Apollo Chamber Brass

Through intimate instruction at public school music programs and public performances in community forums, the Apollo Chamber Brass seeks to accomplish its mission. The Apollo Chamber Brass believes that high art music more effectively expresses the elements of the human condition, and as such can be more easily accessed and appreciated through the education of the audience and the next generation.

The Apollo Chamber Brass is unique in providing detailed but highly personal and emotional explanations of concert repertoire. The ACB is also unique in providing long-term residency chamber music programs coordinated with existing public school music programs, thereby enhancing awareness of the performing musical arts and elevating the quality of the student's exposure to chamber music. This personal and intense approach provides an educational experience beyond that which is normally found in other outreach programs.

History of the Apollo Chamber Brass:

This past summer (2007), the Apollo Chamber Brass was tied for 1st Runner-Up for the Aspen Music Festival's Brass Quintet Fellowship. This Fellowship is considered to be the most competitive and extensive chamber music seminar of its kind, with a 9 week tuition free mentorship with the American Brass Quintet. Also in 2007, they were guest artists for the Rocky Mountain States Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference. In August 2006, they completed a two week, fully sponsored tour of the Ohio Valley , where they performed at various colleges, universities, schools, and churches throughout Ohio , Pennsylvania , and West Virginia . And, in June 2006, they performed at the International Tuba–Euphonium Conference at the University of Denver . In addition to establishing a Concert Series (2005) in partnership with the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Longmont , CO , they are also Ensemble-In-Residence at the Parlando Center for the Arts (formerly the Boulder Arts Academy ) and Atonement Lutheran Church of Boulder.

The ACB began as the graduate brass quintet in residence at the University of Colorado - Boulder as part of their graduate assistantships. In that capacity, they have appeared at the Rafael-Mendez Brass Institute as recipients of a full tuition scholarship. In 2004, the founding members named the quintet, the Apollo Chamber Brass. Following the conclusion of their graduate assistantships, the ACB became its own entity, whose members have included performers from across the country. They have been coached by members of the renowned Summit Brass, The Takacs String Quartet, the American Brass Quintet, former and current members of both the Dallas Brass and the Grammy award-winning Chestnut Brass Company, as well as by various university faculty members throughout the country.

Since the inception, outreach has played a critical role for the Apollo Chamber Brass. They have provided mini-residencies at various Symphonic Band Camps throughout the Colorado Front Range area, and have been heard in service and recital across the country. They have recently adopted public school music programs, and have established active chamber music programs at Loveland High School, Cherry Creek High School, and Legacy High School. The coached student ensembles from these schools have performed throughout their communities and alongside the ACB in concert.

Individual Biographies of the
Members of the Apollo Chamber Brass:

Pete Auricchio , Trumpet

Pete Auricchio is a classically trained trumpet player from the suburbs of New York City (Long Island) and is the newest member of the Apollo Chamber Brass. Peter has been playing and performing for over 15 years in the NY, Boston and Denver areas.

In High School he studied and performed both Classical and Jazz music on a regular basis both inside and outside of High School. Pete received his Bachelors of Music in Trumpet Performance from the Boston University College of Fine Arts in 2003. While at B.U. he studied with Terry Everson, an accomplished recital soloist and freelancer in the Boston and Philadelphia areas. In 2002, Pete placed Runner Up in the International Trumpet Guild Moch Orchestra Competition. After his graduation from Boston University, Pete went on the road for 8 months with the NETworks Presents National Broadway Tour of Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate! After a year of recuperating spiritually from the loss of his father, Carmine R. Auricchio Jr., in 2005 Pete packed up and moved to Colorado in order to pursue a Masters Degree in Trumpet Performance with a Jazz Emphasis at the Lamont School of Music in Denver. While studying with Professor Alan Hood, Pete placed runner up in the Lamont Concerto Competition two years running. His Brass Quintet, under the supervision of Director of Music, Joe Docksey also placed runner up in the Lamont Chamber Music Competition in 2006. With the help of the unbelievably caring and motivational faculty at the Lamont School of Music, Pete was once again honing his classical playing under the guise of being a student. In addition to that however, the Jazz Emphasis in his degree kept him quite busy with Bebop changes and Big Band Charts. Since graduating with his masters in June 2007, Pete has been freelancing in the Denver area and plans to spend the rest of his life playing the trumpet and expanding his understanding of music and the world around him to the highest level possible. Music is a language with endless possibilities, many of which are in our history and even more are in our future. Groove is Paramount!

