FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                          January 14, 2004

TEXAS GROUP BRINGS ‘BRASSY’ SOUND TO ALVA

            Since its founding in 1983, the Dallas Brass has become one of America’s foremost musical ensembles. The group has established a unique blend of traditional brass instruments with a full complement of drums and percussion.  The Dallas Brass repertoire includes classical masterpieces, Dixieland, swing, Broadway show tunes, movie music and patriotic music.

            The group will be appearing in concert at 8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 2, in Herod Hall Auditorium at Northwestern Oklahoma State University as part of the Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series.

            Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and may be purchased at Holder Drug, Schuhmacher’s, Alva Chamber of Commerce and Northwestern Bookstore.

            In addition to the solo engagements, the Dallas Brass also appears with symphony orchestras nationwide. Symphonic credits include the Cincinnati Pops, New York Pops and the Philly Pops.

            The Dallas Brass has performed at Carnegie Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and has toured overseas in Europe and the Far East.

            The ensemble has a strong dedication to working with young musicians and has developed an extensive “Music in the Schools” project that takes them into public and private schools to present clinics, workshops and concerts for students of all ages.

            Members of the Dallas Brass include:

            Michael Levine (trombone), founder, artistic director and master of ceremonies of the Dallas Brass. Originally from Minneapolis, he attended the University of Minnesota and then the Juilliard School where he received his bachelor of music degree. For four years, he held the position of assistant principal trombone in the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. While in Israel, Levine also was active in brass music as founder of both the Jerusalem Brass Quintet and the larger Jerusalem Brass Ensemble. Both ensembles toured extensively throughout Israel.

            Jason Ayoub (horn) of El Paso is the only native Texan in the Dallas Brass. A graduate of the University of North Texas (UNT), he recorded 175 works for wind ensemble with the UNT Wind Symphony. He also has performed with the Texas Wind Symphony, the Dallas Wind Symphony and the symphony orchestras of San Angelo and East Texas. He recently was appointed third horn of the Waco Symphony. He currently teaches privately in the north Texas area.

            Daniel Hostetler (drums and percussion) was born in South Bend, Ind., and started playing percussion at age 8. He earned a bachelor of music degree at Indiana University. He has been active with the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps as a performer, instructor and arranger. He also is currently percussion coordinator for Eden Prairie High School near Minneapolis and Worthington Kilbourne High School near Columbus. Hostetler performs frequently with his blues/R&B band, The Butanes that appears annually at internationally recognized festivals.

            Brian Neal (trumpet) earned music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music in New York and the University of Miami. The Florida native has served as principal trumpet of the Miami Symphony Orchestra and the Miami Bach Society Orchestra. He also has been a soloist with the Florida Philharmonic, Ensemble Monterey and California Symphony. Neal’s compositions have been performed at the Aspen and Waterloo Music Festivals. He is on the faculty of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

            Jose Sibaja (trumpet) is a native of Costa Rica and studied music at the New World School of the Arts and the University of Miami. As an orchestral trumpeter, he has held positions with the Miami Symphony, the Sinfonietta de Caracas and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela. Also active in South Florida’s Latin music scene, Sibaja is a member of Ricky Martin’s band. He also performs and records frequently with Celia Cruz, Elvis Crespo and Franco de Vita, among others.

            Deanna Swoboda (tuba) started out on the clarinet, but switched to tuba at age 13. The Washington native earned music degrees from the University of Idaho and Northwestern University. As a video artist for Silver Burdette-Ginn and tuba artist for Accent, Swoboda shares her talents in schools across the country, performing her “brass rap” at motivational workshops for music students and children. She has a solo children’s CD titled “Deanna’s Wonderland.” She currently serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

            The Dallas Brass has released five recordings: “Debut,” “Dallas Brass II,” “A Merry Christmas with Brass,” “Windborne” and “Nutcracker.”

The Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series is made possible through grants from the Oklahoma Arts Council, Heartland Arts Fund, National Endowment for the Arts and the Charles Morton Share Trust

-NW-

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