The River City Brass Band is a modified British-style brass band based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band performed its first concert on November 21, 1981, with its founder Robert Bernat as conductor. In addition to its accessible performance style, RCBB is renowned for its recordings and original compositions. Part of its mission is to propagate and promote the brass band through recordings and commissioning new works and arrangements. To date, RCBB has released fifteen recordings that are distributed nationally and internationally. The band annually performs nearly sixty concerts in the Pittsburgh area. RCBB differs from most brass bands in that the instrumentation has been altered. French Horns are used instead of alto horns, and a Eb soprano trumpet is employed in place of a soprano cornet. The result of the soprano trumpet is a lighter, brighter, more "orchestral" sound than the traditional brass band.
On April 29, 2010 the band appointed a new conductor to replace retired conductor Denis Colwell after a series of concerts with guest conductors "auditioning" for the spot. James Gourlay of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, was selected, and will be leaving Scotland in August.
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