Donald R. Williams, Trumpet

Don is one of the founding members of the Apollo Chamber Brass and is quickly becoming one of the most active freelance trumpet players in the Front Range area. He has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Springs Symphony (now the Colorado Springs Philharmonic), the Greeley Philharmonic, the Ft. Collins Symphony, the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, the Longmont Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Light Opera, Boulder’s Dinner Theater, the Boulder Bach Festival Orchestra, as well as the Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra. In addition, he regularly performs at numerous churches throughout the front-range area.

A long-time resident of Colorado , Don completed his Master's degree in trumpet performance in 2005 at the University of Colorado - Boulder , studying with Terry Sawchuk. Don received his Bachelor's degree in music from the University of Northern Colorado ; while there, Don studied with William Pfund, professor emeritus of trumpet, and Dan Kuehn of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. In 1999, Don was a featured soloist with the University of Northern Colorado Symphonic Band as one of the winners of the Rocky Mountain Concerto Competition. Don has also studied with Thomas G. Wilson from the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and Bruce Barrie of the Grammy award-winning Chestnut Brass Company. An active private instructor and clinician, Don has been teaching in the Loveland, Boulder and Denver areas for nearly eight years and currently maintains a large private studio.

Jason Johnston, Horn

Jason is currently Associate Principal/Sitting Third horn for the Fort Collins Symphony (www.fcsymphony.org), Opera Fort Collins, and the Canyon Concert Ballet; also the Principal Hornist of the Steamboat Springs Chamber Orchestra (www.steamboatorchestra.org), Principal Player with the Apollo Chamber Brass (www.apollochamberbrass.org), hornist for the Steamboat Winds and Elevenet Jazz Ensemble (www.jazz11.com). Jason has also recently taken part in a performance at the 2008 International Association of Jazz Educators conference in Toronto , Canada with Will Swindler's Elevenet Jazz Ensemble. He has also performed with the Denver Brass, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Emerald City Opera, Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Longmont Symphony, Colorado Brass Company, Front Range Chamber Players, Little Theatre of the Rockies, Fort Collins Wind Symphony and Loveland Choral Society while also taking part in performances with the West Nebraska Masterworks Chorale, Loveland Music Guild, Loveland Chamber Orchestra, Larimer Chorale, Linden Street Brass Quintet and the Rocky Mountain Horn Ensemble. Jason can be heard on the commercially available recording, "IN A WORLD..." on the Goes to Eleven label.

Jason has been teaching in the Colorado Front Range for nine years and currently maintains a strong private studio of students who regularly attend All-State Orchestra, All-State Band, CU Honor Band, CSU Honor Band, and various District Honor Bands. Jason has students all over the country including University of Northern Colorado , Indian University Pennsylvania and the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music. Jason coaches small chamber ensembles at several front range high schools as well as teaching with the Youth Orchestra of the Rockies.

Jason finished his Bachelor Degree in Horn Performance under the tutelage of his mentor Jack Herrick at the University of Northern Colorado then stayed on at UNC to complete his Master Degree in Horn Performance under the new associate professor of horn, Marian Hesse. Jason was awarded several scholarships and was a finalist for the 2002 Rocky Mountain Concerto Competition. As part of his Master Degree Jason was able to take part in an internship program offered by the Yamaha Corporation of America – Los Angeles . Jason was given the opportunity to further his education by studying with Julie Landsman, Christopher Leuba, Bruce Barrie, David Brussel and Michael Thornton.

