A4 Brass Quartet

Multi-award winning A4 Brass Quartet presents a lunchtime recital exploring the colour and versatility of brass chamber music through a programme spanning four centuries. From the brilliance of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro Overture and Bach's Inventions to Vaughan Williams' English Folk Song Suite, Gregson's Brass Quartet No. 2 and the exhilarating finale from Gounod's Faust, the programme showcases music both familiar and unexpected.

Formed at the Royal Northern College of Music, the Quartet has established a distinguished reputation for imaginative programming and exceptional ensemble playing. Three of its members began their musical journeys with The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, reflecting the enduring strength of Britain's brass band tradition and the pathways it creates for outstanding young musicians.

Programme:
Richard Strauss Festmusik der Stadt Wien
Mozart Marriage of Figaro Overture
J.S. Bach Inventions 1-4
Vaughan Williams English Folk Song Suite
i. March – Seventeen Come Sunday
ii. Intermezzo – My Bonny Boy
iii. March – Folk Songs from Somerset
Bruckner Locus Iste
Edward Gregson Brass Quartet No. 2
Grainger Molly on the Shore
Gounod Finale from ‘Faust’

Performers and biography:
Jamie Smith cornet / flugelhorn
Jonathan Bates tenor horn
Mike Cavanagh baritone horn
Chris Robertson euphonium

A4 Brass Quartet comprises principal players from some of the UK’s top brass bands, including Black Dyke, Grimethorpe Colliery and Brighouse & Rastrick. With “technical virtuosity in abundance” (Brass Band World), these four astonishing musicians come together to perform both lyrical and high-octane works, forming a distinctive and new take on chamber music.

The Quartet’s unique blend of instruments - cornet, tenor horn, baritone, euphonium - creates an exclusive sound that stands out from the standard brass quartet. With this unusual instrumentation, A4 Brass has actively developed their repertoire, commissioning new music, composing and arranging music themselves.

Formed in 2013 at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), A4 Brass Quartet is a multi-award-winning chamber ensemble at the forefront of British brass chamber music. Prizes include the Royal Over-Seas League Chamber Music Competition, a Tunnell Trust Award, the Musicians’ Company Maisie Lewis Prize, and the Tillett Trust Young Artists’ Platform.

In 2018 they were selected to become City Music Foundation Artists and the first brass ensemble to ever win the Royal Philharmonic Society Henderson Chamber Ensemble Award. They also regularly work with Live Music Now and Music in Hospitals & Care and are committed to expanding and diversifying their work.

The Quartet has performed widely throughout the UK appearing at major venues and festivals including Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Cadogan Hall, St. John’s Smith Square, Purcell Room, St. Margaret’s Church Westminster Abbey (for Park Lane Group), Battersea Arts Centre (RPS Awards), St. Martin-in-the-Fields & St. James’ Piccadilly (for ROSL), Lake District Summer Music, Northern Aldborough, Wimbledon International and King’s Lynn Festivals. Overseas engagements include the Osaka Festa (Japan), residencies at the Lieksa Brass Week (Finland), Ceresio Estate Festival (Switzerland), Sibelius Academy (Finland), and two appearances at the Trakai Fanfare Week (Lithuania).

In 2018 the Quartet completed the prestigious International Artist Diploma (IAD) in Chamber Music at the RNCM as John Fewkes scholars and upon graduating were invited to become Honorary Associate Artists of the RNCM. In 2020, A4 Brass Quartet became the first ever ensemble to be awarded Associate Members of the RNCM (ARNCM) in recognition of the Quartet’s success in the music profession.

The Quartet has featured on national television and radio, appearing multiple times on both ITV’s Christmas Carol Concerts and BBC Radio 3’s ‘In-Tune’ with Sean Rafferty and Katie Derham. In 2016 they released their debut CD, Mists of the Mountains, at the RNCM Brass Band Festival featuring new, original music composed for them, including works by Martin Ellerby, Edward Gregson, Oliver Waespi and Nigel Clarke. In 2021 they released their second studio album, Mosaic, on the SOMM Recordings label to critical acclaim and has since been featured on Classic FM, BBC Radio 3 and Scala Radio, and their latest album, Classic, was released in 2026.