River City Brass Band
Although they're from a big city, the members of Pittsburgh's River City Brass Band are almost like family. Some of the members have played together since they were kids. There are 10 or 12 members who have known each other since high school.
Founded in 1981 by the late Robert Bernat, the band's conductor and music director for its first 14 seasons, the River City Brass Band consists of about 26 members. Denis Colwell is director.
They do 30 to 40 performances on the road, but perform in Pittsburgh most of the time. The group presents 85 concerts a year. Forty-five of those concerts are in a subscription series that takes in five sites in western Pennsylvania. The popular series draws close to 4,000 season subscribers.
They have played in numerous places from the tennis courts at the National Tennis Center in Adelaide, Australia, to the South Street Seaport in Manhattan.