John S. Neurohr, Trombone

A founding member of the Apollo Chamber Brass, John is also principal trombonist of both the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra in Cheyenne, WY and the Longmont Symphony Orchestra in Longmont, CO. Formerly, he was second trombonist of the Berkley Symphony Orchestra (California), bass trombonist of the 1997 edition of the Walt Disney World All-American College Band (Orlando, FL), and trombonist of the California Parallèle Ensemble.

Raised in Wellsburg , WV , John received his first musical training at the age of nine from his father John H. Neurohr, a Wheeling , WV free-lance trombonist. Other teachers have included the late Matthew “Matty” Shiner, Dr. H. Keith Jackson, Steven Witser, Mark Lawrence, and Michael Powell. Currently, John is a Doctoral of Musical Arts Candidate (ABD) in Trombone Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Colorado at Boulder , where he studies with Dr. William Stanley. John received the Bachelor of Music Education degree from West Virginia University in 1999, graduating summa cum laude, and the Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2001. Additional musical study includes attendance at the Aspen Music Festival and School during the summer of 2001, where he was a Hewlett Scholarship recipient. Since moving to Colorado in 2002, John has performed with the Boulder Philharmonic, the Ft. Collins Symphony, the San Juan Symphony, the Colorado Mahlerfest Orchestra, The New Artists Philharmonic, Opera Ft. Collins, Opera Theater of the Rockies , the Colorado Light Opera, Boulder ’s Dinner Theater, the Dean Beck Swing Band, and the Boulder Brass. In addition, he can be heard on Mode Records with the California Parallele Ensemble and on Summit Records with the prestigious Summit Brass, “ America ’s premier large brass ensemble.”

As a solo recitalist, John has performed at the Colorado Music Festival with Robert Spillman, the Pendulum New Music Concert Series at the University of Colorado , and the St. Mark’s Concert Series in Medford , OR . He has appeared twice as featured soloist with the University of Colorado Wind Symphony , and once with the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra. In 2003, John was one of six finalists selected for the prestigious Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Performance Competition, the only brass player to have advanced to the final round in the competitions history. On November 18th, 2006 , John appeared as featured soloist with the newly re-organized Niwot-Timberline Symphony, where he performed Nino Rota’s Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra.

Charles D. Ortega, Tuba

Appointed for the 2006-2007 season, Charles is currently principal tubist of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a founding member of the Apollo Chamber Brass. A native Texan, Charles grew up in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas . He received his Bachelor of Music in Tuba Performance from the University of North Texas in 2000, studying with Don Little, principal tuba (retired) with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Between his undergraduate and graduate work, Charles was principal tuba with the Disney Grammy Collegiate Orchestra for the 1998 season at Walt Disney World in Orlando , FL. From 1998 to 2001, Charles free-lanced in the Orlando area, playing with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Walt Disney World Orchestra and the Candlelight Festival Orchestra at Epcot in the Walt Disney World Resort. He was also a regular substitute for the World Class Brass, the brass quintet at Epcot. Charles received his Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, studying with Alan Baer, principal tuba with the New York Philharmonic. Currently, he is a student of Michael Dunn, Professor of Tuba at the University of Colorado - Boulder.

In 1991, Charles was the principal tubist with the Young Artist's Orchestra at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox , MA . While at Tanglewood, Charles studied with John Manning of the Atlantic Brass Quintet. Charles has been a finalist for the principal tuba positions with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. He was also a finalist for the Interim Tuba professor position at the University of Colorado - Boulder.

Charles has also performed with the Irving Symphony Orchestra, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Rio Grande Valley Symphony Orchestra, Longmont Symphony Orchestra, Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2002, Charles was named 1st associate tuba with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and was the tubist with the Chicago Civic Brass Quintet. Charles is a founding member of the Apollo Chamber Brass.

Charles can be heard on the commercially available recordings of the North Texas Wind Symphony, including: Luminaries, Wind Dances, Dream Catchers, Deja View and Dialogues & Entertainments, which was nominated for a Grammy. He can also be heard on the educational resource, Teaching Music through Performance in Band, Volume I.

Members of the Apollo Chamber Brass

The Vision of the Apollo Chamber Brass: