Biography
St. Louis Brass Quintet ranks among the earliest and most prominent brass chamber groups, having been established in 1964 by Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians who initially focused on children’s concerts throughout the St. Louis region. Trombonist Melvyn Jernigan remained the sole original member through 2000.
Each year the ensemble undertakes three ten-day domestic tours together with engagements abroad, accumulating more than 2,500 performances by 2000. With the exception of Jernigan, every player holds a faculty position at a different American music school; the full group assembles only on the road, convening in the opening tour city one day prior to the first program for two rehearsals before proceeding, with further rehearsals scheduled whenever required.
All repertory—standard brass quintets, newly commissioned classical pieces, transcriptions of earlier works, and arrangements of jazz, pop, and show music—is prepared individually in advance, allowing the musicians, who have grown adept at rapid collaboration, to resolve artistic questions through an informally designated director for each composition.
The current roster comprises Allan Dean on trumpet, professor of music at the Yale School of Music and a veteran of the New York musical community through his membership in the New York Brass Quintet; he co-founded Summit Brass and performs on cornetto with the period-instrument ensemble Calliope: A Renaissance Band. Ray Sasaki, also trumpet, teaches at the University of Illinois, helped establish the new-music group Tone Road Ramblers, has served on the board of the International Trumpet Guild, and has commissioned multiple works for the instrument. Thomas Bacon, horn, previously performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra before joining the faculty of Arizona State University; he edits the Southern Music Company series The Complete Hornist and conducts master classes at hundreds of colleges and universities. Melvyn Jernigan, the sole non-academic member, graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, co-founded the quintet, manages the booking agency Primo Concerts that represents both Summit Brass and the St. Louis Brass Quintet, and works as a record producer. Daniel Perantoni, tuba, is on the faculty of Indiana University School of Music, likewise co-founded Summit Brass, belongs to the Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort, and, together with Robert Tucci, created the widely adopted Perantucci line of low-brass instruments and mouthpieces.
The quintet records on Summit Records and served as the auditioning panel that selected the original personnel of Summit Brass, the leading large brass ensemble in the United States.
Each year the ensemble undertakes three ten-day domestic tours together with engagements abroad, accumulating more than 2,500 performances by 2000. With the exception of Jernigan, every player holds a faculty position at a different American music school; the full group assembles only on the road, convening in the opening tour city one day prior to the first program for two rehearsals before proceeding, with further rehearsals scheduled whenever required.
All repertory—standard brass quintets, newly commissioned classical pieces, transcriptions of earlier works, and arrangements of jazz, pop, and show music—is prepared individually in advance, allowing the musicians, who have grown adept at rapid collaboration, to resolve artistic questions through an informally designated director for each composition.
The current roster comprises Allan Dean on trumpet, professor of music at the Yale School of Music and a veteran of the New York musical community through his membership in the New York Brass Quintet; he co-founded Summit Brass and performs on cornetto with the period-instrument ensemble Calliope: A Renaissance Band. Ray Sasaki, also trumpet, teaches at the University of Illinois, helped establish the new-music group Tone Road Ramblers, has served on the board of the International Trumpet Guild, and has commissioned multiple works for the instrument. Thomas Bacon, horn, previously performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra before joining the faculty of Arizona State University; he edits the Southern Music Company series The Complete Hornist and conducts master classes at hundreds of colleges and universities. Melvyn Jernigan, the sole non-academic member, graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, co-founded the quintet, manages the booking agency Primo Concerts that represents both Summit Brass and the St. Louis Brass Quintet, and works as a record producer. Daniel Perantoni, tuba, is on the faculty of Indiana University School of Music, likewise co-founded Summit Brass, belongs to the Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort, and, together with Robert Tucci, created the widely adopted Perantucci line of low-brass instruments and mouthpieces.
The quintet records on Summit Records and served as the auditioning panel that selected the original personnel of Summit Brass, the leading large brass ensemble in the United States.
Albums