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Highlands Brass The Highlands Brass Quintet from the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, New York, has been delighting audiences throughout the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with its unique brand of music since 1985. Performances by the group have been described as, "wonderful, eclectic and flawless performances full of energy and enthusiasm." A large and diverse repertoire representing all styles of music from the 16th century to the present, enable the group to offer a well-balanced program that is sure to satisfy any musical appetite. The Highlands Brass Quintet performs regularly for various ceremonies and receptions at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The group continues to thrill the hearts of many, as they perform in the Academy Band's Chamber Music Recital Series and can be seen playing for schools, community events and performing arts series throughout the Tri-State Region. This group proudly represents the state of the arts at the United States Military Academy. MASTER SERGEANT HARRY DITZEL - HORN, obtained his Bachelor of Music degree from the New School of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has performed as the principal horn player in the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra and the Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra. Since 1996, MSG Ditzel has served as principal horn in the USMA Band. SERGEANT FIRST CLASS RICHARD JOHNSON - TRUMPET, is originally from northern Minnesota. After graduating from the Univ. of MN-Duluth with a BM in classical performance he moved to New York City to be part of the city’s vibrant music scene. He went on to study jazz at the Manhattan School of Music where he graduated in 2000 with a Master's degree. He has been a member of the Jazz Knights since 2003. Along with playing third trumpet in the Jazz Knights, SFC Johnson has a variety of performance experience; with Lyric Recovery at Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, recording two albums for Koch International with the New York City based Gramercy Brass Orchestra, on saxophonist/composer Jason Rigby’s highly acclaimed record Translucent Space on the Fresh Sound New Talent label, as well as the upcoming Opsvik & Jennings record Commuter Anthems on the Rune Grammofon label. SFC Johnson has also worked with pit orchestras, small groups, recorded TV and film scores, and performed in the U.S. and China with musicals and jazz groups. Recently SFC Johnson has begun working with laptop, electronics and different treatments on the trumpet in solo and group settings. STAFF SERGEANT SCOTT BEAVER - TUBA, joined the U.S. Military Academy Band in May of 2005. Prior to joining the band, Scott was a member of the New Mexico Brass Quintet. He holds an undergraduate degree from Tennessee Tech University, where he studied with R. Winston Morris, and is currently finishing his Master's degree at the University of New Mexico where he studies with Karl Hinterbichler. He is a recent winner of the University of New Mexico Concerto Competition, the Arapahoe Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, as well as the top wind player in the Kingsville Concerto Competition. STAFF SERGEANT DEREK LANCE - TRUMPET, joined the United States Military Academy Band in the fall of 2005. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and recently completed graduate studies at the Juilliard School in New York. He has studied with Philip Collins, Frank Kaderabek, David Bilger and Mark Gould. Lance is a member of the New York Staff Band of The Salvation Army and is frequently featured as a soloist, recently performing on their tour of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. He has also performed with the New York Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony. STAFF SERGEANT PHILIP STEHLY - TROMBONE joined the Academy Band in the summer of 2005. A native of Kansas City, he received a Bachelor of Music in trombone performance from Indiana University. While at Indiana, he was the principal trombonist of the Wind Ensemble under the direction of Ray Cramer. SSG Stehly has also performed with the IU New Music Ensemble, IU Symphony Orchestras and the Bloomington Camerata. His principal teachers are Roger Oyster of the Kansas City Symphony, and Dee Stewart and Peter Ellefson of Indiana University.
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