TILT Brass is a Brooklyn-based organization dedicated to creating new content and contexts for contemporary brass music by producing inventive concert programs, recording projects, and commissioning initiatives. Led by composer, trombonist, and curator Chris McIntyre, TILT boldly positions itself as the vanguard presenter, educator, and advocate for new brass music in New York City.
Formed nearly 10 years ago in January 2003 by McIntyre and hornist Gregory Evans, TILT primarily presents the work of living composers, having premiered over 20 compositions thus far. Its ensembles, anchored by its two resident ensembles, TILT Creative Brass Band (TCBB) and TILT SIXtet, include many of the brightest stars from the local brass community in configurations ranging from solo and chamber ensembles to experimental brass orchestra. TILT projects have been presented in a number of vital New York venues including the Whitney Museum, ISSUE Project Room, Joe’s Pub, Cornelia Street Cafe, and The Stone. In December 2011, TILT Brass was a featured ensemble during the final performances of the Merce Cunningham Dance Co. at Park Avenue Armory. Of TILT’s recent East Coast Premiere of Dutch master Louis Andriessen’s “post-Minimalist magnum opus” De Volharding (1972), The NY Times said TILT gave “an exhilarating account.”
TILT Brass regularly presents thematic concert programs, such as New York Noise (historical and current works by important artists from the NYC Downtown community) and To TILT: Original Music for TILT Brass, both on-going, multi-season series. Its existing repertoire includes works by contemporary masters such as Anthony Coleman, Lois V. Vierk, John Adams, Nick Didkovsky, and John King, mid-career peers like Chris Jonas and Taylor Ho Bynum, and composing ensemble members McIntyre, Nathan Wooley, and Curtis Hasselbring. TILT Brass' first full length recording was released in April 2011. To TILT: Volume 1, the first in a series presenting commissioned works, features the Creative Brass Band. Vol. 2, scheduled for release in Spring 2014, will feature SIXtet and various chamber music works.