Calliope Brass

Rebecca Steinberg, trumpet
Olivia Pidi, trumpet
Kate Umble Smucker, trumpet
Erin Paul, horn
Sara Mayo, trombone
Samantha Lake, tuba

United States / New York
Founded: 2015
Website

American ensemble Calliope Brass collaborates with the world’s most prominent creatives to build evocative, story-driven concert experiences for a variety of audiences. Inspired by the eponymous storytelling muse in Greek mythology, Calliope Brass (pronounced “Kuh-LIE-uh-pea”) is most known for its innovative approach, successfully expanding upon the more traditional norm of recital-style performances. As a registered nonprofit, Calliope has obtained several grants for performance and educational initiatives since its inception in 2015.

The group’s flagship educational initiative, “What’s Your Story?” debuted during the 2018-2019 season to great acclaim and continues to tour in schools across the country, including auditoriums and classrooms in over a dozen schools across New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. A cross-curricular interactive performance targeted to K-5, Calliope developed “What’s Your Story?” in collaboration with Broadway music director and composer Kat Sherrell (music associate, Hamilton US Tour) and puppeteers Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (Sesame Street) and Haley Jenkins (Sesame Street, The Muppets). Calliope designed the workshop as a customizable performance, tailored to stories students write prior to the performance.

The ensemble also continues to develop story-based innovation for concert audiences. Program-length projects have incorporated documentary film, live actors, guest artists, and original composer interviews to create an immersive storytelling experience. Their first project, a multimedia concert entitled “Portraits of the Underdog” (2015), combined live performance and documentary-style video in exploring subconscious bias, in collaboration with composers David Maslanka and David Sampson.

Calliope Brass also keeps an active concert schedule across the tri-state area, playing a suite of programmatic recitals that incorporate non-standard repertoire and creative arrangements of crowd favorites. Marquee performances include a celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s centennial at New York’s Symphony Space and a 2017 grant award from New York Women Composers, which led to the quintet’s concert premiere of a 5-movement work by Faye-Ellen Silverman. Its upcoming debut album, scheduled for 2020, will have works by composers both past and present, including Emma Gregan, Leonard Bernstein, Dana Wilson, and more.

As a registered 501(c)3 organization, Calliope Brass furthers the role of women brass musicians as both artists and teachers through excellence in artistry and innovation in performance. Based in New York City, their members are among the city’s most active musicians, found playing on Broadway, major symphony orchestras, television, and mainstage acts including Adele, Pink Martini, and Andrea Bocelli.

Recordings