Onyx Brass

Over its three decades of activity, Onyx Brass has evolved into one of the top brass ensembles not only in Britain but worldwide. The group has commissioned new music from a large number of contemporary British composers. Inspired by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Onyx Brass came together in 1993 with the intention of making chamber music that was both serious and approachable. The individual members have been part of such groups as the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the English Chamber Orchestra. Onyx Brass has appeared in all of Britain’s major concert halls and as far afield as the island of Borneo. In addition to chamber brass concerts, Onyx Brass has often performed with choirs, including the Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge, the Brighton Festival Chorus, the BBC Singers, and the St. Bride's Church Choir. The group has commissioned new works by an impressive range of composers, including Thea Musgrave, Michael Nyman, John Tavener, Judith Bingham, and Trish Clowes, among many others. The group released its debut album, Pavans, Fantasias, Variations, on the Meridian label in 2002. In addition to Meridian, Onyx Brass has recorded for the Regent labels and has issued several sonically intricate albums on Chandos. The 2018 release Fanfares consisted of 58 examples of that venerable form by 20th century British composers. Onyx Brass maintains a busy schedule of educational appearances, leading master classes and workshops with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Royal Welsh College of Music, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and, outside Britain, the Julliard School in New York and the Boston Conservatory. Onyx Brass’ educational and concert activities came together in the Bob Chilcott choral work A Sporting Chance, which included parts for brass quintet, school choir, actors, and dancers. Onyx Brass has held ensemble-in-residence positions at Imperial College, University of London, and the Westminster Abbey Choir School. The group remained active during the COVID-19 pandemic, joining the Winchester College Chapel Choir on Signum Classics for the album A Winter's Night: Christmas Music for Choir, Brass Quintet & Organ in 2020, releasing Festmusik: A Legacy on Chandos in 2021, and returning in 2023 on NMC with The Sun Is Free to Flow with the Sea. ~ James Manheim