VBF 2021 Band Roster

ABOVE AVERAGE TUBA QUARTET

The Above Average Tuba Quartet was formed in 2013 by members of the Lake Wobegon© Brass Band and is making its Vintage Band Festival debut. Leader Roger Gomoll noted that tubas and euphoniums are related instruments. The euphonium is considered to be a “tenor tuba” and plays an octave higher than the larger bass tuba and double bass tuba. He also said, “Tubists and euphoniumists tend to gather in larger groups around Christmastime, when as many as 100 or more festively dressed players perform Christmas carols as part of the nationally organized Tuba Christmas concerts. It’s been said but not verified that the U.S. Geological Survey office tracks the frequency and location of these concerts with their seismic instruments.”

Above Average Tuba Quartet is sponsored by Mary Rosenberg. Above Average Tuba Quartet kicks off Vintage Band Festival 2021 at 9:30 am on July 31.

Above Average Tuba Quartet

BANDA LA VERDADERA

This high-energy Minneapolis band is making its third appearance at Vintage Band Festival. Banda La Verdadera plays a type of traditional Mexican music that features brass instruments, woodwinds, drums and singing. The band performs a variety of pieces, including rancheras, boleros and cumbias. It often performs for weddings, parties, and other events.

Banda La Verdadera is sponsored by Nan and Dave Shumway. Banda La Verdadera plays at 1:30 pm on July 31.

Banda La Verdadera USA

BAVARIAN MUSIKMEISTERS

Members of Bavarian Musikmeisters hail from the Twin Cities and model themselves after traditional bands found in the German-speaking areas of Europe. The band’s 35 musicians perform on a variety of brass and woodwind instruments: flute, clarinet, trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor horn, baritone, trombone, tuba and percussion. Their attire, instrumentation, and musical arrangements are all authentic. They perform for numerous events in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and have performed at Germanic festivals in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota. Bavarian Musikmeisters are Vintage Band Festival veterans.

Bavarian Musikmeisters is sponsored by Nan and Dave Shumway. Bavarian Musikmeisters plays at 4:30 pm on July 31.

Bavarian Musikmeisters

BRIO BRASS

Brio Brass has delighted and entertained audiences throughout Minnesota’s Twin Cities Metro area since 1999. Composed of 60 adult musicians, the group performs its own unique arrangements written specifically for its members. The ensemble’s large repertoire features a broad spectrum of musical styles. Audiences are entertained with fluid ballads, pop of all eras, show tunes, funky rock and lots of jazz. All of the music that Brio Brass plays has been composed or arranged by the director, Rick Rueckert. He has written more than 200 arrangements and compositions. Expect lots of humming, toe tapping and even dancing in the aisles!

Brio Brass is sponsored by Joanne Stohl. Brio Brass performs at 3:30 pm on July 31.

Brio Brass

COPPER STREET BRASS

The six members of Copper Street Brass have style, substance and a flair for innovation, which has allowed them to transcend the brass quintet box and evolve into something fresh. Copper Street Brass was founded in 2008 as a professionally trained classical chamber music ensemble (which means it performs without a conductor) with two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba. The group presents exclusively its own music, expressing its artistic voice through a dazzling fusion of brass, keyboard, guitar, percussion, and electronic instruments to appeal to a universal audience. The band is a veteran performer at Vintage Band Festival.

Copper Street Brass is sponsored by Lois and Noel Stratmoen. Copper Street plays at 6:45 on July 31.

Copper Street Brass

JACK BRASS BAND

Based on the traditions of New Orleans brass bands, the Jack Brass Band is an ambassador of the Crescent City’s rich musical history. The eight-piece band plays “Feel-Good Music” for audiences of any age, for any occasion. The Jack Brass Band has the ability and repertoire to play everything from old New Orleans jazz from Louis Armstrong’s era, to the modern street Mardi-Gras anthems with the instrumentation, feel and energy they have mastered through countless gigs, parades, festival appearances and trips to New Orleans to listen, learn and play alongside the masters. The band plays with a groove that will make you want to get up and dance!

