Review|Athena Brass Band at the RNCM International Brass Band Festival

Athena Brass Band: An Inspiring Celebration of Musicianship and Innovative Brass Band Repertoire

When I was a teenager (which wasn’t that long ago), watching the upper echelon of banding perform, there were very few women in those bands. Progress has been made in the last few years, with some high-level bands even boasting all-female sections, which is so encouraging to see. I think the effort that the RNCM International Brass Band Festival has taken to showcase female musicians and composers is helping to further this progress.

However, to have watched Athena Brass Band, America’s first all-female brass band, as a youngster would have blown my mind. This is an ensemble made up of an ever-changing roster of high-level musicians from all over the USA, with representation from international musicians from Japan and the UK.

As the ranks of Athena Brass Band walked onto the stage with their musical director, Jessica Sneeringer, I could feel a lump building in my throat and a little sting of tears in my eyes for teenage me, who would have been so inspired by the sight of a high-level, all-female ensemble. But it’s when they began to play that the real magic happened.

Pandora’s Box by Naomi Styles

The first piece of Athena Brass Band’s programme, which shone a spotlight on female composers, was Naomi Styles’ Pandora’s Box. This was a magical whirlwind of a concert opener, and I absolutely loved it. As you can imagine from the title, this work captures the mystical and turbulent nature of the mythical box that was said to house all of the world’s evils. It features a heroic main theme with swirling flourishes of solos from soprano cornet, flugelhorn, principal cornet, and horn, with an undertone from the lower band that created a rather menacing presence—a vivid representation of the evil concealed within Pandora’s box.

I would say that if you’re a fan of the Harry Potter soundtracks, you will LOVE this! It’s descriptive, enjoyable to listen to, and quite cinematic in nature.

Silver-backed Fox by Andrea Hobson, Performed by Flugelhorn Soloist Jen Oliverio

A world premiere from the pen of Andrea Hobson was next up on the programme, and this was one of my favourite pieces of the whole festival. Silver-backed Fox is a flugelhorn solo commissioned by Dr. Jennifer Oliverio, a celebrated cornet and flugelhorn musician. When she isn’t performing as the principal cornet of Fountain City Brass Band or flugelhorn for Athena Brass Band, she is Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Missouri Western State University and one of the directors of the Fountain City Youth Academy. Having followed Jen’s career from afar over social media, it was an awesome experience finally getting to hear her perform live.

The Cape fox is a beautiful little creature native to South Africa, known to be remarkably agile, and both Hobson’s writing and Jen’s characterful performance brought this lively little predator to life. The piece begins by painting the picture of the fox’s home in South Africa with rhythmic percussion and an upbeat, almost dance-like accompaniment. The solo line is light and playful as it introduces our fluffy little protagonist, stepping out of her den to go on the hunt as dusk falls. It isn’t long before we head into a more driven section as the fox spots her prey with fierce determination. A beautiful, pensive cadenza, which showcased Jen’s absolutely STUNNING sound and musicality.

From her sonorous sound to her ability to take Hobson’s writing and breathe life into every note to capture the personality and mannerisms of the fox, Jen’s performance was just breathtaking, and I was really sad when it was over!

Speaking to It’s Not a Trumpet about performing Silver-backed Fox with Athena Brass Band at the RNCM International Brass Band Festival, Jen said:

“I was honoured at the invite to the RNCM Festival to perform with the Athena Brass Band. The band is such a passionate group of women, and I loved the opportunity to connect with performers and composers from across the globe. It was also a special treat to premiere the brass band orchestration of Silver-backed Fox by Andrea Hobson. The piece itself is the epitome of joy and playfulness, and her compositional thumbprint is so unique. The energy that it brought to our programme was so vibrant, and I couldn’t be more grateful to her for the privilege of the premiere.”

This is the type of music that would work so beautifully as the soundtrack to an animated short, like The Snowman. I need someone who possesses a talent in animation to make this happen! I also need to purchase this solo—I am desperate to play it! Loved it!

Ghosts of Industry by Lucy Pankhurst

Then it was time for a complete change of pace with a world premiere of a new major work from the pen of Lucy Pankhurst. This work has recently been chosen as a test piece for the NABBA Championships, and I hope and pray that it will be picked up by the powers that be for UK contests, as it is incredible. I think it’s a piece that bandspeople would really enjoy working on—I certainly would! It's such a clever piece that pays homage to the local history and landmarks of the composer’s hometown and the sadness evoked when local buildings that hold so many memories are forgotten and destined for demolition.

Lucy is known for her inventive percussion writing, and this piece is no exception. The beginning of the work introduces the industrial buildings of the composer’s hometown. An inventive use of dragging a beater across a timpani creates a metallic, mechanical effect, with the imposing boom of the basses adding to the atmosphere. Squeaks of seagulls can be heard in the cornets, glissando moments and alarm tones from trombones, and a bell in percussion create the bustling scene of industry.

