Unlike any other brass quintet performing today, the Center City Brass Quintet utilizes a unique formula of combining top American soloists and orchestral players into an ensemble which convenes regularly for chamber music making of the highest caliber. Its all-star roster includes members of the Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony and Buffalo Philharmonic and players who have performed as soloists with noted ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Pops and Aukland Philharmonic. In addition, each member of the quintet is a devoted teacher with ties to major collegiate music programs.
Called "one of the strongest of today's brass quintets", and "a virtuoso outfit which plays like no other" by American Record Guide, the Center City Brass Quintet is known world-wide by its highly acclaimed recordings on the Chandos label. Working around the many commitments of each of its members, the Quintet presents a limited number of recitals throughout the U.S. each year. Past seasons have brought the quintet to cities across the United States including Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Cleveland, Baltimore, Boise and Eugene. In 2006 the Center City Brass Quintet performed as soloist with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo in the world-premiere of Chimera, a concerto for brass quintet and orchestra composed by CCBQ trumpeter Anthony DiLorenzo. This followed numerous prior trips to Japan, where - since 2001 - the quintet has joined an international performance faculty in residence at the Music Masters Course in Kazusa, a seminar for conservatory students from around the globe. The quintet takes its name from the famous downtown district of Philadelphia, in which it was founded in 1985 at the Curtis Institute of Music. Winners at the Coleman and Carmel chamber music competitions, the group has been featured on numerous live radio and television broadcasts across the U.S., including NPR's Performance Today, and in Japan on Tokyo FM.
The musicians of the CCBQ perform on Conn and Bach Stradivarius brass instruments.
Anthony DiLorenzo, trumpet, has appeared as soloist with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, and New York Philharmonic, and has held positions with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New World Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, and Utah Symphony. Along with CCBQ trumpeter Geoffrey Hardcastle, Anthony is also a member of the Burning River Brass large brass ensemble, and Proteus 7, a mixed chamber ensemble. A native of Stoughton, Massachusetts, he began trumpet studies with Peter Chapman and Roger Voisin, later receiving his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music. While a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, he worked with Leonard Bernstein who nominated him for an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Anthony is also an Emmy Award-winning composer, whose works have been performed by the San Francisco Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Utah Symphony, and New World Symphony, and can be heard regularly on numerous American television networks (including the ABC College Football theme music). The CCBQ takes full advantage of Anthony's composition talent, and regularly enlists him to write new music for the quintet. His original work "Firedance", which the CCBQ premiered and recorded on its Street Song album, has become a favorite among student and professional brass quintets around the world.
Tony plays on Bach Stradivarius trumpets.
Geoffrey Hardcastle, trumpet, is Second Trumpet of the Buffalo Philharmonic. He received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Bernard Adelstein, David Zauder, and James Darling. Geoffrey performed for several seasons as an acting member of the Cleveland Orchestra. He was a founding member of the Burning River Brass Ensemble, and is currently a member of Proteus 7, both of which he has recorded with on the Dorian label. Geoffrey is on the faculty at Cleveland State University.
Geoff plays on Bach Stradivarius trumpets.
Richard King, horn, was appointed Principal Horn of the Cleveland Orchestra by Christoph von Dohnanyi in 1996, having held the position of Associate Principal Horn since the age of twenty. As a soloist, he has performed with the Auckland Philharmonic, as well as numerous appearances with his own orchestra; his recent performance of the Mozart Horn Concerto #2 was noted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for its "silken stream of beautiful tone" and "flawless performance". A native of Long Island, New York, Richard began horn studies at the age of nine, and in the Spring of 1985 entered the Juilliard School's Pre-College division. September 1985 brought him early acceptance to The Curtis Institute of Music at the invitation of its horn teacher, Myron Bloom. He is currently on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Kent/Blossom Music Festival. RICH at CIM
Richard is a Conn-Selmer Artist and performs on the Conn 8-D horn exclusively.
Ko-Ichiro Yamamoto, one of the foremost Japanese trombonists of his generation, is the principal trombonist of the Seattle Symphony, Saito- Kinen Orchestras and a faculty member of the University of Washington School of Music. He formerly was a trombonist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York for 10 seasons. Active as a soloist, recitalist, chamber music performer, and clinician, Ko-ichiro has performed with many ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Chamber Orchestra, and as a guest solo principal trombonist of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo. Ko-ichiro has been a guest soloist with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Osaka Municipal Symphonic Band (OMSB), New Philharmonic Japan, U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own), Yamaha Wind Ensemble Japan, University of Washington Wind Ensemble, Eastern Music Festival, Taipei Symphonic Band, Symphonic Winds of Singapore, and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Born in Tokyo, he studied with his father, Tatsuo Yamamoto, Mr. Yoshiki Hakoyama, Gusztav Hoena, Sztan Tivador, and with Joseph Alessi at The Juilliard School. His discography includes “Proof “and “Family Tree” (Kosei Publishing) “Trombone Concerto” and “Ballade” (Octavia Recordings).
His official website is: www.koichiroyamamoto.com
Craig Knox, tuba, is Principal Tuba of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Adjunct Professor of Tuba at Duquesne University, and Artist-Lecturer in Tuba at Carnegie Mellon University. He has served as Acting Principal Tuba of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and held the Principal Tuba chair of the Sacramento Symphony and the New World Symphony, with which he appeared as soloist. Prior to his appointment in Pittsburgh, he was in frequent demand as a guest performer with numerous major orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He has held teaching positions at Kent State University, California State University-Hayward, as well as the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he was Director of Brass Chamber Music. In addition to being a founding member of the CCBQ, he is also tubist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Brass and has played and toured with the Chicago Chamber Musicians Brass Quintet and Empire Brass. He performs each summer with the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming.
Craig is a Conn-Selmer
Artist, and performs on the Conn 52-J tuba in the Center City Brass
Quintet.