Insider with Spanish Brass

Spanish brass

Fri. nov 19, 2021 // 7:30 p.m. following Newberry’s treelighting // Free!

A Newberry Arts For All (NAFA) FREE Outdoor Concert

Originally formed by students in 1989, these professional musicians went on to win the first prize in the 6th International Brass Quartet Competition. In 2020, they were awarded the Spanish National Music Award. Similar

Artists: Siberian Virtuosi, Polish Philharmonic, Tuba Christmas

Spanish Brass will travel to Newberry this November for a special free outdoor community concert. Carlos Benetó with Spanish Brass talks about performing around the world in over 50 countries during the 33 years of the group. “This is the magic of the job that we do. You can bring it wherever you want. You can connect easily when you are playing music on the stage. If you try to communicate with someone by talking, you can get some of it, but with music it is very simple and gets straight to your soul.”

This sense of connection brought five students from the Spanish Youth Orchestratogether in 1989. Carlos remembers, “The very first concert that we played for our colleagues in the orchestra was in the lunch room.” Their colleagues challenged them to continue, but it wasn’t until they won first prize

Winners of the Spanish National Music Award in 2020

in the 6th International Brass Quintet Competition in 1996 and went on tour that they took the leap to quit their day jobs with professional orchestras.

With over three decades of excellence and creativity, Spanish Brass was rewarded with the Spanish National Music Award in 2020. Carlos jokingly says that brass instruments don’t always get respect in the hierarchy of instruments, but this time they did. Carlos blushingly mentions, “This is the highest recognition in our country for a musician. During 2020 with so many performances canceled, we were not sure if we were going to go on. And, suddenly we got a call. It was them saying, ‘Hey guys you are doing great. Keep going!”

What should be expected when Spanish Brass comes to Newberry? “Our goal is to try to help the audience see what a brass quintet can be…to take the audience on a journey from Baroque to Jazz to something really Spanish.”