International brass sensation to perform with Band of Flight

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Eric Knorr
  • United States Air Force Band of Flight
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Mnozil Brass will perform as guest artists with the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight for a public concert inside the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force's Modern Flight Gallery Saturday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m.

This concert is part of the Vienna, Austria group's first U.S. tour that will take them from New York City to Los Angeles. The band's seven musicians have gained a worldwide reputation as virtuosic brass players, comedic actors and vocalists who appeal to all ages.

The concert is free and no tickets are required. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Seating is limited to the first 1,200 people.

Mnozil Brass has performed throughout Europe, Taiwan, Japan, Canada and Australia at such illustrious venues as Royal Albert Hall in London and Austria's Salzburg Festival.

Formed in 1993, the members of Mnozil Brass were all students at the University for Music and the Arts in Vienna, Austria. Across the street from the school was the Mnozil Inn, which provided a relaxed environment where many musicians tried out their craft.

Mnozil Brass, as they came to be known, initially gained notoriety performing marches, polkas and concert pieces indigenous to Austria (songs they all grew up playing in their respective town bands). They improvised on these common melodies by injecting modern tunes like themes from "James Bond" and "Superman," to name a few.

A writer for the "British Bandsman," an international brass magazine, writes, "A trip to a Mnozil Brass concert is almost impossible to describe in words. If you want to know what to expect, expect the unexpected and, if you get the chance to see them, seize it. Guaranteed is an evening of superlative entertainment blended with great humour."

Members of the Band of Flight first discovered Mnozil on YouTube while preparing the group "Hot Brass" for a Southwest Asia deployment in November 2007. Members of the six-person Air Force ensemble were looking for new and interesting ways to entertain the troops and were inspired by Mnozil's "outside the box" ideas.

Hot Brass specifically targeted Mnozil's arrangement of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by British rock group "Queen." Hot Brass performed the song at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, for more than 4,000 multi-service troops awaiting a visit by then President George W. Bush. The crowd sang along and the performance received rave reviews, helping in the band's effort to bring a piece of home to the deployed troops.

The public is invited for an evening of slapstick comedy, singing, and brass playing patriotic favorites.  For more information about upcoming performances by the Air Force Band of Flight and to sign up to receive the band's new electronic newsletter, please visit www.bandofflight.af.mil.