Tower Brass Quintet
October 1, 2004
For over twenty years, the Tower Brass Quintet has creatively and progressively shaped their reputation as a premier chamber music ensemble, delighting a broad spectrum of audiences with their unique style of programming and performance.
Critics and presenters have consistently praised the Tower Brass for the innovative nature of their concert repertoire, their superb musicianship, and their engaging stage presence. Each Tower Brass concert program is thoughtfully planned to offer the audience a blend of entertainment and discovery and is skillfully presented by five gifted and versatile performers. Recently, the Tower Brass was named as "most popular instrumental ensemble" by the Lake Erie West People's Choice Awards.
The Tower Brass launched their international reputation in 1986 with a prize-winning performance at the International Brass Chamber Music Competition in Barcs, Hungary. Since that notable event, the Tower Brass Quintet has concertized in twenty-five states and collaborated with several of the world's other premiere brass ensembles, including the London, Budapest, Annapolis and American Brass Quintets. Tower Brass concerts and recordings have been heard on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, the American Composer's Alliance Series, Voice of America, Hungarian State Radio and WNCN in New York.
The Tower Brass Quintet has released six recordings. The latest, entitled "20," features newly recorded works of Johann Sebastian Bach and of tubist-composer David Saygers in addition to selected works from the Tower Brass's five previous releases.
Member Bios
Brian Bushong, trumpet, became a member of the Tower Brass Quintet in 1982 after receiving a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Bowling Green State University and pursuing graduate work in Florida. While completing his Master of Music degree at Florida State University, he was a member of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and the Florida State Faculty Brass Quintet and was a winner in the State of Florida Recital Competition of the MTNA. Bushong has taught trumpet at Valdosta State College in Georgia, the University of Findlay, and at Bowling Green State University through the Creative Arts Program. He periodically performs with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the Toledo Concert Band as well as the Adrian, Lima and Ann Arbor Symphonies. In addition to his music background, Bushong holds a Master of Business Administration degree and is currently Director of Budget and Planning for the University of Toledo.
Larry Herman, trumpet, holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the Indiana University School of Music where he was nominated for both a Performer's Certificate and Brass Fellowship. He has since held teaching positions at Indiana University, the Interlochen Arts Academy, Western Carolina University and the National Music Camp at Interlochen. Herman has been principal trumpet of the Owensboro, Asheville and Midland Symphony Orchestras, and he is a former member of the Disneyland Band, the Toledo Jazz Orchestra, and the Indianapolis Symphonic Winds. In addition to the Tower Brass, he performs regularly with the Canton Symphony, Akron Symphony, the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and was Principal Trumpet for the Hollywood Festival Orchestra's 2003 tour of Taiwan. Herman also has a master's degree in business from Bowling Green State University and has held marketing and public relations directorships with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Indiana University Auditorium Series and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Daniel Saygers, trombone, has been an active performer since completing his Bachelor of Music Degree at Bowling Green State University. Proficient at a wide assortment of musical styles, Saygers has performed with the Toledo and Lima Symphony Orchestras. He is a member of the Toledo Jazz Orchestra and the Mighty Meaty Swing Kings and has performed with such noted jazz artists as Clark Terry, Marian McPartland, Betty Carter, Zoot Sims and Ray Charles. As an arts educator, Saygers has presented workshops and residencies on aesthetic education and is in demand as a teaching artist in programs affiliated with both Lincoln Center and the Wolftrap Institute for the Arts. When not performing as a trombonist, Saygers is active as a choral conductor, composer and published author, and as a teacher of mathematics.
David Saygers has been the Tower Brass Quintet's tubist since 1981 when he received his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. Saygers also has a master's degree from Bowling Green State University. He has been Visiting Professor of Tuba at Tennessee Technological University and Professor of Tuba at Bowling Green State University, Heidelberg College and the University of Toledo. As a performer, he has played for the orchestras of Springfield and Toledo in Ohio, Flint and Dearborn in Michigan, and the Bryan Symphony in Tennessee, and he was invited to become principal tubist for the Filharmonica de Santiago in Chile. Also a gifted composer and arranger, Saygers's works are frequently heard on Tower Brass concerts and recordings, and several are published by Encore Music, Inc. Currently, Saygers is Artistic Director for the Toledo School for the Arts.
Bernice Schwartz, horn, is a native of New York and has been a member of the Tower Brass Quintet since its founding in 1979. She is a graduate of Ithaca College and holds a master's degree in music from Bowling Green State University. She has also studied in London, as a scholarship recipient, with the late legendary hornist Alan Civil. Schwartz is currently a member of the Ann Arbor Symphony and performs frequently with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. She has served as a clinician/performer at regional horn workshops and at the International Brass Congress Symposium. In 1993, Schwartz was honored as "Educator of the Year" for the Springfield (OH) School District where she teaches instrumental music and serves as department chairperson. In addition to her public school duties, Schwartz was appointed interim Associate Professor of Horn at Bowling Green State University for 2000-01.
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