Help BU's Comm. Ave Five go to PJIBEC!

Hi, we are Boston University's Commonwealth Avenue Five Brass Quintet, and we have recently submitted a video submission to the preliminary round of the Phillip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition and have been ACCEPTED to the Finals! This means that we have been invited to play at the competition in Birmingham, UK this summer.

Unfortunately, with this trip comes the many expenses of travel, including but not limited to flights, food, checked bags (and instruments), summer housing, and more. We are looking for any amount of help we can get to cover these expenses from anyone willing and able to help. All funds will go directly toward trip expenses.

Here is a little more information about us:

The Commonwealth Avenue Five is a brass quintet based in Boston, Massachusetts. Composed entirely of Boston University students, members of the Commonwealth Avenue Five range in age from undergraduate freshmen to graduate students in the final semester of their

degree. The group consists of Di Yue and Daniel Hein on trumpet, Grace Clarke on horn, Kit Man Kong on trombone, and Mitchell Brady on tuba.

Di Yue is currently pursuing a master’s in trumpet performance at Boston University. Growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was a part of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and Bravo Brass under the direction of Paul Bryan. She won 3rd place at the National Trumpet Competition High School Division in 2014 and 2015 and was a Merit Winner of the National

YoungArts Foundation. Di completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland in 2020. She has participated in numerous summer festivals, most notably the Eastern Music Festival in 2018, and Domaine Forget International Festival in 2019. At Boston University, she

is a member of the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. Di currently studies with Terry Everson and has formerly worked with Roger Blackburn, Jeffrey Curnow, Anthony Prisk, Alan Siebert, and Chris Gekker.

Also hailing from Philadelphia, Dan Hein is in the first year of his graduate studies at Boston University. Dan graduated from Temple University in the spring of 2022, where he completed his undergraduate degree in trumpet performance. He will be performing with the BU trumpet studio at the International Trumpet Guild Competition this coming summer. At BU, he

currently studies with Terry Everson and Bruce Hall.

A lifelong resident of New England, Grace Clarke is a current senior at Boston University, where she is completing a double degree in horn performance and music education. During her time at BU, she has played with the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra, as well as numerous chamber ensembles. Grace is also an active freelancer

in the Boston area, recently having played with the Boston Civic Symphony, the Apollo Orchestra, and the Hancock Church Brass Quintet. Last summer, she appeared with the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra in Branson, Missouri. In the fall of 2022, Grace was a finalist in BU’s Carnegie Hall Competition. For the past four years, she has studied with Eric Ruske.

Born in Macao, China, Kit Man Kong is in the first year of his master’s degree at Boston University. Kit Man graduated from the Macao Polytechnic University with a bachelor’s degree in music education in 2022. In 2020, Kit Man won First Prize in the Brass Concerto, Chamber

Music for Brass Instruments, and Vocal (Advanced Level) categories in the Macao Youth Music Competition. He was invited to perform as a soloist with the Macao Orchestra in their “Flourishing Arts” concert in January 2021. Kit Man’s primary teachers include Minhwan Lee and Don Lucas.

A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Mitchell Brady is currently completing the first year of his undergraduate degree in tuba performance. He has eight years of experience on tuba, and in high school, he was a recipient of the John Philip Sousa Award. Mitch is a student of Mike Roylance.