>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Dallas Brass ().

Dallas Brass, America's premier touring brass ensemble, will perform in concert at 6 p.m. Sunday in McKenzie Theatre at Eastern Oregon University, and the following day will provide a one-hour workshop at La Grande High School. The LHS Bands will perform a grande finale medley of American songs, "American Tableau," with the Dallas Brass.

Tickets are available at Sunflower Books and La Grande Stereo and Music for $8, $6 for students.

The five brass players and one percussionist will play a variety of music with an emphasis on the holidays. The workshop, for area high school musicians will begin at 7 a.m. Monday.

"Dane Mickelson, the music teacher from Wallowa, is bringing 27 people to the concert," says Jim Howell, LHS Bands director. "The Dallas Brass came to his high school in 1991, and it is still a fond memory of his.

The band director from John Day's Grant Union High School, meantime, is bringing about 50 people to the concert.

Both events are sponsored by the Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council and the La Grande High School Band.

"We couldn't do this without EORAC," Howell says. He added that LHS band students have invested a lot of time and commitment in the publicity and ticket sales.

Since its founding in 1983 by Michael Levine, the Dallas Brass has become one of America's foremost musical ensembles. The group has established a unique blend of traditional brass instruments with a full complement of drums and percussion.

A brass quintet with percussion, the group has extraordinary range — and doesn't just perform a concert. They put on a show, complete with lighting, staging, witty narration and audience participation, an event for the whole family, from 5 to 105.

In addition to their solo engagements, the Dallas Brass appears with symphony orchestras nationwide, and has released five recordings: "Debut," "Dallas Brass II," "A Merry Christmas with Brass," "Windborne" and "Nutcracker."

Their Music in the Schools project brings them together with music students for an experience that is both educational and motivational, with the hope of contributing to the development of a lifelong love and appreciation of music and the arts.

Their new program "An American Musical Journey" ranges from folk music to ragtime, Tin Pan Alley and jazz to popular concert music.

Theater manager Linda Lambrecht of Indian River Community College in Florida said "Dallas Brass offers superb professionals having fun doing what they do best — entertaining and educating. I was so busy being entertained I had no idea they were teaching me things about the instruments and their craft in general. Very tricky."

Michael Levine, director, of Dallas Brass plays trombone. He is a graduate of Julliard and has invented a device called the WindMaster to help players develop their breathing technique.

Brian Neal on trumpet earned degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Miami, and is now on the faculty of Florida Atlantic University.

Jose Sibaja on trumpet studied music at the new World School of the Arts and at the University of Miami.

Chris Castellanos on horn graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and is a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra and the Las Vegas Philharmonic Wind Quintet.

Deanna Swoboda on tuba, originally from Pasco, earned music degrees from the University of Idaho and Northwestern University She is a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and is a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University.

Daniel Hostetler on drums and percussion graduated from Indiana University. He was inducted in to the Minnesota Percussion Association Hall of Fame and is also a member of the R&B band The Butanes.

The LHS Percussion Ensemble will perform two numbers just prior to 6 p.m. when the concert begins.