The new Stuttgart brass ensemble

Stuttgart has a new "metal star" – and for once, it has nothing to do with cars: CityBrass Stuttgart is the name of the brass band that originally started out as Stuttgart Brass in 2005. CityBrass was founded by a group of professors from the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. The band quickly shot to success on the music scene. CityBrass is at home in Stuttgart and is based out of the University for Music and the Performing Arts.

The ensemble is managed by a group of professors who specialize in brass instruments: Wolfgang Bauer, trumpet, Christian Lampert, horn, Henning Wiegräbe, trombone and the tuba lecturer Stefan Heimann. The members of the band are either current or former students of the professors. Students from the Stuttgart brass-band classes have recently found positions with: The Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, The Zürich Opera, The Bavarian State Opera, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, and The Stuttgart State Opera amongst others. This is clear testimony to the quality and ability of our students who form the backbone of the CityBrass Stuttgart's brass-band ensemble.

In 2005, the band delighted audiences with a critically acclaimed debut concert at the Stuttgarter Hofkonzerten, which took place in the old castle, and fans had the chance to see them perform again at the Silvesterkonzert 05 in the Liederhalle. In addition to a number of other concerts, the band has also had the opportunity to go on tour to Russia. One of the band's particularly memorable performances was a concert in November 2006, when they headline performed alongside the world famous members of Manhattan Brass in the Stuttgart Theaterhaus, where they were led by Daniel Schnyder, Jazz saxophonist and cross-over composer. Another fantastic performance was the New Year's concert 2007, which took place in the Forum at the Schlosspark in Ludwigsburg. The band is very popular and has been re-invited to perform at the Schlosshofkonzerten in and around Stuttgart, and at the New Year's concert in the Liederhalle in Stuttgart. In 2008, the brass-band was invited to Austria.

On April 21, 2007 CityBrass Stuttgart was awarded the Bruno Frey prize from the Ochsenhausen State Academy. The Stuttgarter newspaper praised "The enormous level of judgment demonstrated when playing together, a virtue that this ensemble has cultivated“. This top-class ensemble offers a rich and varying program that includes music from the Renaissance to the Modern. Added to this the band's dedication to rehearsals and their efforts to fuse both historical performance practice, and their analysis of the various Jazz styles relating to the respective musical influences to bring the music closer to the public.