The Project:
"Cityscaping," The Brass Project's debut album, will include selections from the set of 32 short works written for the group's 15'/16' season.
This collaborative project was initiated by The Brass Project and composer and impresario Nick DiBerardino under the auspices of the Curtis Institute’s Community Artist Program. The sextet have performed this music in a set of outreach concerts across New Mexico and Philadelphia, and this spring they premiered twenty-six new of their works in a concert hailed by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "superb."
According to DiBerardino, “The world of new music today is so diverse that there’s a style out there for every taste, and we hope to showcase that wide range of genres through this new album. We’d like to encourage a fresh mode of engagement with new music through this program, which is comprised entirely of short pieces and may strike listeners as a kind of sonic tasting menu. The composers who donated works to this project are all very accomplished and write with beautifully distinct voices, so I’m confident these brief musical offerings will inspire listeners to continue exploring the fascinating and diverse world of contemporary music. Through 'Cityscaping,' we hope not only to expand the repertoire for chamber brass, but also to expand the audience for new music at large.”
However, in order to release this music to the world, The Brass Project needs your help!
Why you should contribute:
The Brass Project is comprised of classical musicians dedicated to bringing their art form outside the concert hall in exciting new ways. Through engaging, visceral programming and adventurous and educational concertizing, The Brass Project has sought to enrich the fabric of its musical communities both at home in Philadelphia and around the country. The release of this studio album will be the final stage in their enterprising mission to develop an engaging new set of contributions to brass repertoire. By releasing this new music on a debut album, The Brass Project will be able to fully celebrate and disseminate the music written by these thirty-two diverse composers from all around the world. By releasing this music on a studio recording, The Brass Project will be able to reach listeners across the globe who may prefer the comfort of their living rooms to the environment of a traditional concert hall, helping to further its aim of engaging new audiences in the creative and exciting process of developing new music.
Where your contributions will go:
- Recording Sessions: The Brass Project will record in six four-hour sessions, for which our expert recording engineer will require $2400 for his time and services.
- Mixing and Mastering: once we've recorded down these wonderful new works, we'll need to edit the recording to a professional quality standard, for which our experienced mixing engineer will require $1000.
- Personnel Fees: learning new music takes an incredible amount of time and effort! Though The Brass Project views this work as a labor of love, they'll need to be able to travel to Philadelphia and to feed themselves throughout this long process, for which we've allocated a nominal fee of $500 for each member of the sextet.
- CD Costs: though we plan to release this CD primarily through a digital format via a platform like CDBaby, we do hope to make some physical copies of the album, which will come at a cost--we're setting aside $250 for these printing costs for now.
- Indiegogo Fee: Indiegogo takes a cut of 5% off every project that fundraises here, which means $350 of our $7000 goal will be paid back to our gracious internet hosts.
- We Have You Covered: Though the costs of recording a studio album are high, we're fortunate to be working with many like-minded artists who share our commitment to expanding the audience for new concert music. Meeting this fundraising goal will allow us to pay our collaborators fairly, all of whom are professionals who are already working with us at a very fair price because they believe in our mission. Some items we have covered pro bono: album art, for instance, is being provided at no cost by Deep Focus. So please, help us reach our goal if you can, so that these wonderful teams of artists and collaborators can help us realize our vision!
Who we are:
The Brass Project, formed by “six superb Curtis brass players” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), is a flexible brass ensemble that strives to expand the repertoire for chamber brass, to record and distribute new works, and to engage with a wide community through outreach and educational programs.
The Brass Project is an ensemble-in-residence at Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico and has also been featured by Santa Fe Pro Musica. Passionate advocates of music education, The Brass Project has been in residence at South Philadelphia High School, as well as Cimarron and Eagle Nest public schools in New Mexico.
