News

Lee University’s Faculty Brass Quintet and the Student Brass Ensemble will perform on Monday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Squires Recital Hall, located in Lee’s Humanities Center.  

High school brass students (trumpet, horn, trombone, baritone/euphonium, and tuba) will be joining Lee’s brass faculty for an evening of music. Registration will begin at 4 p.m., followed by rehearsal time and instruction from the Faculty Brass Quintet members. There are no fees, and participation is free for the high school students.  

The Faculty Brass Quintet features Dr. Brian Reichenbach and Dr. Barkey Bryant, on trumpets; Gordon James, horn; Dr. Doug Warner, trombone; and Dr. Jesse McConnell, tuba.  

The program will feature selections such as Paul Dukas’ “Fanfare from La Peri,” Andre Lafosse’s “Suite Impromptu,” and Alexander Goedicke’s “Concert Etude Op.49.”  

“We are very much looking forward to presenting a fun and varied program,” said Warner, professor of music and director of applied study at Lee. “Even more so, we are excited about the chance to work with area high school students, giving them a taste of what it’s like to perform in a brass ensemble.” 

Reichenbach is an accomplished trumpet performer and an effective teacher based in Tennessee.  He tours nationally with concert organist Rhonda Sider Edgington as Great Lakes Duo and regularly performs with the Chattanooga Symphony. Reichenbach most recently served as an assistant professor of trumpet at Lee. Prior to that, he held various roles as a teacher and conductor at Trinity International University, Olivet Nazarene University, Wheaton College, and College of DuPage, directing wind ensembles and teaching classes in music theory, aural skills, and brass techniques. 

Bryant currently serves as a professor of trumpet at Lee. He has performed classical, jazz, and rock music throughout the region with ensembles such as the Iron Post Jazz Orchestra, New Orleans Jazz Machine, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Low Down Jazz Orchestra, and Big Easy Brass. While attending the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana for his doctorate degree, he played lead trumpet for the Concert Jazz Band and Latin Jazz Ensemble. He stays busy as a freelance trumpeter playing for big bands, pit orchestras, teaching his private studio, and a graduate assistant.  

As Principal Horn of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, James has been playing and teaching horn for over 30 years. He has performed with the Alabama Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony, and he is currently an adjunct horn instructor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Southern Adventist University, and Lee. James has also attended the Roundtop Music and the Grand Teton music festivals.  

Warner has been Principal Trombonist of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera since 1985 and was a member of the King’s Brass, a touring ensemble with which he recorded four albums from 1986 to 1997. He currently teaches trombone, low brass techniques, music history, symphonic literature, and Gateway for music majors.  

McConnell is currently the director of music events and adjunct professor of tuba and euphonium at Lee. He has also showcased his talent as a tubist on various professional and educational CDs recorded by the University of North Texas Wind Symphony under the direction of Eugene Migliaro Corporon. He has served as a tubist with the Lone Star Wind, Northwest Florida Symphony, and Lubbock Symphony orchestras. During his time at Florida State and North Texas, McConnell also worked as a teaching assistant, helping to direct tuba and euphonium ensembles while teaching lessons and brass area-specific classes.  

The concert is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public. Livestream viewing will also be available at leeu.live/.  

To register for this event, visit Registration.  

For more information about the concert, contact Lee’s School of Music at (423) 614-8240.