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The Grammy-award winning Chestnut Brass Company has earned international acclaim for brilliant performances on modern and historical brass instruments. Since beginning as a street band in Philadelphia in 1977, they have performed thoughout North America, Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia. Noted for their outstanding children’s programs, the ensemble, The Chestnut Brass Company was one of three organizations selected by the Kennedy Center to have a program selected for live broadcast. “Hot Air: the Story of Brass Instruments” demonstrates and discusses the history of the many antique brass instruments in the CBC collection.. This outstanding children’s program has been seen by more than 100,000 school children across the United States. The ensemble is active in the performance and commissioning of contemporary music, and has introduced numerous new works to audiences around the country. Composers who have written works for the Chestnut Brass Company, or have been commissioned by the CBC, include Richard Wernick, Peter Schickele, Leslie Bassett, Eric Stokes, Theodore Antoniou, Jan Krzywicki, and Paul Basler. The quintet has received awards for commissioning and performance from the NEA, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Chamber Music America and Meet the Composer. Interviews and recitals of the Chestnut Brass Company have been featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, Fresh Air, Radio Times and Performance Today programs; Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Bavarian State Radio and numerous radio and television stations across the United States. The Chestnut Brass Company has been featured in performance at the Juilliard School, the Chautauqua Institute, the Ambassador Series, the Boston Museum of Art, Merkin Concert Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the Yale Collection of Instruments. As curators of the sounds of ancient and antique brasses, the Chestnut Brass Company have been at the forefront of the period-instrument revival with performances on cornetti, sacbuts, keyed bugles and saxhorns. The quintet continues to collect antique brass instruments and to research the literature and performance practice of these instruments. This extraordinary diversity of repertoire and instrumentation enables the Chestnut Brass Company to offer a variety of exciting, entertaining and innovative programs. They can be heard on the Sony, Naxos, Archiv, Newport Classic, Crystal and Musical Heritage/Musicmasters labels. Selections from CBC recordings have been featured on several documentaries ranging from A House Divided for PBS, to Pinehurst, the History of Golf. Company History From the majestic sound of the Baroque trumpet to the bluesy blare of the trombone, the Grammy award winning Chestnut Brass Company has been captivating audiences with their exuberant and energetic performances for thirty years. Since their beginning in 1977 as a small group of street musicians playing for shoppers on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, the Chestnut Brass Company has performed concerts in North and South America , France, Germany, Italy, the Caribbean, and Korea. This talented and versatile quintet strives through performing and audience contact to advance the art of brass playing and the knowledge of musical history through brass instruments. The Chestnut Brass Company is the only ensemble in the world that tours with their own museum of modern and historical brass instruments. As curators of the sounds of these ancient brasses, The Chestnut Brass Company has been at the forefront of the period-instrument revival. From the Civil War era 'back-firing' horns, to a rare complete set of keyed bugles, a consort of sacbuts and the startlingly sinuous Renaissance serpent, some of these instruments can be heard only on a CBC concert. Performances reflecting the rich tradition and spirit of brass instruments has given The Chestnut Brass Company a well-deserved reputation for performing on these antique instruments, seeking out forgotten repertoire and recreating the lost sounds of other eras through their vibrant performances. In addition, The Chestnut Brass Company commissions new works and premieres contemporary brass music. In 1995, the CBC was received awards from the NEA and the Aaron Copland Foundation to record works which were written for the ensemble. The CBC has received support from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, Chamber Music America, Meet the Composer, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the FelsFoundation, the Deitrich Foundation and the Pew Trust. In the versatile ensemble was awarded a prestigious Grammy award for their recording of the music of Peter Schickele. The Chestnut Brass Company's diverse repertoire and discography includes xx recordings which are available on Sony Classical, Albany, Newport Classics, Crystal, Musical Heritage, and Polygram. Their recording of 19th Century political campaign music, Tippecanoe & Tyler, Too (Newport Classics) reached #13 on the Billboard crossover charts. Other highlights include the popular CD Book, For God and Country (Newport Classics) which features organist Anthony Newman playing 40 favorite hymns with stunning brass descants, Opening Night (Newport Classics) which contains dazzling arrangements of familiar tunes by Ellington, Gershwin and Porter and of course the group's most recent release, the Grammy award winning Hornsmoke. The extraordinary diversity of The Chestnut Brass Company's repertoire on both historical and modern brass instruments insures that audiences of all ages will enjoy an exciting and entertaining evening of innovative programming. The Chestnut Brass Company Members Bruce Barrie, trumpet John Charles Thomas, trumpet Marian Hesse, French horn Larry Zimmerman, trombone Jay Krush, tuba