Tag Archives: Empire Brass

A virtuoso on tuba, Sam Pilafian was raised in Miami. He is a student from the device his lifetime, getting fellowships at Dartmouth and Tanglewood. In 1971, he received the interest of Leonard Bernstein and performed in the globe leading of Bernstein’s “Mass” at Kennedy Middle in Washington. Pilafian can …

Since its inception in 1971, the Empire Brass has continued to be virtually unrivaled among brass quintets for sheer virtuosity and diversity of repertoire. Each one of the ensemble’s five users — trumpeter and founding member Rolf Smedvig, trumpeter Marc Brian Reese, French hornist Greg Miller, trombonist Tag Hetzler, and …

Referred to as the founder from the Empire Brass Quintet, Rolf Smedvig was greater than a virtuoso trumpeter, with the amount of his performing appearances fast approaching those of his soloist and chamber musician appearances. When he was simply 13, Smedvig produced his debut along with his hometown Seattle Symphony …