Harlequin brass ensemble scarborough fair mpeg
Harlequin Brass Ensemble based in South Yorkshire is one of the premier brass ensembles in the United Kingdom. This ten piece ensemble was formed in 1995, and performs regularly around the United Kingdom and within Europe. Harlequin Brass were the first British brass ensemble to perform at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. They received Classic FM 's Album of the Year in 2000 for Music for a Millennium.
Their ten piece brass ensemble is a particularly British phenomenon. Originally conceived by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, it helped to change the view of brass music throughout the world. This idea was then further established by PJBE's successor's London Brass. The instrumentation is based on orchestral brass containing four trumpets (including Bb, Piccolo, Eb, D, C and flugelhorn as required), three tenor trombones, a bass trombone, a french horn and a tuba. This allows for a rich variety of sounds and styles, fitting perfectly to anything from Baroque music through to classical music, jazz, 'brass pop' and also moving forward with substantial contemporary works being written specifically for ten piece ensemble.
Keiron Anderson became musical director of Harlequin Brass in 1999.