The Canadian Brass originally included "Ensemble" in its name, but in 1971, the
Hamilton Philharmonic's then-music director Betty Webster suggested that the quintet should be officially named the Canadian Brass. Canadian Brass made its American debut at the
Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C. in 1975. A significant international visit was made in 1977 when they were sent to
mainland China as a cultural exchange between
Canada and
China. The ensemble was chosen and sent on this cultural mission by then-Prime Minister
Pierre Elliott Trudeau. They are now remembered in China as the first
Western musicians allowed into China after the
Cultural Revolution had suppressed Western art and music. In 1979, the Canadian Brass became the first chamber ensemble to solo the main stage at
Carnegie Hall. As
The New York Times reported, their sold-out performance "clearly establishes the Canadian Brass as a main-stage attraction." In addition to their heavy international touring schedule for nearly 50 years, and their extensive recording catalog, they have been on the
Billboard charts in each decade of their existence, recording for
RCA Records,
BMG,
Columbia Records,
SONY,
Philips Decca, Steinway Label and
Opening Day Entertainment occupying virtually all the spots open to brass players. As of 2020, Canadian Brass recordings have been released by
Toronto-based Canadian Brass Store. The first recordings the Brass created were for the
CBC Radio transcription service,
CBC Records, including their very first major concert in Toronto the summer of 1971. Record producer Eleanor Sniderman discovered the group and put the group on its first commercial LPs in 1973 and 1974, which then attracted major artist management in New York City. In 1977, the same year the Brass represented North America in the People's Republic of China, a live radio broadcast on WQXR was heard by multi-Grammy award-winning producer Jay Saks, who was impressed, and brought the group to the prestigious
RCA Red Seal label. The ensemble was then scouted by CBS records, soon to be Sony, where they recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony brass players, establishing a repertoire that is now standard for expanded brass ensembles. When the group's former manager, Costa Pilavachi, assumed the post of "Head of A&R" at Philips Records in the Netherlands, he lured the Brass to his new label, establishing a new European presence for the group. In 1992, the Brass returned to RCA, releasing fourteen albums in eight years, including Bach's Goldberg Variations, for which the group won a German
Echo award. ==Members==