The Triangle Brass Band

Band Biography

The Triangle Brass Band is a group of 38 brass and percussion performers drawn from the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina. Members of the band are selected by audition, and come from a variety of backgrounds, including school band directors, college faculty, physicians, lawyers, computer programmers and carpenters, to name a few.

The band was formed in 1986 as a joint venture of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation and Capitol Broadcasting Company of Raleigh, NC. After three years of sponsorship from these roots, the band became a self-sustaining organization, and is justifiably proud that the efforts of its members have allowed to it to bring the finest of brass band music to the public while maintaining their status as amateurs, and the band's status as a non-profit organization. In the fall of 2001, Triangle Brass celebrated its Fifteenth Anniversary and is currently planning a Twentieth Anniversary celebration for 2006.

In the Fall and the Spring each year, the band presents its own Concert Series, sometimes in conjunction with local schools and universities. The repertoire of the band is drawn primarily from the finest original works for brass band from the 19th century to the present. It also includes arrangements of well-known orchestral and wind band works, British folk-songs, American patriotic tunes and marches.

The Triangle Brass Band is a member of NABBA (North American Brass Band Association) and has participated in NABBA's annual competition numerous times. In 1987, its first year at the competition, the Triangle Brass captured first place in NABBA's Honors category, as it did in 1988. In 1990 and 1992 it brought home the second place trophy in the Championship category (the highest classification), and in 1989 the band placed first in the coveted Championship division. In 1994, the Triangle Brass co-hosted the NABBA championship event, held at NC State University in Raleigh, with the NC State Brass Band.

In addition to NABBA events, the band has performed at the Eastern Music Festival, the North Carolina Music Educators Conference and twice at the Southeast Brass Conference. They have taken their reputation for musical excellence on the road, performing in 1991 and 1994 at the New York Brass Conference for Scholarships, held in New York City. Closer to home, the band is a popular draw at events such as the Fourth of July Celebration in Chapel Hill and Fuquay Varina. In 1991 the band participated in the Welcome Home festivities for veterans of Desert Storm, held at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. In 1995 the Triangle Brass was proud to host a Joint Concert with The U.S. Army Brass Band on their Spring tour through Virginia and North Carolina. In 1996 the ensemble was selected by NABBA to appear at The Great American Brass Band Festival , held in Danville, Kentucky, and performed two concerts at this very popular venue. More recently, the TBB has performed at First Night Raleigh on New Year's Eve 2000, and were a featured group at the 2002 International Tuba Euphonium Conference held in Greensboro, NC.