Niess ’20 Performs with Seraph Brass for Virginia Arts Festival

Caeley Niess ’20 joined award-winning brass group Seraph Brass as a guest artist from Jan. 12 through Jan. 17. She performed 12 concerts with the group for the Virginia Arts Festival in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach areas, visiting elementary, middle and high schools. Seraph Brass is led by Assistant Professor of Trumpet Mary Elizabeth Bowden, M.A. Niess is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Trumpet) and studies with Bowden.

Winners of the 2019 American Prize in Chamber Music, Seraph Brass is a dynamic ensemble drawing from a roster of America’s top female brass players. Seraph Brass released its debut album “Asteria” on Summit Records, winning a Silver Medal Global Music Award. Seraph Brass is in residency at the Walton Art Center’s Artosphere Festival, alongside the Dover Quartet, in the festival orchestra.

Seraph has toured throughout the United States, Mexico, China, South Korea and Europe. The group has performed multiple concerts at the Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, and it has been the featured ensemble at the International Women’s Brass Conference and the International Trumpet Guild Conference. The ensemble has commissioned works by Catherine McMichael and Rene Orth, featured on “Asteria.”