We got to do something a little out of the ordinary recently. Shenandoah just needed a quartet for some incidental music over the course of several nights, so we called on some alumni of SCBQ and provided what the church was looking for. We just got a few musicians together for every night they required music. They had a live nativity (which the band didn’t see) among a lot of other things, like a choir, a trio, our group, chili,…
In what may have been one of our best performances yet, the SCBQ played at the South Roanoke Library auditorium on Veterans Day, November 11, 2024. This was a concert sponsored by the Roanoke chapter of the Thursday Morning Music Club. We presented a program of American music. We played selections from West Side Story, and all-American music such as a medley of Stephen Foster music. Also performed was movie music including If I Only Had a Brain and If…
Our first outdoor concert of this year was in the courtyard next to the Heights Community Church in Grandin Village. We played an informal and free concert during a very pleasant noon-time under the shade of the trees at the intersection of Memorial and Grandin. The program was mostly American music to go with the patriotic theme of the Memorial Day weekend. Here are some highlights from our time by the Heights:
The Star City Brass Quintet is putting on a public concert for free on Saturday May 25, Noon – 1 pm. We will be playing at the corner of Grandin and Memorial in Grandin Village between the Heights Community Church and the Grandin Theater, next to the coop. We’ll play mostly upbeat American music, although we also may just play whatever strikes our fancy. Movies, pop music, marches, patriotic, blues, Disney… This would be an excellent opportunity for kids interested…
Easter is a big time for brass players. Every church wants a group to add to their worship service, and each of our members probably had to turn down a couple of churches this year. It’s nice to see things coming back from the scary pandemic years. Our Easter 2024 was spent with the inaugural service of the Messiah Lutheran congregation that meets at the Rosalind Hills Baptist church facility. So we were very excited to play for two congregations….
Last night we played New Orleans and Dixieland styles for Fat Tuesday/Mardis Gras for the great folks at The Glebe. We prepared such classic selections as Basin Street Blues and Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans, and more that weren’t all necessarily strictly NO style, but fun music nonetheless. Kansas City is at least on the Mississippi, and also full of jazz. We also played the classic latin tune La Bamba and the Jamaican island feel…
For the second year in a row, the Star City Brass was asked back to perform again at St. Andrew’s Catholic church in Roanoke. Recently St. Andrews has been upgraded by the Catholic church to a Basilica. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but they will have more prominence due to the new designation. Star City Brass Quintet was happy to help them celebrate the Christmas season in this new phase for the church. Along with this performance we’ve…
Every year Roanoke puts on December Dickens of a Christmas nights downtown. Star City BQ got on the performance list this year, so we were caroling at the Center In The Square Building as well as on the community performance stage. In this photo we were down one member, but managed to pull off some carols anyway. From a performer point of view, Dickens is a bit of chaos, but I have to say that I personally had a lot…
Star City Brass Quintet recently had the opportunity to play the National Anthem at a Railyard Dawgs hockey game. We were excited to play for the largest crowd we have ever played for. And if you have ever been to a Dawgs game, we got a huge ovation. This is more than a performance of a ceremonial tune for 3700+ fans, it is participation in the community. Of course I had to wear my Dawgs jersey to the performance to…
Drumstick Dash is a popular Thanksgiving morning run in Roanoke. For the last several years I’ve signed up to offer some music on the course. Each year I try to use my Fender bass amp with a portable power supply, playing backing tracks off of my phone, with varying degrees of success. This year they had me set up at the Big Lick brewery. I borrowed a traffic cone to serve as a trombone stand when I wasn’t playing. Will…