Help send the Tavern Brass Quintet to Aspen

Hi, we're the Tavern Brass Quintet: Mark Murphy, Zach Stowe-Alekman (trumpets), Ben Birmingham (horn), Scott Alberti (trombone), and Chance Arnold (tuba). Coming from all across the country, we first formed at the Atlantic Brass Quintet Seminar in the summer of 2023. In January of this year, we all traveled to Connecticut to rehearse and record auditions for festivals, and were recently thrilled to hear that we were accepted to the American Brass Quintet Seminar at the Aspen Music Festival. Our goal of $9,700 would allow our entire group to afford tuition and room and board at Aspen for the duration of the four-week festival. Please consider helping our group fund this incredible opportunity so we can take our artistry to the next level!

Learn more about us and our journey at our Instagram!

Why is Participating in the American Brass Quintet @ Aspen Important For Us?

The Aspen Music Festival (located in Aspen, Colorado) is one of the most prestigious summer music festivals in the United States. In Aspen’s American Brass Quintet Seminar, we would attend a four-week intensive program where we would receive lessons, coachings, and performance opportunities with the American Brass Quintet. This experience would prove invaluable in achieving our goals of continuing to perform together despite distance, furthering our careers both as a group and as individuals, making connections with talented musicians, premiering new music, and promoting diverse composers.

What is the American Brass Quintet?

“The American Brass Quintet is internationally recognized as one of the premier chamber music ensembles of our time, celebrated for peerless leadership in the brass world. ‘The most distinguished’ of brass quintets (American Record Guide), ABQ has earned its stellar reputation through its celebrated performances, genre-defining commissioned works, and an ongoing commitment to the education of generations of musicians.”

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“Committed to the promotion of brass chamber music through education, the American Brass Quintet has been in residence at The Juilliard School since 1987 and the Aspen Music Festival since 1970.”

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“The New York Times wrote that ‘among North American brass ensembles none is more venerable than the American Brass Quintet.’ Through its acclaimed performances, diverse programming, commissioning, extensive discography and educational mission, the American Brass Quintet has created an unparalleled legacy in the brass field.”

- from the American Brass Quintet website (https://www.americanbrassquintet.org/about)