Get Low

Mention the brass section of an orchestra, and everybody hears trumpets in their head. Sure, sure, they're the glamour boys of the brass — trumpets and saxophones, the sexy lead instruments. But the power of the brass section is down the row a bit, in the low brass section. Big old tuba, everybody smiles when they hear a tuba. And the joker, the trombone, the only instrument that changes its shape when you play it. These are the workhorses of the music, plowing the rows so the trumpets have a nice flat field to play on — nothing happens without the low brass doing their thing in the background. Well tonight, the tables turn, and they claim the spotlight. The third annual Low Brass Spectacular features members of the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America, the Saint Louis Symphony trombone section and Dixieland sousaphonist Red Lehr, along with the members of the St. Louis Low Brass Collective performing a specially commissioned composition just for their preferred instruments. The performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington Boulevard; 314-533-9900 or www.thesheldon.org), and admission is free.
Tue., Jan. 18, 2011