Onyx Brass: Concert and Record Launch

“easily the classiest brass ensemble in Britain” BBC Music Magazine

“some of the most thrilling chamber brass-playing of its kind” Gramophone

“an eclectic ear opener of a disc, virtuosically played” Observer

Onxy Brass are delighted to be the first brass group to visit Omnibus, and it will be a great venue at which to launch their latest album, “On an Overgrown Path”, featuring music by Brahms, Schumann, Janacek, Mendelssohn and Chopin. Selections from this new collection will be featured as part of this recital.

Celebrating its 21st anniversary in 2014, Onyx Brass continues to be the leading light in establishing the brass quintet as a medium for serious chamber music, inspired by the pioneering early years of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. To this end, the group has commissioned and performed the world premières of well over 100 new works, including pieces by names such as Judith Bingham, David Sawer, Stuart MacRae and Michael Nyman with many more in the pipeline.

The individual members of the group are also active orchestral musicians: they hold permanent positions in various orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of English National Opera, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia and the English Chamber Orchestra.

During 2014, Onyx Brass toured the country, bringing contemporary brass music to bandstands, parks and public spaces as part of the Tour de Brass! The project was generously supported by PRS for Music’s New Music Biennial Scheme, the Britten-Pears Foundation, the RVW Trust and the Leche Trust – and the Tour passed through London’s Southbank Centre and Glasgow UNESCO City of Music for special performances coinciding with the Commonwealth Games.