Press Kit — Brass Connection

Notable Venues & Performances

A selection of past engagements at major concert halls, festivals, and institutions.

Walt Disney Concert HallLos Angeles · Founders Hall & Main Stage
Hollywood BowlLos Angeles
Pasadena PlayhousePasadena, CA
Imagen AwardsFeatured musical guests, 2025
International Trombone FestivalWestern University, Canada
Hear Now Music FestivalLos Angeles · 2026
Beckman YOLA CenterLA Phil's YOLA program
Music Man FoundationWalt Disney Concert Hall, Founders Hall
Loyola Marymount UniversityMurphy Recital Hall
Pasadena Conservatory of MusicFaculty concert series
Descanso GardensEaton Fire benefit performance
Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA)Performance Hall
EF Academy PasadenaSt. Mark's School Eaton Fire support
CSU Dominguez HillsRecital
Azusa Pacific UniversityChristmas concert
Film & TelevisionStudio recording credits

Concert Programs

Ready-to-book programs for concert series, festivals, universities, and community venues.

Recital

Contemporary Classics

20th and 21st-century brass repertoire alongside new compositions, showcasing the stylistic diversity and expressive capabilities of the brass quintet medium.

~90 min Tilson-Thomas · Sampson · Biedenbender · DiLorenzo

Sample Program Order

Anthony DiLorenzo — Fire Dance~5'
Michael Tilson Thomas — Street Song~12'
David Biedenbender — Sacred Geometry: Helix~8'
Hugh Levick — No Pasaran~10'
Intermission
Bruce Broughton — When A Body Meets A Body~8'
Kevin McKee — Iron Horse~8'
Paquito D'Rivera — Four Pieces for Brass Quintet~16'
Anthony DiLorenzo — closer~6'

Sample only — final order tailored per venue and run time. Single-set 60–75 min and full 90–100 min versions available.

Recital

Latin American Artistry

Original brass quintet compositions integrated with arrangements of popular Latin American songs. Emphasizes individual instrument solos and virtuosic talents.

~60 min Paquito D'Rivera · Piazzolla · Bésame Mucho · La Bikina

Sample Program Order

Paquito D'Rivera — Four Pieces for Brass Quintet~16'
Astor Piazzolla — Libertango (arr. brass quintet)~6'
Rubén Fuentes — La Bikina (arr.)~5'
Consuelo Velázquez — Bésame Mucho (arr.)~5'
Astor Piazzolla — Oblivion / Adios Nonino selections~10'
Featured solo — selection from members' heritage~6'
Closer — up-tempo Latin selection~5'

Sample only — final order tailored per venue. Single-set 45–60 min format. Available with extended program (~75 min) including additional selections.

Education

Educational Brass Workshop

An interactive program for young audiences. Students engage with all five instruments through dynamic dialogue and active participation, drawing on music from across the Americas.

30–60 min Interactive · All Ages · Multicultural

Sample Workshop Order

Welcome & ensemble fanfare~3'
Instrument introductions — trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba~10'
Music from Mexico — folk arrangement~5'
Music from Argentina — tango excerpt~5'
Music from the United States — jazz/spiritual selection~5'
Audience participation segment~7'
Q&A with students~5'
Closing performance~5'

Sample only — content scaled and tailored to age group (K–5, middle school, high school, university). Format adapts for assemblies, classroom visits, and outreach concerts.

Education

Masterclasses

Personalized instruction covering technique, artistry, chamber ensemble work, practice strategies, career development, and music business. Available as lecture recitals.

~60 min Technique · Chamber Music · Career Development

Sample Masterclass / Lecture Recital Order

Opening performance — ensemble selection~8'
Discussion: forming & sustaining a chamber ensemble~8'
Instrument-specific demonstration & coaching~15'
Career development — freelancing, self-promotion, music business~10'
Student performance & feedback (1–3 students or ensembles)~15'
Q&A and closing performance~5'

Sample only — format adapts for individual instrument masterclass, full-quintet coaching, lecture recital, or multi-day residency. Single-instrument masterclasses available.

Audio & Video

Listen to selected recordings and watch performance clips.

Video

Kevin McKee — Iron Horse
Excerpt from YOLA Neighborhood Initiative residency

Amazing Grace — arr. for brass quintet
Excerpt from YOLA Neighborhood Initiative residency

Astor Piazzolla — Oblivion
with guest trumpeter Tiffany Johns
Excerpt from International Trombone Festival, Western University (Canada)

Audio

Sacred Geometry: Helix

David Biedenbender

When A Body Meets A Body

Bruce Broughton

La Bikina

Rubén Fuentes, arr. for brass quintet

Sacred Geometry: Nautilus (excerpt)

David Biedenbender

Live at Loyola Marymount University · February 2025

Four Pieces, mvt. II — Danzón (excerpt)

Paquito D'Rivera

Live at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) · February 2025

The Artists

Brass Connection is a Los Angeles–based chamber quintet of five internationally acclaimed brass musicians from four countries. Formed in 2022 through the LA Philharmonic's YOLA program, the ensemble has performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and beyond, offering recital programs, educational workshops, and masterclasses.

