Copper Street Brass Mission
The mission of the Copper Street Brass (CSB) is to represent the Evolution of the Brass Quintet. Through
inventive concerts, engaging educational programs, and original musical arrangements, we bring a fresh
perspective to instrumental music. To express our artistic voice, we use a dazzling fusion of brass, keyboard,
guitar, percussion, and electronic instruments to appeal to a universal audience and go beyond ordinary.
Group Biography – 2020-2021 Season
The Copper Street Brass is the premier brass chamber ensemble in Minnesota and one of only a handful of selfsustaining brass groups in the country. We were founded in 2008 as a professionally trained classical chamber
music ensemble (which means we perform without a conductor) with two trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba. We
present exclusively our own music, which is an original blend of musical styles from Mozart to Madonna, in over
35 concerts and 100 outreach services each season.
Our group sound has been described by reviewers as “flawless”, “polished”, and “somewhere between
magnificent and exquisite.” Our artistic excellence was widely recognized in 2013 when we were chosen as a
finalist for the prestigious McKnight Artist Fellowship. Each of our individual artists is a master of his or her craft.
Our 6 core musicians, Allison Hall, Josh Cameron, Tim Bradley, Alex Wolff, Nick Adragna, and Reid Kennedy have
a combined 10 professional music and education degrees and thousands of performances under our belts. Our
artists have performed with world-renowned classical ensembles like the Minnesota Orchestra, SPCO, Minnesota
Opera, and Malaysian Philharmonic and also have the versatility to perform with jazz/blues groups such as Davina
and the Vagabonds and Nooky Jones. Our musicians have recorded individually for Prince, Grammy-winner Big
Walter Smith, and many other groups.
We have two main programs: our Twin Cities Season and regional concert & outreach touring. Our Twin Cities
Season is six self-produced programs (12 total concerts) bundled together as a subscription Concert Series and a
Free Family Series, giving our musicians agency to create one-of-a-kind programs and draw in new audiences to
chamber music every season.
“We feel that The CSB’s Twin Cities Concert Series is among the most important in the area because it
attracts audiences that are diverse in every way, and is held in unique performance venues that are easily
accessible. The modest ticket price makes it possible for people of all ages to enjoy this excellent concert
series, whether young families or retired music lovers.” – Mike McCarthy, CSB patron
The CSB tours annually to every corner of Minnesota and throughout the Midwest to perform concerts and
present outreach activities, often in communities underserved by professional artists. Our tour programming
reaches more than 15,000 people annually from kindergarteners through older adults, at one to three-day
residencies in communities both large and small.
www.copperstreetbrass.org
The CSB leads over 100 educational programs each season, far more than any other small ensemble in the Upper
Midwest. Our excellence in educational programming makes us a valuable partner. We are a COMPAS Teaching
Artist, we’ve served three times as Artists in Residence for Minnesota Public Radio’s Class Notes program and
we’ve recently presented educational services in partnership with The Schubert Club and Minnesota Orchestra.
“Any day that my students and I get to share with the Copper Street Brass is a great day. They are
wonderful teachers, outstanding musicians, and are all around great people. I am lucky to know and work
with them.”
– Charlie Preis, partner teacher at Northeast Middle School in Minneapolis
To serve older adults and those facing dementia, we developed our own creative aging music program,
Soundtracks. Soundtracks is a person-centered creative aging program designed to enrich the lives of older
adults living with dementia. The program explores how music runs through our entire lives – like the soundtrack in
a movie. Each activity features interactive live music performances brought directly to residents. Our program’s
goal is to provide services that are rooted in high-quality musical performances, are socially engaging and draw
upon the rich life experiences of participants, and enrich quality of life using the power of music to spark joy.
“Soundtracks brought our residents out of their shell – their spirits just came to life. When you see
moments like that, everything is worth it. Copper Street Brass playing for our residents was absolutely the
best performance we’ve ever had in our building.”
– T Hanson, Active Life Manager, The Waters Senior Living
CSB has been heard by thousands of people outside of the Twin Cities area on local concert series performances,
summer music festivals, performances with school bands, and collaborations with other local arts groups. Recent
performance activities include concert tours throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas,
Montana, and New Mexico. We have captured our exclusive arrangements on five commercially available records.
When not on stage with the CSB, our members are in high demand as educators, appearing as Teaching Artists in
hundreds of classrooms and panelists for arts entrepreneurship panels at colleges and Universities across the
country. The CSB’s musicians teach individual lessons from their own studios as well as at St. Olaf College,
MacPhail Center for Music, and numerous public and private schools around the Twin Cities.
Copper Street Brass is:
Allison Hall, trumpet and keyboard
Josh Cameron, trumpet
Tim Bradley, horn, keyboard and guitar
Alex Wolff, trombone
Nick Adragna, tuba
Reid Kennedy, percussion
www.copperstreetbrass.org
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