Rafael Méndez Brass Institute

Throwback to RMBI 2022

Student Sunday feature!

My name is Gage Beasley, and I will be attending Michigan State University in the fall as a recent graduate of Columbus State university! In the next few months I will be performing in Japan as a member of the Tony award winning Blast stage show. My experience at RMBI in ‘23 helped to shape the success I have seen in my recent professional and collegiate auditions. Masterclasses and chamber coaching from the fantastic faculty were some of my favorite parts of the week, but the long lasting friendships and professional bonds made at the institute will continue to help shape my musical career in the future. RMBI is a fantastically well run institution and will no doubt continue to shape the brass players of the next generation.

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Faculty Friday: Featuring our additional guests speaker, Becky Wilkins!

BECKY WILKINS joined the Denver Brass team in 2010 and was appointed Executive Director in 2015. In 2012, she was selected Conference Director of the prestigious international Rafael Méndez Brass Institute. Becky holds an MBA with specialization in Sports & Entertainment Management from the University of Colorado Denver, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, with minors in business and leadership studies. A Colorado native, Becky is proud to be contributing to the growth and development of music and the arts in the Denver-metro region. She lives in Georgetown with her husband, Scott, and spends the little free time she has skiing, biking, quilting and practicing her horn.

Throwback to RMBI 2023!

Student Sunday: Featuring Nathan Mugan

RMBI is a fantastic musical experience. It is an opportunity to make music with fellow brass students from across the United States and beyond. The faculty is too notch and ready share their musical knowledge, from performance practices to sustaining a career in performance and education. The concluding Summit Brass concert, of which students take part, is a magical finale.

Nathan Mugan - Undergraduate Bass Trombone student at Southern Methodist University

Faculty Friday: The Denver Brass!

The Denver Brass was founded in 1981 by Kathy and Chuck Brantigan, as an all-new, one-of-a-kind brass chamber ensemble which would be in the forefront of performance, entertainment, commissions and education. Today, The Denver Brass is an elite ensemble recognized throughout the U.S. and the world as one of the premier ensembles of its kind – setting itself apart through its sound, original repertoire, recordings and concert productions.

With 14 world-class musicians, The Denver Brass performs its own original compositions and arrangements and reaches 30,000+ persons annually through more than 140 concerts and outreach services. The ensemble has more than 32 recordings and is heard daily on radio stations throughout the world. We work diligently and methodically to increase outreach and exposure, not just to be heard or appreciated, but to provide inspiration, pleasure, and sustenance to as many people as possible.

The trademark sound of The Denver Brass features a dazzling array of more than 13 distinct brass instruments plus percussion, utilizing mutes, technique and sound expertise to produce a rainbow of sound phenomena - not a band, not an orchestra, an entirely new sound. Originally a classically-oriented ensemble, today we feature a musical palate as diverse as the culture of the western US to present a sound experience that makes an impression long past the final chord of the concert.

Featuring student Sunday. Meet Ciera Alkhoury:

I am currently pursuing a BM in Music Performance (French horn) alongside a minor in Music History at the University of the Pacific. I attended RMBI at the end of my senior year of high school. I am so grateful that RMBI was able to help guide me in that transition to college, as it did wonders in preparing me for the level of musicianship I would encounter in higher education. While at RMBI, I really enjoyed getting to attend masterclasses, discussion panels, and perform in chamber groups with fellow participants. The sense of community and welcome at RMBI is exceedingly strong. The evening concerts were also a favorite of mine, especially the performance by Denver Brass. Everything I took away from RMBI, most notably, the connections, still continue to serve me today. It was a monumental time for my music making.

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Throwback Thursday from RMBI 2024

Early bird registration for RMBI 2026 has been extended to Friday 4/3. After Friday, prices will increase. Apply today!