Brass Connection is a dynamic chamber quintet based in Los Angeles, formed in 2022 through a collaboration of brass artists who met while serving as Teaching Artists for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's YOLA program. The five members come from four different countries — Venezuela, the United States, South Korea, and South Africa — and unite to use brass music as a connective thread between diverse audiences and communities worldwide. The ensemble has performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Pasadena Playhouse, and on film and television productions. Brass Connection offers ready-to-book concert programs spanning contemporary classics and Latin American artistry, alongside interactive educational workshops for young audiences and personalized masterclasses. Their repertoire features works by Paquito D'Rivera, Astor Piazzolla, Michael Tilson Thomas, David Biedenbender, and Anthony DiLorenzo, alongside original compositions and arrangements that highlight the virtuosic capabilities of the brass quintet medium.

Brass Connection is a dynamic chamber quintet based in Los Angeles, forging connections that transcend borders, languages, and cultural divides through captivating brass performances. Formed in 2022, the ensemble emerged from a collaboration of brass artists who met while serving as Teaching Artists for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's YOLA program. Coming from four different countries — Venezuela, the United States, South Korea, and South Africa — the five members unite their distinct artistic backgrounds to use brass music as a connective thread between diverse audiences and communities worldwide. Members of Brass Connection have performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Pasadena Playhouse, and at major venues across the United States and abroad, including the International Trombone Festival at Western University in Canada. The group has worked alongside conductors and artists including Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and has appeared on film and television productions. Their performances span the full breadth of the brass quintet repertoire, from cornerstone works by composers such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Anthony DiLorenzo, and Paquito D'Rivera to new commissions and arrangements drawing on the members' Latin American, Asian, and European musical heritages. Beyond the concert stage, Brass Connection is committed to music education and community engagement. The ensemble offers educational workshops for young audiences that draw on music from across the Americas, alongside masterclasses covering technique, chamber ensemble work, practice strategies, and career development. Recent engagements include performances supporting students displaced by the Eaton Fire, recitals at the Beckman YOLA Center and Loyola Marymount University, and a featured appearance at the 2025 Imagen Awards. Brass Connection's mission is to demonstrate that great music — like its members' shared journey to Los Angeles — knows no borders.

Three biography lengths for press releases, programs, and announcements.

Member Bios

Gaudy Sanchez

Trumpet

Venezuelan-born, El Sistema alumnus. Performed with Berlin Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, and at Carnegie Hall. Current YOLA Artistic Director. Schagerl artist.

Luis Cardenas Casillas

Trumpet

Member of Dallas Brass. Multi-genre performer with credits including Super Bowl LVI. Master of Music from UCLA. YOLA teacher and conductor.

Elizabeth Linares Montero

Horn

Venezuelan El Sistema alumna. LA Phil Resident Fellow. Performed under Rattle, Dudamel, and Salonen. Colburn School graduate.

Dr. Gwang Kim

Trombone

Second trombone, Bakersfield Symphony. DMA from UCLA. Faculty at five institutions. Performed at Coachella and recorded for ABC and Netflix.

Dr. Bradley Möller

Tuba

South African-born. DMA from USC. 1st prize, 2019 IWBC Tuba Solo Competition. Visiting Assistant Professor at Pepperdine University.

Technical Rider

Standard requirements for a Brass Connection performance. Please contact us if you need a written rider PDF, custom configurations, or have constraints — we accommodate where possible.

Stage

5 music stands
5 armless chairs
Minimum 12′ × 8′ performance area
Stable, level surface (riser optional)

Sound

1 wired or wireless microphone for spoken introductions and Q&A
House PA with monitor (when stage is elevated or audience >100)
Acoustic performance preferred; reinforcement only as needed
For outdoor / large venues: 5 instrument microphones available on request

Lighting

Standard concert wash on the performance area
Sufficient stand-light to read scores
No special programming required

Hospitality

Dressing room preferred (warm-up & instrument prep)
Bottled water for the ensemble
Secure storage for instruments and cases during the engagement

Logistics

Load-in 90 minutes prior to downbeat
30–45 minute warm-up window before performance
Travel arrangements as agreed in contract (LA-area or destination)

Instrumentation

2 trumpets (B-flat, C, piccolo, flugelhorn as repertoire requires)
1 horn in F
1 tenor trombone (with F attachment)
1 tuba (CC / F as repertoire requires)
Mutes & doublings provided by the ensemble

Electronic Press Kit — For Presenters & Media Press Kit

Brass Connection