Brass Ensemble Onyx Brass CONTACT: EMAIL & WEBSITE

Since 1993, Onyx Brass has been dominating the international brass chamber music world. Dubbed "easily the classiest brass ensemble in Britain " by BBC Music magazine, the group has now performed at festivals all over Europe and the USA to huge critical acclaim. The group was conceived by way of filling the huge gap in the market for a serious yet approachable brass chamber ensemble.

Of particular importance to Onyx is the commissioning of audience-friendly, new music and, to this end, they have performed and recorded world premieres of music by Jonathan Dove, Bob Chilcott, John Tavener, John McCabe, Joe Duddell and Michael Nyman.

Individual members of the group hold permanent, principal positions in The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of English National Opera, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. The group performs regularly on BBC Radios 2 and 3. In its history, the group has won numerous grants, competitions and scholarships as well as played for Prime Ministers Tony Blair and, before him, John Major.

Onyx Brass are also very active and experienced in the field of music education having conducted workshops and master classes for a huge range of people. They have directed educational days at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and have just relinquished their post as ensemble-in-residence at Radley College , Oxfordshire. More recently, Onyx went back to the National Youth Orchestra for a day and coached the talented young brass students for a cooperative concert that evening.

Work with choirs  now also forms a vital part of Onyx’s work. In recent times the group has worked with the BBC Singers, the Brighton Festival Chorus, the Choir of St Brides, Fleet Street as well as superb amateur choirs including the choir of Selwyn College , Cambridge . The John Armitage Memorial trust forms the backbone of this work and, also, provides a platform for composers to submit works for inclusion in to each years series of concerts.