Jack Brass Band is sponsored by Community Resource Bank. Jack Brass Band plays at 10:30 am on July 31.

Jack Brass Band

LAKE WOBEGON© BRASS BAND

The Lake Wobegon© Brass Band is a British-style Brass Band from Anoka. The British style is a tradition noted for its characteristic dark, mellow tone. The name Lake Wobegon© comes from Garrison Keillor’s radio show, A Prairie Home Companion, and was allowed on the stipulation that the band perform at a picnic sometime for Keillor. The ensemble gives concerts throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas and has toured twice in Great Britain. The band is led by Mike Halstenson. Lake Wobegon© Brass Band is a Vintage Band Festival veteran performer.

Lake Wobegon© Brass Band is sponsored by Carl and Joan Behr. Lake Wobegon© Brass Band performs at 2:30 pm on July 31.

Lake Wobegon Brass Band

ROSEVILLE BIG BAND

The Roseville Big Band is a 19-piece swing band in the Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey style, with the Rosetones vocal quartet recreating the tight harmonies that made the Modernaires and Pied Pipers popular adjuncts to the Miller and Dorsey bands. 2021 Vintage Band Festival audiences will enjoy our Gershwin tribute and other timeless music from the Big Band Era of the 20th century.

In a typical year, they give 12 to 15 performances, including the Carleton College Mid-Winter Ball, the Minnesota Commemorative Air Force’s USO-style hangar dances, and concerts in parks and senior residences. Dr. Glen Newton has led the Roseville Big Band since 1989. He formed the Rosetones vocal quartet in 1996 to complement the band’s instrumentals and vocal solos and duets.

Roseville Big Band is sponsored by Merchants Bank. Roseville Big Band plays at 8:15 pm on July 31.

Roseville Big Band

SHELDON THEATRE BRASS BAND

The Sheldon Theatre Brass Band was founded in 1989 as the resident performing ensemble at the newly-restored, turn-of-the-century T. B. Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing, MN. The band is made up of cornets, trombones, tenor horns, euphoniums, tubas and percussion. In addition to regular performances at the Sheldon Theatre, the band performs at a variety of venues throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin and has performed at many brass band festivals throughout the United States, including the NABBA championships and the Great American Brass Band Festival. The band is conducted by James Kurschner and has performed at every Vintage Band Festival.

Sheldon Theatre Brass Band is sponsored by Bob and Ann Perkins.

Sheldon Theatre Brass Band

SOUTHSIDE ACES

The Southside Aces perform traditional New Orleans jazz. The six-member band began as the brainchild of clarinetist Tony Balluff and sousaphone player Erik Jacobson. The Aces possess a diverse repertoire, with a roll call that includes the names of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington and Bix Beiderbecke. The Southside Aces have performed at the Vieux Carré and Dakota jazz clubs, Crooners Supper Club, Twin Cities Jazz Fest, and the Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest. The band has also played events in Chicago, Denver, and Des Moines. The Southside Aces are appearing for the third time at Vintage Band Festival.

Southside Aces is sponsored by Mary Rosenberg. Sheldon Theatre Brass Band performs at 11:30 pm on July 31.

Southside Aces

TWIN CITIES TRUMPET ENSEMBLE

The Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble is the only regularly performing, 24-trumpet musical ensemble in the United States. It boasts a vast repertoire, ranging from the Renaissance to the present, and exemplifies the transformative power of music through the performance of music written or arranged for three or more trumpets. It has performed numerous concerts in the tri-state area, including performances at Como Lakeside Pavilion in St. Paul, the Lake Harriet Band Shell in Minneapolis, and several churches. Led by James Olcott, the Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble has performed at Vintage Band Festival several times.

Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble is sponsored by Millstream Commons Assisted Living. Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble plays at 12:30 pm on July 31.

Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble