Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble

Line up

Ann Ellsworth (Horn)
Dick Clark (Trombone)
Graham Ashton (Trumpet)
James Markey (Trombone)
John MacDonald (Trumpet)

country:
USA
region:
North America
style(s):
Brass Fusion
label:
Signum Record
type:
Band, Composer/Songwriter
gender:
male, female
instrumentation:
instrumental
artist submitted by:
Mu:Arts Management

A champion of brass chamber music, Graham Ashton is recognized throughout the world for his visionary performances and imaginative programming. Founded at the start of the new millennium, his Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble has performed widely throughout the US and in Europe. The ensemble was nominated for the finals of the 2005 Grammy Awards, and is in residence at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College (State University of New York), where they give master classes, seminars, workshops and performances throughout the year.

Graham Ashton has appeared as trumpet soloist with numerous orchestras throughout the world including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the broadcasting orchestras of Australia, Ireland and South Africa.

Graham Ashton encountered the music of Tamami Tono, a composer, and sho player, and member of Reigakusha Ensemble, after she had worked together with Graham's producer Steve Epstein on Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project. Graham was intrigued by the divine sound of the sho played by Tamami, and imagined the sonority of muted brass with the reedy sho.

He asked Tamami to write a piece for his brass ensemble, and over the following weeks they tossed around different ideas about instrumentation, to finally settle on one trio with sho, shakuhachi and koto, with the softness of the Japanese instruments balanced by another trio of horn, trumpet and trombone. The resulting piece, Kei - Scenes of Spirits received its premiere in May 2007, and is recorded on the CD Scenes of Spirits from Signum Records, London.

Graham has made eight prize-winning solo recordings, with the English Chamber Orchestra, the English Symphony Orchestra, the Sinfonia of London and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and of his BBC award-winning CD The Contemporary Trumpet, The Gramophone wrote:

"Graham Ashton shows himself to be an acutely thoughtful musician: virtuosity is never regarded as an end in itself, the sound is never brazen, and he conveys an unswerving clarity of vision which should be admired beyond the confines of the brass world".

Graham Ashton is currently preparing an arrangement of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition for brass and percussion for premieres in France and Germany in 2008.