Empire Brass

Empire Brass brought together trumpeters Rolf Smedvig and Marc Reese, French horn player Gregory Miller, trombonist Mark Hetzler, and tuba player Kenneth Amis. The group earned recognition as one of the foremost contemporary brass ensembles worldwide. Its extensive record features a 13-year period serving as Faculty Quintet-in-Residence at Boston University, along with organization of the yearly Empire Brass Seminar at Boston University's Tanglewood Institute. In 1991 the members took on roles as Visiting Consultants in Brass at London's Royal Academy of Music. With more than 100 concerts presented annually, Empire Brass collaborated with most major symphony orchestras across the globe and, in 1987, became the first ensemble to appear at Carnegie Hall after its extensive renovation. The quintet issued numerous Telarc recordings that span an extensive spectrum of styles, ranging from classical works and Broadway selections to jazz interpretations.