The growing foundation base of North American brass banding has gained extra strength with the news of the formation of a brand new band in Kansas.

Free State Brass

The Free State Brass Band will be based in the vibrant college town of Lawrence, home to the renowned University of Kansas — in a city that has a historic brass banding connection that goes back as far as the establishment of the city in 1854.

The band's name draws on Kansas’s beginnings as an anti-slavery free state and Lawrence as an abolitionist stronghold during the American Civil War, and they will introduce itself to its new audience with a free local concert featuring traditional British brass band repertoire on January 28th at the historic Plymouth Congregational Church.

Members

Members of the Free State Brass Band hail from the community, university, and the metro areas of Kansas City and Topeka in the heartland of the United States.

The programme will include Holst's ‘Moorside Suite’, Hall's ‘Death or Glory’ march and Vaughan Williams ‘Prelude to the 49th Parallel’, as well as Grainger's classic ‘Irish Tune from County Derry’ and more modern repertoire with Paul Lovatt-Cooper's, ‘Home of Legends’.

Founders

Founder and Artistic Director is Jon Heaver the respected BBb tuba of Fountain City Brass, whilst Music Director and Conductor is Scott Watson, Professor of Tuba-Euphonium at the School of Music, University of Kansas, and Principal Eb Tuba in Fountain City.

The band is extremely excited about its new role in the vibrant metro arts community which includes many recent developments in brass bandingScott Watson

Excited

Scott told 4BR: "The band is extremely excited about its new role in the vibrant metro arts community which includes many recent developments in brass banding at the youth, community and championship levels here in the United States."