The Unique Sound of Ventura British Brass
The British Brass Band is a unique ensemble with a very specific instrumentation. The rich, dark, and mellow tone quality you hear stems from the fact that all the instruments except the trombones, are conically bored in design, permitting the brass band to produce a most distinct and unique sound. Originating in Britain, it is naturally quite popular in the commonwealth countries and has become very popular throughout Europe and the rest of the world. For many years the movement was kept alive in the United States largely by the Salvation Army’s influence.
Unlike most popular brass ensembles in the United States, our British style brass band has a fixed, standard instrumentation using cornets, not trumpets, and alto horns, not French horns. Cornets are pitched the same as trumpets, but have the different shaped conical bore, and the tubing is wrapped tighter, making it appear smaller than a standard trumpet. The different bore gives the cornet a darker, mellower, more lyrical sound.
Alto horns or Tenor horns are like a smaller euphonium or baritone, are pitched in E-flat, and sound like a high baritone rather than the dark noble sound of the French horn.
Our music repertoire is unusually flexible, with varied concert programs, which can consist of anything from original works, orchestral transcriptions and featured soloists to novelty items, marches, Broadway tunes, medleys and hymn tune arrangements.
We rehearse every Tuesday evening at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Camarillo, with the exception of the 1st Tuesday of every other month where you can find us at the Channel Islands Yacht Club in Oxnard.
Our conductor, Mr. Gary Engels, who was born in the Netherlands and raised in South Africa, is a member of ASCAP and brings to us a deep passion for the Band and a lifetime of experience as a performer, conductor, educator, and composer.
Musician and Founder
Anne Booth