The award-winning Bala Chamber Brass thrills audiences around the globe with their infectious spirit, daring and exciting programming, and exceptional performances. A brass quintet dedicated to furthering the art of brass music performance, Bala was the first group of its kind to be invited to participate in the 2002 Osaka International Chamber Music Festa in Osaka, Japan. The Boston area chamber ensemble was also awarded the bronze medal at the 2001 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, as well as being honored as a finalist in the 2001 Coleman Chamber Music Competition.

 

In their efforts to promote the brass ensemble genre, Bala enjoys collaborations with a diverse group of composers and artists and actively commissions new works. Recent commissions and world premiers include Robert Bradshaw’s Revealed, Norman Bolter’s Shorelight Breeze, Whitman Brown's Knuckleball, and Jeremy Spindler's As It Went By. Many of these works have been premiered at the International Trumpet Guild Conferences (2006, 2009, 2012) and the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference (2008).

 

Committed to fostering music through education, the quintet frequently conducts master classes and educational concerts for young persons. Bala has been featured on the campuses of Austin Peay State University, Drexel University, Kutztown University, Southern New Hampshire University, University of Massachusetts, University of Connecticut, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Lakeside College, the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College-State University of New York, Phillips Academy, and Bridgewater State College.

 

Bala was honored to participate in a two-week residency at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada, during the summer of 2009 and was Artist in Residence during the 2010 season at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute.