One of the many things the six members of the Dallas Brass have in common is that each of them started out playing in school bands. That initiation led to professional careers and a lifelong love of music that then morphed into a lifelong mission.
“We want to give back and inspire younger generations to fall in love with music,” said Michael Levine, the group’s founder, director and trombone player. “We want to bring joy into the world through our music; we want to share it with other people so they, in turn, can do the same thing, particularly with kids.”
It is this very passion that directs their steps to the Music Center at Strathmore ,where, in addition to a fun-filled family performance, they will also play a tune with invited local band students. Levine points out that roughly half of Dallas Brass gigs are on what he calls “the school circuit.” In these particular engagements, the six-man band goes into the schools and works with bands on all levels of musicianship.
| Onstage |
| Dallas Brass |
| Where: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda |
| When: 8 p.m. Friday |
| Info: $25 to $35; 301-581-5100; strathmore.org; dallasbrass.com |
“We’re very clear about our message; it’s not like we’re trying to recruit kids to become professionals,” Levine continued. “Our message is ‘Music for life.’ You can play [and] you can enjoy participating in music forever as an amateur.”
The Dallas Brass — consisting of Levine on his trombone, D.J. Barraclough and Lorenzo Trujillo on trumpets, Juan Berrios on French horn and alto horn, Paul Carlson on tuba and Sergio Carreno at the drums — will present a concert they call “American Tableaux” for Strathmore audiences Friday. This program is a musical journey through American history; from the time of George Washington to present-day pieces. Their repertoire is selected from the great masters, such as Copland, Bernstein, Gershwin, Sousa and Williams. Their style of playing includes Dixieland, swing, folk, patriotic and pop.
“We pack a lot into the show, and it’s a fun [time]; we interact with the audience,” said Levine, whose band members all came out of Dallas high schools, and who subsequently performed together with symphony orchestras nationwide, at Carnegie Hall and on TV. “There’s nothing stuffy about Dallas Brass concerts.”
