Concerts at First proudly announces ORGANic BRASS, Music for Organ and Brass Band! The Oregon Brass Society will be joined by organist Lindsey Henriksen Rodgers on Friday, May 22, at 7 PM, performing on the Hochhalter Organ at First United Methodist Church in Eugene. The church is located at 1376 Olive Street. The concert is free to the public and will be the highlight of the OBS Spring season.

The Oregon Brass Society is a thirty piece "British-style" concert brass band, building upon the rich heritage and 200 year-old tradition of brass bands in the United Kingdom. OBS, composed of music educators and musicians from the Willamette Valley and the coast, is the only such brass band in Oregon and one of only a handful in the Pacific Northwest. The instruments in a British-style brass band differ significantly from American bands, not only for the absence of woodwinds but also for the types and sounds of brass instruments used. Except for the trombones, all brass instruments have a conical bore design, producing a darker and more mellow tone quality. The band is conducted by Olin Hannum, Associate Director of Bands at Oregon State University. OBS is a 501c(3) non-profit organization.

Dr. Lindsey Henriksen Rodgers is a faculty member at the University of Oregon, teaching both Musicology and Organ Performance within the School of Music and Dance. She serves as organist for the famous Brombaugh Organ at Central Lutheran Church in Eugene.

The performance will be divided into three sections: two solo pieces by Dr. Rodgers, two pieces by OBS alone, and three pieces for combined organ and brass. Featured pieces in this massed section are Symphonietta Number 2 by Thomas Trachsel, Symphony Number 2 by Elfrida Andree, and the finale from Saint-Saens’s Organ Symphony (probably the best-known composition for organ and orchestra). The beautiful organ at First United Methodist Church provides a glorious sound for French Romantic music including the Saint Saens and the Andree Symphonies. Andree’s music has not seen a lot of play in North America and it's very rare to find that piece performed live.

Come hear the unique sounds and instrumentation of a British-style brass band along with the beautiful melodies of the grand Hochhalter Organ at First United Methodist Church! Free street and lot parking is available for this free concert at First United Methodist Church in Eugene.