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Lee University’s Faculty Brass Quintet will present “¡Olé! Music of Spain and Latin America” on Saturday, April 22, at 2 p.m. in Squires Recital Hall, located in Lee’s Humanities Center. Prior to the performance, the quintet and faculty from Lee’s School of Music will host a masterclass for brass players. 

The quintet features Dr. Brian Reichenbach and Tina Erickson, trumpet; Gordon James, horn; Dr. Doug Warner, trombone; and Donald Strand, tuba. 

“A brass quintet displays both variety and intimacy for really expressive chamber music,” said Reichenbach, assistant professor of trumpet at Lee. “From tuba all the way up to piccolo trumpet, the range is impressive.” 

The concert’s program will celebrate music from Spain and Latin America, including selections such as Texidor’s “Amparito Roca,” Piazzolla’s “Libertango,” and excerpts from Bizet’s “Carmen.” 

In addition to the 2 p.m. performance, free masterclasses will take place at 11 a.m. in the School of Music’s Curtsinger Building. Area brass students are invited to attend with their instruments and stay for the performance. 

The masterclass and concert will cap off the School of Music’s yearlong “Brass Bash Series” that has included several world-class guest brass musicians and educators. 

“We’re grateful for the support of Giant Steps Music Corporation in Chattanooga, who will be at the masterclass with instruments to try, along with other merchandise,” said Reichenbach. 

Erickson is an active trumpet player, teacher, and former trumpet builder. She has served on the faculty of the Cadek Conservatory of Music; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Chattanooga State Community College; and Lee. She also continues to maintain an active private studio, is the co-founder and vice president of the Smokey Mountain Trumpet Guild, and has served as the music reviews editor, as well as contributor to the “Ask The Teacher” column on the International Trumpet Guild youth website. 

As Principal Horn of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Mr. 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. Mr. James has also attended the Roundtop Music and the Grand Teton Music festivals. 

Dr. Reichenbach joined Lee’s School of Music faculty in 2021 as an assistant professor of trumpet, where he leads the trumpet studio, teaches courses in music theory, and coaches chamber music. Prior to Lee, he was a freelance musician in the Chicago area for 20 years, performing with numerous ensembles and orchestras and appearing regularly as a guest soloist, clinician, and adjudicator. He also taught a variety of music courses at Trinity International University and directed the wind ensembles. 

Strand, tuba instructor at Lee, has performed with a multitude of orchestras, chamber ensembles, Broadway shows, recording groups, and headliners like James Brown, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, and Hans Zimmer. He currently holds principal tuba positions with the Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Opera, Columbus (Georgia) Symphony, Greenville (South Carolina) Symphony, and Georgia Symphony Orchestra. A versatile multi-instrumentalist, Strand also regularly performs on bass trombone, contrabass trombone, and cimbasso. 

Warner currently serves as a professor of music and the director of applied study at Lee. He 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.   

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

Fhttps://www.leeu.liveor more information about the concert, contact Lee’s School of Music at (423) 614-8240 or [email protected].