Empire Brass

What Empire Brass does

Empire Brass is a privately operated classical brass quintet founded in 1971 by Rolf Smedvig, anchored by five core musicians: Rolf Smedvig and Derek Lockhart on trumpets, Victor Sungarian on French horn, Greg Spiridopoulos on trombone, and Kenneth Amis on tuba. The ensemble performs over 100 concerts annually across 35 countries and is described as "North America's finest brass quintet," with repertoire spanning 500+ years of music from Bach and Handel to jazz, Broadway, and world music traditions. The ensemble has been the first brass quintet to win the Naumberg Chamber Music Award and the first ensemble to perform at the newly remodeled Carnegie Hall in December 1987, where it opened the Centennial Gala. Empire Brass serves four primary customer segments: classical music concert audiences, major symphony orchestras (including Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra), music students and educators (via the Empire Brass Seminar at Tanglewood and Boston University Faculty Quintet-in-Residence role), and classical radio audiences (St. Paul Sunday Morning, NPR Performance Today).

The business operates through three revenue streams: concert performance fees booked via two global agencies (CAMI Columbia Artists Management for the Americas and IMG Artists for Europe and Asia/Japan), CD sales at $15 per disc through Telarc Records (15+ titles including classical, baroque, jazz, Broadway, and Christmas albums), and sheet music arrangements at $18-$38 per piece through KRS Publishing, ordered via email or toll-free phone. The go-to-market is sales-led through booking agents for live performances and direct-to-consumer for recordings and sheet music, with marketing driven by television appearances (CBS Good Morning America, NBC Today Show, PBS), press reviews in major publications (Boston Globe, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times), and concert performances at premier festivals (Ravinia, Tanglewood, Caramoor, Saratoga, Chautauqua). Strategic partnerships include Telarc Records (recording label), KRS Publishing (sheet music distribution), CAMI and IMG Artists (booking agencies), and Selmer Company (instrument sponsorship and college clinics). The company maintains a mailing address in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, with no parent company, holding structure, or institutional investment disclosed in the source data.

Name

Empire Brass

Legal name

Empire Brass

Website

https://empirebrass.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Empire Brass is a five-member classical brass quintet founded in 1971 that performs over 100 concerts annually across 35 countries, sells 15+ Telarc recordings, and publishes brass arrangements through KRS Publishing, serving concert audiences, major symphony orchestras, and music students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chamber Music Performances

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Music Publishers (512230), Record Production and Distribution (51225)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arranging & Orchestration (MPAIAHAG)

Keywords

• Brass quintet performances
• Chamber music concerts
• Classical music recordings
• Brass quintet sheet music
• Live ensemble performances

Headquarters

HQ city

West Stockbridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Concert Performance Fees: Revenue from live performances booked through management companies at major concert venues, symphonies, and festivals worldwide
2. CD/Recording Sales: Sale of recordings on Telarc label including classical, baroque, jazz, Broadway, and Christmas albums. All CDs priced at $15
3. Sheet Music Sales: Sale of brass arrangements and transcriptions through KRS Publishing, ranging from $18-$38 per piece

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Empire Brass is a classical brass quintet that delivers live concert performances at concert halls, music festivals, and educational venues. The ensemble also releases studio recordings on the Telarc label and publishes original arrangements and sheet music for brass quintet repertoire.

Product overview

Empire Brass is a renowned brass quintet ensemble offering commercial recordings on the Telarc label, sheet music arrangements for brass quintet published through KRS Publishing, and live concert performances. The ensemble's core product portfolio consists of: (1) Empire Brass Quintet recordings spanning classical transcriptions (Mozart for Brass, Bach Festival, Royal Brass), jazz and Broadway (Braggin' in Brass, On Broadway, Bernstein/Gershwin), world music (Romantic Brass, King's Court & Celtic Fair, Passage), Christmas music (Joy To The World, The World Sings), and organ collaborations; (2) Rolf Smedvig solo trumpet albums including virtuoso trumpet concertos; (3) sheet music arrangements for brass quintet covering repertoire from their recorded albums; and (4) live performances by the five-member ensemble. The ensemble has toured 35 countries and performs with major symphony orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, and New York Philharmonic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Brass Quintet Concert Performances Live concert engagements performed by the Empire Brass quintet at concert halls, music festivals, and educational venues for general audiences, presenters, and arts organizations.
• Empire Brass CD Recordings on the Telarc Label Studio-recorded classical brass-quintet albums released on the Telarc label and sold to individual consumers and collectors of classical recordings.
• Empire Brass Sheet Music and Arrangements Published original arrangements and transcriptions for brass quintet, sold to individual musicians, students, and educators for performance use.

