Local brass bands and a guest ensemble from the United Kingdom will converge on Ohio State’s campus for the fourth annual Ohio Brass Arts Festival.
The festival will hold two separate sets of events on Friday and Saturday, and will take place in the Weigel Hall Auditorium.
Every band consists of brass instruments, and almost all musicians are from Ohio. George Zonders, publicity chair of the festival and member of the participating group, Brass Band of Columbus, explained that there is a sense of camaraderie among the musicians. All of the performers are brass enthusiasts and want to share the music they love. Some members even play in more than one group.
The only group not from Ohio is St. Helen’s Youth Brass Band from the United Kingdom, which has toured Europe, released commercial recordings and is led by euphonium soloist Mark Bousie.
“One of the things we’re trying to do with the festival is to expose brass-banding to more people, and also spread the word and let people know this is a different sort of musical concept from what they’re used to,” Zonders said.
Friday’s schedule begins at 7 p.m. and will last for about two hours. Performances will include Seymour Tower Brass, a tuba ensemble from Chapel Brass, and a solo from euphonium player Grant Jameson.
After the opening acts, a brass clinic will be held by OSU faculty member Bruce Henniss.
The last musical event on Friday is a repertoire band. Audience members who bring their brass instruments and want to play can perform read-throughs of new music. Each piece is a submitted work for the Ohio Brass Arts Festival Composition Competition. After the performances a voting session will be held to determine the winner, and that work will go on to be published.
Friday’s scheduled events will finish around 9 p.m., but guests are invited to socialize at the Buffalo Wild Wings near campus on North High Street.
Saturday’s events will start at 12:30 p.m., with a performance from the OSU Marching Band Alumni Society. Other performers will include: the Brass Band of Columbus, the Brass Band of the Western Reserve, Central Ohio Brass Band, St. Helen’s Youth Brass Band and more. The festival will end around 5 p.m.
“You’ll be hearing a little bit of everything,” Zonders said. “You’ll be hearing marches, you’ll be hearing hymns, you’ll be hearing show tunes, and also some pieces that were specifically written for brass bands. Everybody brings a little something different to the table.”
The festival will use the auditorium in Weigel Hall for all of the performances. Bands will be on stage and in front of stage as the area is set up for the next band.
Friday’s events are free to the public, but guests must purchase a wristband for Saturday’s activities. Buying wristbands at the door will cost $15 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens. Pre-sale wristbands get a $5 discount from the respective price, according to ohiobrassbands.com
