Encore Series brings St. Louis Brass back to San Marcos

By Alec Jennings
University News Service
February 2, 2009

The acclaimed Saint Louis Brass Quintet returns to Texas State University-San Marcos Feb. 7 for a 7:30 p.m. off-campus performance at the Price Senior Center as part of the 2008-09 University Arts Encore Series.

Founded in 1964, the Saint Louis Brass Quintet is one of America’s longest standing brass quintets. Originally formed by members of the St. Louis Symphony to play children’s concerts around the St. Louis area, the group soon expanded to present full length concerts funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Missouri Arts Council and the Mid-America Arts Alliance. Now, 40 years and more than 2,500 engagements later, the only original member still in the group--and the only one who actually lives in St. Louis--is trombonist Melvyn Jernigan. The other quintet members hold top positions across the United States, and none of them are members of the St. Louis Symphony.

The Saint Louis Brass Quintet sees itself foremost as a serious chamber music group, but also recognizes the importance of education and entertainment in its programming. Finding this balance is an exciting challenge that is vital in keeping both the group’s members and its audiences satisfied.

The group now performs three 10-day concert tours throughout the United States each year, plus recording and international touring. The SLBQ was featured at the Norway Brass Band Festival in 1994, at a festival in Bombay, India in 1995, and they performed a two-week concert tour in Japan in 1997. In May of 1999 the quintet toured Mexico, and in October of 2001 they toured Germany. June 2003, they were performing in Sweden.