The Madison Brass Band, a volunteer ensemble of local musicians, will compete at the North American Brass Band Championships this weekend against 45 other bands in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Today, each band will perform the same test piece assigned for their division in front of a panel of judges. The assigned piece is meant to challenge every aspect of performance including speed, volume and range.
On Saturday, each band will perform a piece of their choice. In both cases, judges listen from behind a curtain to ensure the focus of the competition relies solely on the musical performance.
Bands are sorted into three levels: first, second, and third divisions, with first being most difficult. Madison’s band falls into the second division.
Founded in 2002 by Steve Tweed and a group of friends, the Madison Brass Band has grown into a volunteer ensemble made up of local musicians, including many University of Wisconsin students and alumni. Tweed continues to perform with the group as a tuba player. He, along with the rest of the ensemble, encourages people of any age, profession or experience to join.
“That’s what it’s all about, is trying to get more people into brass band music,” Tweed said.
Chris Fiol has conducted the Madison Brass Band since October. They first joined in 2022 as a tuba player while attending graduate school at UW-Madison and have stayed with the band ever since.
“The people in the band are some of my best friends,” Fiol said. “It is a community… I rely on them.”
When they’re not competing, they can be found performing at events all over, from local parades to regional festivals. They have been preparing for the national competition since January and look forward to connecting with other brass musicians who share their enthusiasm for the unique music.
“Almost every town used to have a band. But for the last 120 years, they've been dying out,” Tweed said. “Everybody should know that we represent Madison in all sorts of other places around the country, whenever we go to play.”
