Stellar Brass hits the high notes

49 states. 20 countries. 23 years.

Master Sgt. Karl Bradley, who has served his entire career in the Air Force with the Air Force Academy Band, has performed for communities across the U.S. — and the world — with some of America’s best musicians and has performed at countless prestigious military and civic functions and ceremonies.

As group leader for the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based Stellar Brass — the Academy’s brass ensemble — Bradley and his fellow band members are launching a Montana tour and will be stopping in at least seven cities. Their March 28 performance at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts promises to be a crowd pleaser.

One of nine performing ensembles within the Academy Band, Stellar Brass, which has been an entity since 1955, superbly supports the Air Force Academy Band’s missions of community relations, educational outreach and Air Force recruiting. Described by the International Trumpet Guild as “an ensemble full of variety, panache and virtuosity,” Stellar Brass is an original and innovative brass quintet performing a broad range of eclectic, musical styles.

Band members represent the United States Air Force as musical ambassadors through internationally distributed audio and video recordings and broadcasts, and are nationally recognized and respected as clinicians, presenting university, college and high school master classes. They have also spotlighted the Air Force at prestigious symposia such as the International Trumpet Guild Convention, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the Colorado Music Educators Association Clinic and Conference, as well as at highly-coveted public performances at major concert halls throughout America.

“We want our performances to bring communities together,” Bradley said. “The Air Force Academy Band’s Stellar Brass is excited to carry the Air Force’s message to the people of Montana.”

“There is a lot of really cool stuff going on in the Air Force,” Bradley, who also serves as a liaison for the Academy, said. He highlighted the recent creation of the new branch of the military, the U.S. Space Force, and counted off a number of humanitarian missions the Air Force has conducted around the world, including the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War and the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.

During its performances the band also highlights the Academy’s tradition of welcoming “the best and the brightest” to its numbers.

“Joining the Academy is very competitive,” Bradley, who is married to the leader of and vocalist for The Falconaires, the Academy’s jazz band, attests. “The caliber of musicians is tremendous.”

In Stellar Brass alone four of its members have master’s degrees in music; another has a Doctorate. The group performs 75 to 100 times a year. All members also perform with the Academy’s Marching and Concert bands.

The entire Air Force Academy Band, which consists of nine individual groups and up to 60 members, does 500 performances a year across the country and around the world.

“We have to find philanthropic partners everywhere we go,” Bradley said. “We strive to bring the right partners in to help our mission and to bring a diverse cross-section of people of all ages to our performances.

During their performances the band pays tribute to those who lost their lives while serving their country. And they pay tribute to the veterans in each audience and hometown they visit.

“Music brings people together,” Bradley said. I’ve seen it happen everywhere we go. People don’t always know the members of their community who are veterans. We break down barriers, and after we leave the community is better off for it. Connections with the community are deepened.”

Bradley promises a fun and exciting show featuring a salute to Big Sky Country, music from the movies, patriotic selections and a brand new arrangement put together specifically for their Montana tour and showcasing each band member playing familiar classical pieces.

For Bradley, this tour will be extra special. For an officer who won an audition with the Air Force Academy Band 23 years ago and then joined the Air Force, this will be his last tour. He will be retiring in April.

“It’s been quite a ride,” he said. “And it’s always been amazing meeting so many friends we haven’t met yet.”