Brass instruments will sing at one of the concluding classical concerts of Redwood City's varied, generous, and free Music on the Square program.
From June through September, among the participating organizations providing free concerts on the Court Square were: Redwood Symphony, Opera San José, West Bay Community Band, and others.
Now it's the turn of Travis Brass, on Saturday, and the Bay Shore Lyric Opera, on Sunday, to conclude the series of concerts.
The ensemble is part of the Air Force Band of the Golden West from Travis AFB, the only active duty Air Force band west of the Rockies, comprised of 47 musicians.
Besides peforming for civilian communities throughout the West, the band supports 13 Air Force bases, eight Air Force Reserve Wings, and six recruiting squadrons in over 250 annual performances for 1.5 million listeners.
Travis Brass is an ensemble comprised of a brass quintet plus a percussionist. The group showcases a variety of musical styles and features members as soloists or on multiple instruments, including trumpet, French horn, euphonium, trombone, and tuba. Technical Sergeant Christi McGowan, in charge of the Travis Brass and the percussionist, describes it as "a very eclectic group with a wide variety of repertoire."
On any given week, the Brass will play "marches, band or orchestra transcriptions, ragtime, jazz, funk, and contemporary works written for brass quintet," says McGowan. "We try to put a spin on all of these styles to make it enjoyable and relatable to audiences of all ages."
The diversity of Travis Brass is exemplified by such typical programming as Contrapunctus IX by J.S. Bach, followed by Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, and then Dead Man Blues by Jelly Roll Morton.
During September, Travis Brass has performed in San Francisco and San Jose, and will present a free concert in the Los Altos United Methodist Church on Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m.