Photos and Sounds from A Vintage Brass Christmas

The Vintage Brass Band at First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, IL - Photo by Liz Murphy Thomas

Vintage Brass Band’s first gala concert, A Vintage Brass Christmas, was a great success! We would like to thank to the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield for providing a beautiful location for this concert which was attended by over 100 people. 

Sound Clips:

Of Welsh origin, this holiday classic, “Deck the Hall” has been performed for centuries as a winter and Christmas carol.  This contemporary brass quintet arrangement is by Keith Snell.

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Transcribed by G.W. Anthony and published as “Antiphony No. 2,” this work is more commonly known as “O Magnum Mysterium.”  It is from a Christmas Motet by Venitian Composer Giovanni Gabrieli (1557-1612).  This arrangement, instead of featuring choirs of voices and brass instruments contrasts two choirs of brass, one cylindrical and one conical. 

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Modern audiences may not be aware that one of our favorite holiday carols, “Jingle Bells,” was composed by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) in 1857 under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh.”  Vintage Brass Band Artistic Director Todd Cranson collaborated with soloist Mona Kreitner to create this arrangement from an 1857 publication of “One Horse Open Sleigh” for piano and voices. 

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Download the Concert Program:

2009 Season Complete!

Congratulations to the members of the Vintage Brass Band on a successful inaugural season!

Highlights of the Vintage Brass Band’s Inaugural 2009 season include performances at the 7^th Annual Boneyard Arts Festival, 14th Annual General Grierson Liberty Days in Jacksonville, the Capital 4th of July Celebration in Springfield, the Dedication of the Historic Mt. Pulaski Bandshell, a performance before Bill T. Jones’ Fondly Do We Hope, Fervently Do We Pray at the Ravina Festival Grounds in Chicago, and Spare some Change? – Granny’s Porch Looks at the 1930’s Through America’s Music at the Virginia Theater in Champaign, IL.

In December, the Vintage Brass Band presented A Vintage Brass Christmas, the group’s first major concert featuring 17th Century antiphonal music by Giovanni Gabrieli and 19th Century American band music with featured vocal soloist, soprano Mona Kreitner from Memphis, TN.

For press releases and more information about these events, visit our official Performance Calendar.