Often called the ``Boston Pops in Brass,'' Pittsburgh's River City Brass Band projects a sound so rousing that its audiences can't refrain from tapping their toes and singing along.
The group performs everything from Bach and the Beatles to Mussorgsky and Mancini.
Although they're from a big city, the members 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.
And the family keeps returning to Danville. This year marks the group's fourth year at the festival. It also came in 1994, '96 and '97.
``It's the best showcase of brass in the country,'' explained Milton Orkin, the group's touring coordinator.
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.
The group has a nationally syndicated radio series on public radio. The group's website of www.rcbb.com/press tells where it will be playing.