Quantifiable outcome

• First brass ensemble to win Naumberg Chamber Music Award
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CAMI - Columbia Artists ManagementcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorldwide management and booking representation for North & South America. Mark Alpert, Vice President, manages bookings from 1790 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Contact: 212-841-9568
• IMG ArtistscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorldwide management and booking representation for Europe (London) and Asia & Japan (Kuala Lumpur). Antony Warren manages European bookings; Ian Smallbone and Sally Rogers handle Asia/Japan.
• Telarc RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary recording label for Empire Brass and Rolf Smedvig solo recordings. All 15+ Empire Brass CDs released on Telarc including classical, jazz, Broadway, and Christmas albums.
• KRS PublishingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Empire Brass sheet music arrangements. Published transcriptions include Mozart, Bach, Baroque, Renaissance, and classical repertoire.
• Selmer CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstrument maker whose instruments are played by Empire Brass. Company sponsors annual series of college clinics co-sponsored with Empire Brass. Rolf Smedvig is a clinician for Selmer.
• Vincent Bach (Selmer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstrument maker mentioned alongside Selmer as part of Empire Brass equipment providers.
• Universal MusicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMusic industry label providing promotional materials describing Empire Brass as having 'glorious musicianship famous all over the world'.
• New York Philharmonic Brass PlayersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Empire Brass on The Glory of Gabrieli recording featuring antiphonal music for brass choirs.
• Boston Symphony Orchestra Brass PlayersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Empire Brass on The Glory of Gabrieli recording featuring antiphonal music for brass choirs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Emerging players

• Handel and Haydn Society: Handel and Haydn Society is a Boston-based period-instrument orchestra and chorus that performs classical and baroque repertoire with educational programming — a regional peer with overlapping repertoire, recordings, and educational mission.
• Apollo's Fire: Apollo's Fire is a Cleveland-based baroque ensemble that tours, records, and runs educational programs; it competes for similar festival and concert slots as Empire Brass and is comparable in crossover repertoire programming.

Direct peers

• Canadian Brass: Canadian Brass is a world-renowned brass quintet that tours globally, records for major labels, and publishes educational arrangements — the closest direct competitor to Empire Brass in repertoire, format, and commercial model.
• Academy of St Martin in the Fields: The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is a chamber orchestra that tours, records prolifically, and plays in major halls worldwide — directly comparable to Empire Brass in international touring scale, recording output, and reliance on independent artist-led management.
• Orpheus Chamber Orchestra: Orpheus is a conductorless chamber orchestra that tours internationally, records, and performs at premier venues — a comparable self-directed chamber ensemble model with overlapping classical touring, recording, and educational programming.
• American Brass Quintet: American Brass Quintet is a leading U.S.-based brass quintet with a comparable concert-and-recording business model and a similar chamber-music positioning, competing for the same presenter bookings and classical audiences as Empire Brass.
• Atlantic Brass Quintet: Atlantic Brass Quintet is a Boston-area brass quintet active in chamber music performance, recordings, and educational outreach, directly comparable to Empire Brass in ensemble format and educational programming.

Broad incumbents

• New York Philharmonic: The New York Philharmonic is a major American orchestra and longtime Empire Brass collaborator (Carnegie Hall, The Glory of Gabrieli); it represents the broad incumbent classical institution whose programming and tours define the market in which Empire Brass operates.
• Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: CMS is a leading chamber music presenting and performing organization at Lincoln Center; it competes for the same presenter and patron base as Empire Brass and represents a broader, institutionally anchored incumbent in the chamber music space.
• Boston Symphony Orchestra: The BSO is a major American orchestra with which Empire Brass has long-standing collaborative and festival ties (Tanglewood); it represents the broader incumbent classical institution against which Empire Brass is often programmed as a featured ensemble.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empire Brass