Kelsey Byrum

Brass Tech Brass Artist Research Project

December 8, 2015
The Canadian Brass is one of the most well-known brass groups in the world. It is a brass
quintet with two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba. It was founded in 1970 by Chuck
Daellenbach and Gene Watts, and at this time, this sort of chamber group was somewhat
unknown. Daellenbach is still a member of the group, but Watts retired from touring in 2010.
The Canadian Brass performs a variety of repertoire from the baroque era to modern music, as
well as a variety of genres. It is always the goal of the group members to entertain the audience
without sacrificing the quality of music. Education is also highly important to the group. Its
members often give masterclasses and participate in conventions and clinics as they travel across
the world for their performances.
Caleb Hudson is one of the two trumpet players of the group. He graduated from the
Julliard School in 2012 with a Bachelor and Master of Music degree. He has travelled across the
nation for performances and has won first place at the National Trumpet Competition multiple
times. Although he specializes in baroque music, this does not detract from his ability to play
other genres beautifully. An interesting fact about Hudson is that he performs solely on 24-karat
gold-plated Bach trumpets as part of a contract with the Conn-Selmer Corporation and the
Canadian Brass.
Chris Coletti is the other trumpet player of the group. He received his Bachelors Degree
from the Manhattan School of Music and his Masters Degree from The Julliard School. He has
won several competitions and has received multiple awards and scholarships. He has performed

a large number of concerts and has put out several CDs and music videos. An interesting fact
about Chris Coletti is that he has perfect pitch, which has made it easier for him to arrange music
for the Canadian Brass.
Bernhard Scully is the horn player of the Canadian Brass. In addition to being an active
member of the group, he is also the horn professor at the University of Illinois, ChampagneUrbana. He has also held the position of principal horn with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
He is in high demand as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. He frequently attends
workshops, conventions, and clinics across the country. Scully performs exclusively on a 24karat gold-plated Conn 11D horn.
Achilles Liarmakopoulos is the Greek trombone player of the group. He has received
degrees from the Yale University School of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, San Francisco
Conservatory, and the Philippos Nakos Conservatory. He has won several awards and has
performed across the globe. In 2011, he released a solo album, titled Tango Distinto. This album
is a tribute to the music of Astor Piazzolla. Liarmakopoulos plays a 24-karat gold-plated Bach
42B trombone.
Chuck Daellenbach was one of the founders of the Canadian Brass and remains as its
tuba player. He studied with the notable tuba player, Arnold Jacobs, as a teenager. At the age of
25, he earned a Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music. He had plans to teach at the University
of Toronto, but these plans were changed when he met Gene Watts and formed the Canadian
Brass instead. Daellenbach enjoys taking on many projects. One of his current projects is a series
of brass works published by Hal Leonard and performed by music students around the world.

The Canadian Brass has put out over 100 CDs and DVDs. The discography attached is a
short list of just a few of these albums.

Discography
Canadian Brass (1971)
Champions (1983)
A Canadian Brass Christmas (1985)
An Evening of Brass Theater (1994)
Ragtime (1995)
Bach (2008)
Perfect Landing (2015)

Works Cited
"Canadian Brass." Canadian Brass. Canadian Brass, 2015. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.
Maloney, S. Timothy. "Canadian Brass, the." The Grove Dictionary of American Music, 2nd
Edition (2013): n. pag. Print.