August 6 2003 |
The Salt Spring Brass Quintet
The Quintet now has five members but it wasn't always so! As presently constituted, the group includes Dawn Hage and Murray Hunter, trumpets; Richard Moses, French horn; Gary Dunn, baritone horn; and Charles Buchwald,
tuba; and they have been together for about a year. But the genesis occurred at least eight or nine years ago when
Derrick and Wendy Milton, with two friends, were first asked to play for the November 11 Remembrance Day
observances. Over the years, newcomers arrived and "retirements" occurred, but the numbers in the group remained
at four. Even so, with typical Salt Spring waggery, the group billed itself as a “quintet” hoping, knowing, that
somehow, someday… The “Quintet” played for Remembrance Day, the official opening of ArtSpring and participated
in the annual Christmas Sing-a Long . Suddenly there was with the foursome, the very person to make the "Quintet"
a real Quintet: a tuba player! Charles Buchwald must have heard the silent call and not only did he arrive and
join the Concert Band, but one of his first suggestions was, "Let’s start a brass quintet." The rest, while not exactly history, has been fun. This year the Salt Spring Brass Quintet meets regularly for
the first time once a week come rain or shine. The repertoire for the August 6th Music and Munch will span many
centuries from the “Galliard Battaglia” by Samuel Scheidt, composed sometime in the early 1600’s, to a wonderful
arrangement of “The Magnificent Seven”, by trumpeter Murray Hunter, arranged about a month ago! There will be some
Ragtime tunes, a ‘Russian Fantasy’, and everything from Debussy to ‘Ave Maria’. The group has performed in heavy
rain and gale force winds and is therefore unaccustomed to facing a listening audience. This will be a new and
terrifying experience, so please be kind! Free music begins at 12.10pm at All Saints' followed by a delicious optional lunch for $5.50.
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