By Katherine Buerke ’26, staff writer
The internationally acclaimed brass quintet Seraph Brass recently visited LVC to conduct a masterclass for brass music students and perform a free concert for the college community.
The group is an all-female ensemble that seeks to inspire female musicians and composers through their work. They tour extensively around the United States and have also toured internationally, most recently to Peru in 2024.
Mary Elizabeth Bowden, co-founder and trumpeter for the group, grew up playing trumpet in an era when most brass players were male.
“I started playing the cornet when I was ten because my two older brothers played horn and trombone,” Bowden said. “It wasn’t common to have girls in the brass section— but I kept tying for first chair with two other girls. It was great to have that competition.”
Seraph Brass was founded in 2014 after Bowden discovered an old bucket list she had made in college. “The idea was marinating for many years,” Bowden said.
During its stay at LVC, Seraph Brass conducted a masterclass on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Horn players performed a variety of solo pieces, while members of Seraph Brass provided feedback on students’ performances in one of the many ways the ensemble seeks to uplift future brass players.
Their concert was on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Zimmerman Hall and was the most recent performance in the Burgner Concert Series, which brings in performers from across the country during the semester.
The concert featured traditional brass arrangements as well as contemporary pieces highlighting new composers such as the newly commissioned piece “Monochrome Metronome” by Gala Flagello.
Performers included Mary Elizabeth Bowden and Morgan Low on trumpet, Layan Atieh on horn, Lauren Casey-Clyde on trombone, and guest performer Claudia Shassberger on tuba. For more information on Seraph Brass, visit their website https://www.seraphbrass.com/ or follow their Instagram @seraphbrass.