This exciting Canadian quintet made its debut in 1997. It has already toured in some far corners of the world, including China, and its first three CD recordings, on the Opening Day label, have garnered enthusiastic press reaction. It has been featured in a full hour special on CBC Television, and has registered the most frequent classical radio station airplays throughout Canada for December 2001.
Barton Woomert, trumpet, has been on the faculty of the University of Toronto since 1982. He has performed as a member of the United States Marine Band, and both the Hamilton Philharmonic and the Toronto Symphony in Canada.
Alastair Kay, trombone, chairs the brass department at Humber College in Toronto and has worked with leading symphony orchestras and entertainers. Joan Watson, horn, is Associate Principal French Horn with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and former French Horn Principal of the Canadian Opera Company. Raymond Tizzard, trumpet, is Artistic Director of the Hannaford Street Silver Band and a member of the Canadian Opera Company and National Ballet Orchestras.
The ensemble also regularly offers organ and brass performances, especially with Canadian organist William O'Meara, or with host organists in church venues.
This ensemble is a real musical blast out of Canada, as riveting and compelling as the North wind itself. We've never heard such tight ensemble and such effective subtlety in a brass quintet before, and we're extremely honored to be asked to represent them.