Skipping ahead (otherwise, this whole review will be taken up by this piece—I wrote five pages of notes front and back on it, there was so much detail), we’re thrown into the site of a demolition. A building is facing its fate, with a thud of percussion and menacing lower brass. Pankhurst conveys the sadness of watching buildings that have played a role in her life slowly being dismantled. The swing of a wrecking ball leads to a crash of percussion, and as the ring of the tam-tam fades into silence, a lone flugelhorn melody rises from the dust—beautiful, but haunting. A final twinkle of tuned percussion sounds like an old forgotten gas street lamp coming to life and shining its light once more. Another one of my favourite works from the weekend and a favourite of my other half’s—we were both blown away by the intricacies and genius details within this piece.

Abrazo by Lucy Pankhurst - performed by Principal Cornet, Ashley Hall-Tighe

The second piece from the pen of Lucy Pankhurst in this programme transported the audience to the sun-soaked streets of spain with her cornet solo, ‘Abrazo’. The title translates as ‘embrace’, but is also the name of the frame used when dancing the tango, where partners change stance by pulling and pushing the frame yet always remaining in physical contact with each other. The solo line emulates this stance by breaking away from the band with technically challenging, virtuosic interludes before being embraced by the ensemble of the accompaniment. The music piece moves towards a cadenza moment that is full of fiery pride, moving away from the tango style the piece evokes and instead moving towards a more upright, stern flamenco. 

From her first note, Ashley commanded our attention with spellbinding technical dexterity and a beautiful sound. The solo line was delivered with dramatic flair, supported perfectly with the ensemble which brought the concept of soloist and band dancing together to life. This is such a cool solo - so if you’re a cornet player who is looking for an exciting work for your next concert performance, you need to have a go at this!

Persistence Fanfare and March by Gail Robertson

This piece was written by the band’s euphonium soloist and Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Central Arkansas, Gail Robertson. The piece was composed as a thank you for everyone around the world for being persistent in the face of adversity during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a grandiose, uplifting piece with that instantly recognisable American marching-band vibe of marches from composers like Sousa. 

The Cosmographic Mystery by Ingebjørg Vilhelmsen

The second major work of the programme was an exciting piece inspired by Gustav Holst with quotations from his planets suite scattered throughout. From the driving opening that transported us into a galaxy of layered melodies with different sections having a moment to stand out to the beautifully warm slow sections - this was a piece of epic proportions. There were moments of gorgeous solo playing. The cadenza on bass was flawlessly executed and a beautiful hymn-like duet moment from euphonium were both highlights in this piece for me. 

The adventurous nature combined with moments of musical dialogue that sounds like the voices of scientists fiercely questioning and debating the mysteries of the universe made this an exciting listen. Similar to Ghosts of Industry, I’m really hoping that this piece will make its way into the UK contest circuit. 

Ned i vester soli glader by Elisabeth Vannebo

From the composer of ‘Elektrodesign’ that was premiered in Foden’s Band’s performance on Friday night, Ned i vester soli glader is a gorgeous duet for euphonium that was performed by Gail Robertson and Bente Illevold. The musical synergy created between the two soloists from the blending of their tones to their well-shaped phrasing as they handed the melody to one another in a stunning musical dialogue was simply gorgeous.

This is a band that comes together with very little rehearsal time before their performance, due to the fact that their members come from all over America and beyond. However, the way Bente and Gail played together is a true testament to their talent, as it seemed that they had been playing together for a long time in the run up to this performance. It was gorgeous! It was great to see our very own Mareika Gray conduct this piece. What a magical moment.

Oh Frabjous Day! Alice Slays! by Kelly Marie Murphy

We took a journey down the rabbit hole to Wonderland for the finale of Athena Brass Band’s programme. This imaginative work by Kelly Marie Murphy allowed the band a final opportunity to display their incredible technical abilities in this dramatic musical depiction of Alice slaying the terrifying Jabberwocky. 

This isn’t the first time that this work has been performed in the UK, with Flowers Band featuring it in their Alice in Wonderland-themed programme for Brass in Concert in 2023. 

The fearsome Jabberwocky is musically outlined with a dissonant, terror-filled opening. When Alice enters, light-footed technical passages paint the image of her weaving in and out with stabs of accented shock notes and thuds of percussion representing the thrusts of her sword. A rall. leads us toward a triumphant last chord as the beast is slain. 

An incredible work to finish an exhilarating, inventive and inspirational programme from Athena Brass Band. If you ever have the opportunity to hear the band - go and get tickets! I cannot wait for the next time I have the privilege to hear this incredible ensemble again.