Good Morning Gloucester

Cape Ann Symphony Musicians Unleashed Concert Series

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11 at 3:00PM

BLAZING BRASS!

at Gloucester’s St. Paul Lutheran Church

Featuring SAMUEL COSTA Trumpet; KURT CHARLES, Trumpet; EARL POWERS, Horn; JOHN MITCHELL, Trombone ROB NEEDS, Tuba

Cape Ann Symphony proudly announces the Musicians Unleashed Concert, Blazing Brass!, on Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 3:00 PM at The  St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington Street, Gloucester. The ticket price for Blazing Brass! is $40 for Adults and $15 for Youth.  Call CAS at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org to purchase tickets. The Cape Ann Symphony’s Musicians Unleashed programs were launched in 2019 and have become a wonderfully popular series with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic audience response.

Blazing Brass! celebrates the brass section of the orchestra and features 5 accomplished brass players including Ipswich resident and CAS principal horn, Earl Powers; Samuel Costa, trumpet; Kurt Charles, trumpet; John Mitchell, trombone; and Rob Needs, tuba. These 5 musicians have planned an exciting journey of brass music through the decades featuring the music of George M. Cohan, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Leonard Bernstein and America’s March King John Philip Sousa. The program for Blazing Brass! includes the classics:  Just a Closer Walk With Thee, Amazing Grace; The Saints’ Hallelujah and America The Beautiful; Jaime Texidor Dalmau ‘s Amparito Roca; Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehavin’; John Philip Sousa’s Fairest of the Fair; Duke Ellington’s It Don’t Mean A Thing; and  Selections from  Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story: Maria, Tonight, I Feel Pretty and Somewhere.

THE PLAYERS:

Earl Powers is currently the principal horn of the Cape Ann Symphony and has been a

member of the 215th Army Band since 2012. Earl received his Bachelor of Music degree from Wichita State University and his Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Prior to joining the 215th , he was principal horn for 10 years in the United States Navy Band in Washington, DC, and spent two years as 3rd horn in the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. In 1989 Earl was selected as a Rotary Scholar from District 569 in Kansas and spent a year abroad studying horn at the Hochschule “Mozarteum” in Salzburg, Austria. Now a software engineer by day and a horn player by night, Earl lives in Ipswich with his amazing and talented wife, Susanne,along with their four equally talented and amazing children.

Samuel Costa is currently the Director of Bands at Ponaganset Middle School in North Scituate, Rhode Island. He has also held the position of Principal Trumpet for the 215th Army Band of the Massachusetts Army National Guard for the last 24 years. He has performed all over New England and is a founding member of the Nebula Brass Quintet.Samuel has performed frequently with the Cape Ann Symphony in addition to other orchestras, including the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Cape Cod Symphony, and Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra.

Kurt Charles was born and raised in Manchester, Connecticut, where he started playing the trumpet in grade school. He has worked as a local musician performing for church services, marching bands, dance bands, and musicals around Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Kurt studied music education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 2011 to 2016. He joined the 215th Army National Guard Band of Massachusetts in 2012 and is a member of the Commonwealth Brass Quintet. Kurt currently resides in Stafford Springs, Connecticut and works full time in the field of Information technology while continuing to serve as an Army Bandsman in Massachusetts and a civilian musician in his local community.

John Mitchell, a trombonist of unwavering passion, embarked on his musical journey at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he cultivated his skills and developed a profound appreciation for the art. Currently, he proudly serves in the 215th Army Band,showcasing both his musical prowess and dedication to his country. Alongside his military commitments, John finds fulfillment in shaping the next generation of musicians through private lessons. With a rich blend of training, service, and a love for teaching,  John Mitchell continues to leave an indelible mark on the world of music.

Rob Needs started playing euphonium in 1972. He joined the 215th Army Band in 1980, started learning tuba in 1985, and in 1987 became the principal tuba player for the Army Band. Rob recently retired with 41 years of service! Rob has played on severa loccasions with the Cape Ann Symphony on tuba and is currently the principal French horn player in the Southeastern Philharmonic Orchestra and Our Lady of Light band. Additionally he is lead trombonist in the Swansea Community Musicians, euphonium player in the Saint Cecilia Philharmonic Band, tuba player in the Nebula Brass Quintet, French horn player in the North River Brass Quintet, and regularly switches instrumentsas needed in the Bridgewater Antiphonal Brass Society. He has performed vocally, on bass guitar, on keyboards, and has written brass quintet arrangements, several of which are being performed today.

Blazing Brass! is  Sunday, February 11 at 3:00 PM at The  St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington Street, Gloucester. Ticket prices for Blazing Brass!  are $40 for Adults and $15 for Youth. Call Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org for tickets.

Photos  Attached:

• Photo 1: Samuel Costa, Trumpet
• Photo 2: Earl Powers. CAS Principal Horn and Ipswich resident
• Photo 3: John Mitchell, Trombone
• Photo 4: Kurt Charles, Trumpet
• Photo 5: Rob Needs,