The Boston Brass quintet will perform Thursday to conclude the fall schedule of the Mississippi State University Lyceum Series with a performance at Lee Hall at 7:30 p.m. The performance will be “an interactive experience more than a concert,” according to MSU Lyceum Series Graduate Assistant Neely Wilbourn.”They are great performers,” Wilbourn said. “They offer great music. They talk to the audience.”
The Boston Brass are well renowned for an eclectic array of music that ranges from the classical, traditional style to more of a contemporary style, featuring vocal and jazz elements. Members of any age group can relate to the quintet’s lively arrangements, known for humor in their performances.
The MSU Lyceum Series performances are chosen by members of the performing arts committee whose purpose is to choose fine art selections that anyone, from the students of MSU to members of the local community, may relate to.
“The Boston Brass has been on campus before, and the performing arts committee wanted them back,” Wilbourn said.
The performing arts committee selects the Lyceum Series performances at least a year in advance. The committee seeks particular groups while some artists contact the university looking to perform.
The committee “wants a wide variety¥from theater to music to dance¥to appeal to people in the community,” Wilbourn said.
The Boston Brass winner of the 1992 International Brass Quintet Competition of Narbonne, France is composed of five members, including Richard Kelly (trumpet), Jeff Conner (trumpet), J. D. Shaw (French horn), Ed Clough (trombone) and Andrew Hitz (tuba).
Kelly, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, has performed in numerous Broadway shows and organizations such as the New York Pops and the Brooklyn Philharmonic.
Conner is the founder of the quintet and received a master’s degree in music from Boston University.
Shaw, with a master’s in music performance from Eastman School of music, has taken his talents abroad and has performed with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Orchestra of Tenerife, for example.
Clough also received a master’s in music performance from Boston University and has learned the techniques of brass ensembles from the Empire Brass Quintet.
As the newest member of the quintet, Hitz is currently working on a master’s degree at Arizona State University.
Admission is free to students with student ID, $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and $4 for children ages 3 to 12.