Laurier Brass Ensemble Concert

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Wednesday, November 11, 2026
7:30 p.m. - Theatre Auditorium
Wilfrid Laurier University

Laurier Brass Ensemble Roster

Program

Halo for Brass Ensemble and Percussion
Martin O'Donnell (b. 1955) and Michael Salvatori (b. 1954)
Arranged by Thomas Kresge

Nimrod (from Enigma Variations)
Edward Elgar (1857–1934)
Arranged by Stewart Lewis

The Lion King
Elton John (b. 1947) and Hans Zimmer (b. 1957)
Arranged by Alan Fernie

But Not for Me
George Gershwin (1898–1937)
Arranged by Rob Hume

Wellerman Sea Shanty Medley
Traditional New Zealand folk song
Arranged by Adam Taylor

ABBA Goes Brass
ABBA
Arranged by Alan Fernie

Program Notes

All of the pieces in our program tonight were written for different contexts and ensembles, and have been arranged and adapted for brass ensemble, hence the name “Brass UnderCOVER”.

Our program begins with Thomas Kresge’s arrangement of the main theme from the video game Halo. Originally for an orchestra, Kresge’s adaptation keeps the surging energy of the piece in the brass section. Second on the program is the emotional Nimrod from Enigma Variations originally written for orchestra by English composer Edward Elgar, arranged by Stewart Lewis. Additionally, Alan Fernie’s arrangement of hits from Disney’s Lion King was originally for a film orchestra. The second half of the program will feature But Not For Me originally from the musical Girl Crazy sung by Ginger Rodgers by George and Ira Gershwin, a quintessential modernist composer. Although the piece was originally composed for the musical, it broke into the mainstream and became a jazz classic with singers like Ella Fizgerald publishing their renditions. Second last is a New Zealand folk song, the Wellerman Sea Shanty, which has been adapted by Adam Taylor who preserves the heavy pounding rhythms from the original in the low brass section. Finally the program will conclude with a medley of some of ABBA’s greatest hits, in ABBA Goes Brass. Alan Fernie took iconic moments from ABBA’s discography and compiled them into an epic medley, perfect for our grand finale in our term concert “Brass Undercover”. Feel free to sing along with any of our pieces if you so please!

Arranged by Thomas Kresge, Halo For Brass Ensemble and Percussion is an homage to the soundtrack from the video game “Halo”, which was originally composed by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori. This piece was commissioned for The Game Brass as a feature in their space-themed video game music album titled “Brass Effect”. With interchanging features between the french horn and trumpet lines, Kresge’s arrangement highlights everything from O’Donnell and Salvatori’s notable lyricism through the use of chorale-like melodies in the brass lines, and its recognizable triumphant march supported by the percussion.
 
Edward Elgar originally wrote the Enigma Variations in 1899 and dedicated them “to my friends pictured within”. Stewart Lewis has adapted the famous variation number nine, Nimrod for brass ensemble. Instead of the violin in the original, the melody is carried by the flugelhorn as well as the cornets throughout the piece. Lewis encapsulated the beautiful swell of the original composition, utilizing the whole ensemble to their fullest extent for the conclusion of the piece. From the composer of Pomp and Circumstance, that never ending piece you hear at graduations, this offers a different side of the Elgar, reaching into his more emotional repertoire.
 
Alan Fernie’s arrangement of pieces from Disney’s 1994 film The Lion King takes moments from the Oscar winning score and arranges them for brass band. The medley features music from the expansive Circle of Life, then the energetic I Just Can’t Wait to Be King. The low brass instruments introduce Scar’s menacing Be Prepared which is followed by the classic Can You Feel The Love Tonight. Finally the bright Hakuna Matata is celebrated by the whole ensemble to conclude the piece. There will be at least something recognizable in this medley, and maybe a little nostalgic. 
 
Originally composed by George and Ira Gershwin, But Not for Me was written for the 1930 Broadway musical “Girl Crazy”, introduced by Ginger Rogers during her Broadway debut as the main character Molly Gray. This particular arrangement is a movement in Rob Hume’s Two Gershwin Classics, which also features an arrangement of Gershwin’s “Summertime”. Hume translates the Gershwins’ lyrical jazz lines into a flugelhorn solo within his arrangement, supported by long harmonic phrases within the broader brass sections.
 
Adam Taylor’s Wellerman Sea Shanty Medley honours traditional New Zealand folk songs, with its moments of the popular nautical tune “Drunken Sailor” and features the 19th-century whaling song “The Wellerman”. With dramatic transitions between pieces, Taylor highlights the most notable parts of the traditionals while adding a twist of his own throughout the medley. See if you can identify when the Wellerman’s chorus appears! 
 
ABBA Goes Brass is a medley of 1970’s pop group ABBA’s most popular pieces. The medley begins with the lively Mamma Mia, followed by The Winner Takes it All featuring a euphonium and cornet duet. Afterwards, the horn section introduces Super Trouper in the style of a chorale when next we’re asked to Take a Chance On Me by the cornets. The mood becomes more sombre when the baritone sings out the melody from I Have a Dream joined by the flugelhorn. Next the energetic Fernando is sung out by the whole ensemble, and in our last hurrah the medley ends in the grand Thank You For The Music. We invite you to sing along with the ensemble as we transport you to a little island in Greece with ABBA’s music.