Washington Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble

Considered one of the premiere ensembles of its kind in North America, the Washington Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble (WCSE), directed by Michael Holmes, consists of historic brass instrument specialists based in Washington D.C. Assemblages of cornetts and sackbuts comprised what was the standard brass ensemble of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras in Western music. WCSE's membership has modified and grown considerably since its inception in 1997, performing extensively and in high demand in the Eastern USA by several of the more prominent historic vocal and instrumental groups in the American early music community. Its repertoire has been vast, exploring nearly every possible style period and region where early brass prints and manuscripts are represented, including music from the major Italian, German, Polish, Bohemian, Moravian, Scandinavian, Spainish, and English courts, and even the Americas. In the summer of 2001, WCSE produced its first recording of music by Giovanni Gabrieli and Heinrich Schütz. In August 2003, they were invited to be the featured ensemble at the Historic Brass Society Festival at Yale University (New Haven, CT). WCSE was also featured in the 2004 CD recording Mass in Honor of the Immaculate Conception in music by Monteverdi, Gabrieli, Frescobaldi, Marenzio, and Ugolini, in collaboration with the choir of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. Another one of their recordings of a canzona by Claudio Merulo circulated widely to numerous North American universities in 2005 as part of the anthology for Craig Wright and Brian Simms's music history textbook Music in Western Civilization. The ensemble continues to provide their unique, mellifluous, and historically informed sound for numerous choirs who want to enrich their programming through the glorious forgotten practice of colla parte ("doubling the choral parts") or providing Stadtpfeiffer ("town piper") fanfares and flourishes for stately occasions. Contact: Washington Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble ♦ Email: [email protected] ♦ WCSE is on YouTube and Facebook ♦ 571-277-6994