Connaught Brass at 7.30

Connaught Brass

Aaron Akugbo, trumpets

Harry Plant, trumpets & Flugel horn

Sarah Pennington, French horn

Chris Brewster, trombone

Aled Meredith-Barrett, tuba

MOGENS ANDRESEN: Prelude and Reinlendere from Norwegian Dances

RAMEAU arr. Foster: - Selections from Dardanus

HANDEL arr. Barnes: Largo from Xerxes

Victor EWALD: Quintet No. 2

J.S. BACH: Little Fugue in G Minor

Dani HOWARD: New Commission

Felix BLUMENFELD arr. Akugbo: Sarabande

FAURE arr. Foster: Pavane

Enrique CRESPO: Selections from Suite Americana

Winners of the Inaugural Philip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition and the Royal Overseas League Competition, Connaught Brass seek to redefine how brass chamber music is perceived. Blending a deep respect for the genre’s rich heritage with a fresh, youthful perspective, their performances are not only marked by vibrance and boldness, but with warmth and approachability, reflecting the strong camaraderie at the heart of the ensemble. Through brand-new commissions, audience-favourite arrangements and a commitment to originality, Connaught Brass breathe new life into tradition, offering a unique and engaging concert experience with the ultimate goal of bringing brass chamber music to the forefront of today’s musical world.

The Connaughts have shared their music-making widely across the UK and Europe at venues including London’s Wigmore Hall, the Lucerne Festival, De Doelen Rotterdam, Societá Filarmonica Trento, the Barbican, Snape Maltings, Kings Place, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St George’s Bristol, Hidden Doors Arts Festival Edinburgh and Music for Wexford Ireland. Additional highlights include performing live on radio from the Concertgebouw’s Spiegelzaal and regularly on BBC Radio3’s In Tune programme.

The 25/26 season will see the group make debuts in Norway and Belgium, tour Scotland, continue the run of their audience-favourite Christmas programme following its 2024 premiere at the Barbican, alongside an extensive UK schedule at venues including The Bridgewater Hall, St-Martin-in-the-Fields, St George’s Bristol and Turner Sims Concert Hall.

Technically astonishing, ecelctic in repertoire and prepared to explode cliches of what brass chamber msuic should sound like - The Arts Desk