SRU hosting C Street Brass for masterclass and performance, Sept. 28
C Street Brass includes Slippery Rock University music instructors Micah Holt, second from right, and Gabriel Colby, far right.
Sept. 14, 2023
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — A part of Pittsburgh's dynamic arts community is coming to Slippery Rock University. C Street Brass, a Pittsburgh-based brass quintet, will be on SRU's campus Sept. 28 to lead a masterclass at 4 p.m. in the Swope Music Hall, followed by a 7:30 p.m. performance at the Miller Theater in the Performing Arts Center
The class is open to students and a guest, and the performance is open to the public. Both events are free admission.
C Street Brass features two SRU music instructors, Gabriel Colby on trombone and Micah Holt on trumpet. Colby is one of the founding members who started the band in 2008 when he was at the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. The group then became the ensemble in residence at Carnegie Mellon University before adding new members like Holt.
"C Street Brass's repertoire and performances are especially unique because we memorize all our music," Holt said. "We have a very interactive performance in that there are no music stands and we're moving around a lot. We really play a very wide range of genres. So, there's going to be some standard classical music in there but also some jazz and some Latin music and some original arrangements that we've made for ourselves in the group."
C Street Brass has continued to grow in popularity, and just ended an eventful summer full of performances, including a concert series performed at Club Café on the Pittsburgh's South Side with Cello Fury, a group consisting of three cellists and a drummer.
With the fall semester in full swing and performances picking up, C Street Brass has scheduled performances at colleges and universities in the area.
With years of performance experience and education behind the five members, C Street Brass has continued to invest in future musicians by hosting masterclasses, where students get to perform and receive advice and performance tips from professional musicians.
"Anyone who has an interest in music or wants to start a band will be able to get some great information," Holt said.
For more information, contact Holt at 724.738.2063 or micah.holt@sru.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Aaliyah Thomas | 724.738.4854 | news@sru.edu