MBB's Latest News

• US Open 2010 Band Draw

  October 21, 2010

  (public)

  Brass Bands International is pleased to announce the 8th Annual US Open Brass Band Championships, hosted by the Prairie Brass Band and in partnership with Buffet Crampon. This year’s competitors, consisting of eight bands from seven states, as well as Canada, will take the stage at the Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles, Illinois on Saturday, November 6, 2010. Doors will open at 9:00 AM, the first band begins at 9:30 AM and the contest will run until 4:15 PM.

  Performing will be the following brass bands:

  Madison Brass Band from Madison, Wisconsin
  Fountain City Brass Band from Kansas City, Missouri
  Eastern Iowa Brass Band from Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  James Madison University Brass Band from Harrisonburg, Virginia
  Prairie Brass Band from Arlington Heights, Illinois
  Weston Silver Band from Toronto, Ontario Canada
  Brass Band of Central Florida, from Orlando, Florida
  Ohio Brass Band from Columbus, Ohio

  The bands will be competing for trophies and cash prizes, including Grand Champion, 2nd. Place, Best Performance of a March, Most Entertaining Band, Best New Composition or Arrangement for Brass Band and most Outstanding Percussion Section. The award for the Best Soloist of the Day and a specially engraved Besson cornet for the Best Cornet Player of the day will be awarded by Buffet Crampon, which is also the sponsor of Frank Renton, The Voice of the US Open.

  All indications are that this will be the most competitive and exciting US Open ever, so don’t miss it.

  Further information and tickets may be secured by checking the website at www.usopenbrass.org

• MBB at WCNBA in January 2011!

  October 21, 2010

  (public)

  The Madison Brass Band has been invited to perform at the Wisconsin Chapter National Band Association Convention in January! Our performance time is 11am on Saturday, which is right before the state honors band. More information will follow!

• MBB to appear at Windhover Center in Fond du Lac

  December 04, 2009

  (public)

  By popular demand, the Madison Brass Band will return to Fond du Lac this year for another holiday concert! Last year, the band played for a wonderful audience, who packed the hall for a full program of christmas medleys and tradition brass band tunes. It is one of the band’s favorite concerts of the year and we are excited to return!

  This year, like last year, will feature holiday music from our growing library. Look forward to tunes like:

  • Joy to the World
  • Arabian Dance (from the Nutcracker)
  • I Saw 3 Ships
  • Good King Wenceslas
  • Selections from our 2009 US Open Competition Program
  • Chamber Music featuring our Trombonists
  • Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
  • … and others!

  The concert will take place on December 12, 2009 at 7:30pm in the main hall of the Windhover Center for the Arts. Tickets will be sold for $15 at the door ($12 for Windhover members) and are available for order on the Windhover Center website. We’re looking forward to seeing you in Fond du Lac!

  • MadisonBrassposter_09.png

• Asbury Concert Moved to 1pm

  October 21, 2009

  (public)

  Due to the rescheduling of the Packers/Vikings game to 3:30pm on Sunday, Nov. 1st, the Madison Brass Band has, in conjunction with Asbury United Methodist, decided to reschedule the concert ahead an hour and a half. The concert, whose program will feature our playlist for the upcoming US Open Brass Band Championships, will now be at 1pm at Asbury on Sunday, November 1st (the same day). Please be sure to update your calendars, and enjoy the game!

• Fall Concert Schedule Announced

  September 20, 2009

  (public)

  Your Madison Brass Band is proud to announce their schedule for the fall of 2009!

  Our early fall season will focus on preparations for the 2009 U.S. Open Brass Band Championships. The Open is a competition modeled after Brass in Concert, where bands compete with their own programs and are evaluated based on their ability to entertain and amaze the audience. This will be the Madison Brass Band’s second year attending. In the previous year, the band placed 5th overall.

  Other performances in advance of the open include appearances at Asbury United Methodist Church in Madison and at St. Stephen’s Church in Monona, Wisconsin. The band will also return to Fond du Lac for our holiday concert at the Windhover Center in December.

• Spring Recording Session Scheduled

  September 13, 2009

  (public)

  In the last two years, the Madison Brass Band has grown a great deal. New members have brought fresh musicality to the group, and the quality of the ensemble has strengthened greatly with the appointment of our new permanent Musical Director, Craig Mason, in the Spring of 2009. With all this in mind, the band has decided to schedule its next recording session for February of 2010, coming after our preparations for the U.S. Open and our other fall and winter performances. CDs recorded at the session will b available for sale.

• Band Concludes Successful Summer Season

  August 09, 2009

  (public)

  In what was perhaps Madison Brass Band’s busiest season in recent memory, the band concluded a series of four concerts in this, the summer of 2009. The season opened with a performance at the Grand Celebration of Brass Bands in Iowa, for which the band prepared two full hours of music. Following this, the band toured South Central Wisconsin, making appearances at Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo and Witwen in late July and early August. Upcoming are finalized plans for our Fall season; we will see you there!

• MBB to be Featured Entertainment at Asbury United Methodist Fundraiser

  April 05, 2009

  (public)

  The Madison Brass Band has been signed to play a concert on May 2, 2009 at Asbury United Methodist Church. The concert will be featured entertainment at a seasonal fundraiser supporting a mission trip for around 25-30 college students, who will be traveling to the Bahamas to promote AIDS awareness.

  Tickets are expected to be priced at $15 (at the door), and the concert begns at 7:00pm. The fundraiser and all supported activities are organized and operated by the Asbury United Methodist Church.

• Band to Participate in 2009 Grand Celebration of Brass Bands

  February 28, 2009

  (public)

  The Madison Brass Band has accepted an invitation to the 2009 GCOBB, hosted by Eastern Iowa Brass Band in Amana, Iowa. Run by EIBB since 1995, the Celebration brings together 2-4 brass bands each year performing concerts all day, together with a mass band performance at the event’s conclusion. Notable brass bands to participate in the past include Illinois Brass Band, Chicago Brass Bd, Central Ohio Brass Band and Madison Brass Band. In 2008, the event was flooded out, and has therefore changed venues; w are looking forward to making our return to this event and seeing its return to the culture of Midwest brass bands.