Watts, and tuba player Charles Daellenbach, the group earned acclaim for its technically brilliant, formally trained approach, which revitalized a category of instruments long restricted by limited repertoire options. Through interpretations ranging from Mozart and Bach to Gershwin and jazz, the ensemble opened pathways to broader recognition for brass chamber music. Serving as the first Western chamber ensemble to tour the People's Republic of China, the quintet also headlined at New York's Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In tandem with their extensive live schedule, the musicians released numerous recordings.