The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center will live stream a performance with local favorites, Chautauqua Brass, on Friday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m.

“We’re so excited to be hosting performances on our stage once again, even if it is to an empty theatre,” notes Opera House Executive Director Rick Davis. “Thanks to a generous grant from the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, we were able to purchase the equipment and technology to enable us to live stream concerts and events from inside the theatre, as they are happening, to viewers at home.”

The March 26 concert with Chautauqua Brass will feature a variety of classic and contemporary works, some that are traditional brass ensemble pieces and some arranged specifically for Chautauqua Brass.

Established in September of 2018, Chautauqua Brass is a western New York-based chamber ensemble with a keen focus on music education, rooted in musicians’ wellness. Coming from different places across North America, each of the ensemble’s four members brings his own tastes in music to the group; and this is reflected in the wide variety of music found in its concert programs. With a vision set on fostering a healthy community of musicians and listeners from all walks of life, the members of Chautauqua Brass believe that music is the best way to bring a community together.

Growing in popularity throughout the Chautauqua region, the group performs a mixture of classical and pop music, including songs not typically performed by brass ensembles. In addition to performances, the group also offers educational workshops and master classes for student musicians of all ages. The group’s four core members include Devin Bennett, Bobby Fisco, Landon Gray and Daniel Marion.

Bennett, the resident Canadian in the group, comes from the mountains of British Columbia. He was raised in International Schools all over the world, and loves to experience different cultures. He has since settled in the Chautauqua area to make music with Chautauqua Brass, and to work with Musicians Wellness of North America.

Originally from Cleveland, Fisco comes to Chautauqua Brass from Pittsburgh, where he completed his Masters of Music degree at Carnegie Mellon University. His primary teachers have included Jan Kagarice, Ed Zadrozny, Peter Sullivan, and Jaime Morales-Matos. He serves as the musical arranger for the group, which he describes as a fun challenge given the unique and adaptable instrumentation of the ensemble. Away from Chautauqua Brass, Fisco is an assistant clinician at Musician’s Wellness of North America.

Originally from Santa Rosa, California, Gray holds a degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of North Texas. He is an adjunct instructor of trumpet at the State University of New York at Fredonia, and enjoys playing a diverse selection of music.

Rounding out the bottom of the ensemble, Marion is Chautauqua Brass’ Bass Trombonist. Born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bass trombone performance degree. His primary teachers have included Jan Kagarice, Vern Kagarice, Tony Baker, Darren McHenry, Tony Corson and Gary Phillips. He is an active freelancer and has performed with The Metro Praise Orchestra, a jazz big band based in Fort Worth, and the Grammy-nominated One O’clock Lab Band. In his time off the horn, Daniel also works with Musician’s Wellness of North America as an assistant clinician.

The concert is a live-streamed event, which will only be presented live as it is happening. Tickets are $16 per household and can be purchased online at www.fredopera.org. A Vimeo link and password to view the performance will be emailed to ticket-buyers a few hours prior to the show’s curtain.

Musician’s Wellness of North America is an organization formed to train instrumentalists in efficient and functional performance practices with a special emphasis in Embouchure Task Specific Dystonia retraining.

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House is a member-supported not-for-profit organization located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. Currently closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, the theatre is offering a variety of digital program offerings to continue its mission of “present the performing arts for the benefit of our community and region … and providing access to artistic diversity … and high quality programming at an affordable price.”