Lawrence Brass shows off new lineup Sunday

The Lawrence Brass, the faculty brass quintet, will play its first concert of the year Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in Harper Hall.
This concert is significant in that it offers the Lawrence community its first opportunity to hear Marty Erickson and John Daniel, the new tuba and trumpet professors respectively, and marks the return of horn professor James DeCorsey after a year spent teaching in London.
Erickson and Daniel both, coincidentally, come to Lawrence from Penn State University. Erickson teaches tuba half time, commuting from his Michigan home weekly. Daniel teaches fulltime, taking over the position from Robert Levy. Levy is spending one final year directing ensembles before taking a sabbatical and then retiring.
Levy and trombone professor Nick Keelan return this year for another Lawrence Brass season.
Erickson’s distinguished career centers around his appointment with the U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C., a post he held for 26 years. The list of ensembles with which he has appeared includes the Boston Pops Orchestra, the National Symphony, the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra, and the Brass Band of Battle Creek.
Daniel also is a member of the BBOBC. Both Erickson and Daniel have especially distinguished backgrounds in jazz; Erickson has recorded two solo discs for jazz tuba, and Daniel’s pedigree reads like a “who’s who” of jazz and classical contexts, including stints with Jon Faddis and recitals in Carnegie Hall.
Sunday’s program reflects the diversity of its performers. From Bach to Gershwin, the program will touch on practically everything in between, including Corelli, early 16th century music, a more modern piece by Ingolf Dahl, and Brahms motets.