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TOUR DATES: July 1, 2015 – May 31, 2016 (Ensemble in Residence)

BIOGRAPHY:

The Maritime Brass Quintet (MBQ) brings the highest caliber chamber music to concert halls, churches, festivals and schools across the Maritimes and beyond. The group is comprised of five of Canada’s finest brass players: Curtis Dietz and Richard Simoneau (trumpet), Gina Patterson (horn), Eric Mathis (trombone) and Bob Nicholson (tuba & bass trombone). MBQ members have studied throughout North America and performed or held positions with many of the world’s leading ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony, Toronto Symphony, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Honolulu Symphony and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra. They also have experience playing in numerous smaller groups and ensembles, including Foothills Brass, Northumberland Brass, Honolulu Brass Quintet, the Jive Kings and the Canadian Brass. All MBQ members are dedicated educators as well as players, and are committed to working with brass players of all ages. Since forming in 2011, Maritime Brass Quintet has been gaining recognition as a leading brass ensemble in Canada and internationally.

Curtis Dietz, trumpet

In addition to performing with Maritime Brass Quintet, trumpeter Curtis Dietz is now in his sixteenth season with Symphony Nova Scotia. A native of Hanover, Ontario, he is a graduate of the University of Montreal and also studied at University of Toronto, The Royal Conservatory of Music, and the Banff Centre. Curtis has made orchestral appearances with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, I Musici de Montreal,  L’Orchestre Metropolitain and the Canadian Opera Company orchestra. In 2005 he was featured as lead trumpet in Neptune Theatre’s production of Chicago. He is currently on the faculty of the Acadia University School of Music.

Richard Simoneau, trumpet

Trumpeter Richard was born in Quebec City, and pursued his studies at the Quebec and then Montreal Conservatories. Following his graduation, he won a one-year contract to play third and assistant principal trumpet with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. The next year he played principal trumpet with the Hamilton Philharmonic and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, before moving to his current position of principal trumpet with Symphony Nova Scotia in 1996. Richard has been heard on many occasions as soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia and with the Maritime Brass Quintet. Many of his performances have been recorded and broadcast nationally by the CBC. Richard has been on faculties of Acadia University in Wolfville and Universite de Moncton. He also acts as artist in residence at the Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax.

Gina Patterson, horn

Gina returned to Nova Scotia after seven years with Canada’s renowned Canadian Opera Company Orchestra where she played on many acclaimed productions and recordings. An experienced chamber musician, Gina has rehearsed with the Canadian Brass and performed on the live national broadcast of the Schubertian Celebration at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. She has played with I Musici de Montreal, performed at the New Brunswick and Indian River Chamber Music Festivals, and was a finalist at the CIBC National Music Festival. Gina has performed with orchestras across Canada, including Symphony Nova Scotia, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, Newfoundland Symphony, and the Charlottetown Festival

Eric Mathis, trombone

Eric Mathis brings a variety of performance experience to the Maritime Brass Quintet. Associate Principal Trombonist of the Honolulu Symphony, Eric has performed with a number of orchestras including Royal Winnipeg Ballet Orchestra, Charlottetown Festival Orchestra, Chicago Civic Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has also held positions in Northumberland Brass, Millar Brass Ensemble and Honolulu Brass Quintet. Now performing regularly with Symphony Nova Scotia and the PEI Trombone Mafia, Eric also gives regular recitals in Canada and the United States. He has also been featured with Richard Simoneau and Symphony Nova Scotia A dedicated educator, Eric teaches trombone at Dalhousie University and is a coach with the Nova ScotiaYouth Orchestra. While in Honolulu, he taught at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa. Eric received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Prince Edward Island and his Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.

Bob Nicholson, tuba & bass trombone

Winner of two East Coast music awards with the Jive Kings, Bob Nicholson is enjoying a varied and successful career. He recently completed three years as tubaist with the Foothills Brass Quintet, performed for five years with The Phantom of the Opera in Toronto and for fourteen summers in the orchestra of Anne of Green Gables at the Charlottetown Festival and is now pleased to be playing tuba and bass trombone with Maritime Brass Quintet. As an orchestral musician, he has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, CBC Toronto Jazz Orchestra and the National Ballet Orchestra among others. Theatre work ‘in the pit’ includes Toronto productions of Beauty and the Beast, Showboat, Crazy for You, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables and numerous productions at the Charlottetown Festival. Bob studied at the University of PEI, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the University of Toronto and at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. In addition to performing with MBQ, Bob currently teaches at Acadia University and Nova Scotia Community College.

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