Chesapeake Brass Band

Founded in the spring of 1996, the Chesapeake Brass Band is a 35-piece-all-brass (and percussion) concert band that has been developed in the tradition of the English brass bands of the last century and more recently the American Sousa-style bands of the early 1900s.

Although the band is headquartered in Hockessin, Delaware, its members come from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. The band began rehearsing in the Band Room of the 287th Delaware National Guard but has since moved to the Cab Calloway School in Wilmington. On occasion the band also rehearses at the University of Delaware.

The band is all volunteer ensemble including the musical director and is a registered 501 c 3 nonprofit organization. No one receives any compensation. The band is primarily composed of accomplished amateur and semi-professional community musicians. Members represented a wide range of occupations including engineers, school teachers, draftsman, lawyers, business owners, accountants, and several retired adults.

The band represents Delaware at Regional music festivals including the Gettysburg PA Brass Band festival and the MidAtlantic Brass Band Festival in New Jersey.It has played concerts in the Mid-Atlantic region of Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania as well as events in Ohio Kentucky, Indiana, and New York. The band has represented Delaware at the North American Brass Band Competition and in 2013 the band won the the North American Brass Band Competition (Division II) in Cincinnati Ohio. At that event, the band also won the national People's Choice Award. More recently, for the last two years the band has participated in the Dublin (Ohio) Brass Band Festival and Competition winning second place honors both years.

The band play a wide repertoire of music from traditional British brass band transcriptions to light classics, marches, big band/swing, jazz and pops as well as providing a narrative on the music to add personal interest, humor and educational value to their concerts.

The Chesapeake brass band is one of the few all-brass concert bands in the United States. The band is a longtime member of the Association of Concert Bands and the North American Brass Band Association.

DIRECTOR- Russell E. Murray, Jr

Music Director Russell Murray began his musical studies with the trumpet at the age of ten. Dr.

Murray earned his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Redlands and his Master

of Music Education from the University of North Texas. Dr. Murray went on to earn his PhD in

Musicology from UNT. He has taught music history and directed early music ensembles at UNT,

Texas Wesleyan University and Rice University. He is currently a Professor in the Music

Department at the University of Delaware, where he is the director of the Collegium Musicum

and is also on the Core Faculty of the Women’s Studies program. He has been at the University

of Delaware since 1991.

In addition to his duties as Music Director of the Chesapeake Silver Cornet Brass Band, Dr.

Murray performs with Newberry's Victorian Cornet Band.