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Three local trumpet players are currently members of the Blue Ridge Symphonic Brass, a twenty-plus-member brass choir dedicated to sharing the unique symphonic brass repertoire with music patrons in Western North Carolina. 

Maestro Jamie Hafner will lead the BRSB in a free brass concert on Sunday, November 20 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville. The 3 p.m. concert will feature brilliant works for brass in a wide variety of styles and will include one of the group’s signature antiphonal brass choir selections. This concert is free and open to the public, with donations accepted.  

Peter Voisin and Pam Voisin, residents of Columbus, and David Daugherty, until recently a resident of Saluda and currently in Chesnee, are all members of this outstanding musical group. David performed with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for 38 years and retired to Saluda with his wife Jan in 2014. Locally,  David has performed with the Brevard Philharmonic and is a frequent guest performer at the Church of the  Holy Cross in Tryon and the Church of the Transfiguration in Saluda. Peter was a member of the Syracuse  Symphony Orchestra (NY) and the Jacksonville Symphony (FL) and has performed with the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops. He is currently a member of the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra.  Pam was a member of the St. Johns River City Band in Jacksonville, FL, one of two professional brass bands in the US, and has also performed with the Jacksonville Symphony.  

The BRSB program may surprise those not familiar with the variety of repertoire possible with a brass ensemble. The concert will feature selections such as Fanfare from “La Peri” by French composer Paul  Dukas; Three Brass Cats by American composer Chris Hazell, a jazzy musical tribute to the composer’s rascally felines, and Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep by British composer John Rutter. Trinity Presbyterian’s organist, Stephen Klein, will join the group on harpsichord to add a touch of authenticity to Ancient Airs and Dances by Italian composer Ottorio Respighi.  

The Blue Ridge Symphonic Brass also draws its musicians from the Brevard, Hendersonville, Asheville  and Greenville areas. Many perform with professional orchestras and bands or teach at universities and schools in the region. Conductor Jamie Hafner is a well-known musical personality, having most recently served as Director of Bands at Brevard College.  

 

Submitted by Pam Voisin