MANSFIELD, PA – The Mansfield University Mountaineer Brass Band, under the direction of Dr. Nathan Rinnert, will present a concert honoring United States military veterans on Saturday, November 10, 2018, 1:30pm, in the Vetrans Administration (VA) Hospital Auditorium (Building 92) in Bath, NY. The hour-long concert will feature a wide variety of marches, patriotic pieces, and popular tunes. An Armed Forces Salute, that includes songs associated with each branch of the United States armed forces, will highlight the concert.
Admission to the concert is free and patrons of all ages are encouraged to attend. Following the concert, the VA will host a reception for band members, guests, and residents of the VA Hospital facility.
November 11, 2018 marks the centennial anniversary of the signing of the Armistice of Compiègne, ending World War I. Referred to as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day following WWI, the November 11 holiday was renamed “Veterans Day” by the U.S. government in 1954. In commemoration of this centennial anniversary the Mountaineer Brass Band is adding eleven woodwinds to the ensemble to form a traditional, 1910s-era military-style band. This 41-piece ensemble will offer a wide variety of music from the WWI era. Chamber ensembles made up of members of the band will also perform music period pieces – a woodwind quintet, a saxophone quartet, a brass quintet, a percussion ensemble, and a barbershop quartet.
The Mansfield University Mountaineer Brass Band is proud to be the only traditional, British brass band in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and one of only a handful of university brass bands in the US, where the brass band movement seems to be increasing by leaps and bounds. The Mountaineer Brass Band maintains a minimum instrumentation of eight cornets, one flugelhorn, three tenor horns, two baritones, two euphoniums, three trombones, two E-flat tubas, two BB-flat tubas, and three percussionists (27 total). Initiated at MU in the spring of 2006 (performing on “less-British” instruments like trumpets, French horns, and American baritones), the band really took off spring of 2008 with support from the university Provost who provided the band with new cornets, tenor horns, baritones, and E-flat tubas. This ensemble quickly has become a favorite for both performers and audiences.
The Mountaineer Brass Band performs one stand-alone concert each semester, plays one number at the annual music department PRISM concerts, serves as the MU Commencement Band for December and May ceremonies, and participates as one of the clinic ensembles at the annual MU Conducting Symposium held each February in Steadman Theater. In addition to these annual events, Mountaineer Brass Band competes every few years in the North American Brass Band Association contest in Fort Wayne, IN. The band’s first trip to this contest in 2015 resulted in a second place trophy in the 3rd Section. For more information about the concert and the Mountaineer Brass Band, please contact Dr. Rinnert at nrinnert@mansfield.edu.