Members
John Altieri, Tuba
Hailed by Broadway World as "graceful, sensual, and modern" and Prescott News as a "cross between sonorous classicism and adventurous groove and squawk," Altieri's music has been performed by the Saskatoon Symphony Chamber Orchestra, the California EAR Unit, NOW Ensemble, the Prism Brass Quintet, the Y Trio, the Penfield Commissioning Project, and other musicians and soloists at festivals and venues such as Tanglewood, Aspen, Bowdoin, Bang On A Can at MASS MOCA, S.W.Tuba Conference, Eastman, Mannes, Oberlin, U of Maryland, U of Arizona, HERE Art Center, and the Brooklyn Conservatory to name a few. His 30 minute modern dance work, "My Words Turn to Song in Your Fists", has been produced on two different occasions resulting in sold out runs in New York at the Here Art Center as part of their American Living Room Festival in 2005, and at the Marroney Theatre in Tucson, Arizona in 2002. His orchestration of Carter Little's film score for "The Living Wake" which had its five star premiere at the Cinevegas Film Festival in 2007 was praised by "Variety" magazine, calling the score "ideally captive of the eccentricity." He has twice been featured as an emerging composer with the California EAR Unit's Circuit Breaker's Concerts in 2002 and 2005. Twice a finalist of ASCAP Composer Awards, John's work has been spotlighted on NY radio as part of the Brooklyn Composer's Collective concert held at the Brooklyn Conservatory while his other film scoring for short films "Almost Home" by John Rubin and "Love is Hell" by Dave Dormon have appeared at festivals across the U.S. and abroad.
The NY Times recently photographed him as conductor of Missy Mazzoli's new scores for Alice Guy Blache's turn of last century's silent films, claiming the scores to be "engagingly idiosyncratic." He appears as conductor on William Brittelle's "Mohair Time Warp" recorded on the New Amsterdam Records Label. He has conducted the Bolling Air Force Band as an audition finalist in addition to the California EAR Unit, Bang On A Can MassMoca Ensemble, University of Rochester Wind Ensemble, and chamber and orchestral works at Eastman School of Music, Aspen Festival, Bowdoin Festival, HERE Art Center, University of Arizona, BAM Cafe, Issue Project Room, Tonic, Galapagos Art Space, Roulette, and the Renee Weiler Concert Hall among others.
As tuba player, John received a coveted Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music for his adventurous and virtuosic solo tuba performances and has since gone on to perform solo, chamber, and orchestral music in Japan, Europe, Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. Of note, Huis Ten-Bosch Quintet (Nagasaki, Japan), Alarm Will Sound, Tucson Brassworks, Bang On A Can Marathon and Mass Moca, and carries the honor of being the first ever tuba soloist at the Bowdoin Festival in summer 2002 since its inception in 1975.
As teacher, John has taught at Hunter College, University of Arizona, Mannes Prep, Juilliard Prep, Williamsville East H.S., French Road E.S., Tucson Unified School District, Brooklyn Steppers, Meyer Levin School of Performing Arts, and the Academy for College Prep/ Erasmus High School.
John was also the American Composers Orchestra Director of Education for the 07-08 season. He holds a B.M. from the Eastman School of Music and an M.M. from the University of Arizona. He has studied composition with Sydney Hodkinson, Samuel Adler, Dan Asia, and Dan Coleman; conducting studies with Brad Lubman, and tuba with Don Harry and Cherry Beauregard.
Mike Gurfield, Trumpet 
California native Mike Gurfield is one of New York City's most sought after trumpet players. Playing everything from baroque to ultra-modern music, Mike has appeared live on the radio and on CD and DVD performances with the contemporary music ensembles Alarm Will Sound and Signal Ensemble, on Broadway, most recently with "South Pacific" at Lincoln Center and "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", and in concert with the Harrisburg Symphony, Rochester Oratorio Society, New York Symphonic Ensemble, Knights Chamber Orchestra, and many others. Mike is also active in the indie-rock circuit, performing with such bands as The Dirty Projectors, Tyondai Braxton, Tall Tall Trees, Rachel Lipson and the Tip Top Band, and others. As a clinician, Mike has given master classes at NYU, the Eastman School of Music, Western Michigan University, Nazareth College, the Banff Center for the Arts, the University of the Arts, and Mexico’s UAM. Mike was also this year's guest trumpet faculty of NYU's summer brass institute, and is the head of the brass department at New York's Greenwich Music House School. Mike has been heard live on the radio on NPR, KUSC, KKGO, WXXI, Radio Bremen, among others, and can be heard on recordings from such labels as Sony Classical, Warner Brothers, Warp Records, Naxos, New Amsterdam Records, Mode Records, Domino Records, and many more. In addition to being a founding member of the Brooklyn Brass Quintet, Mike is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Deviant Septet, a seven-piece chamber music ensemble dedicated to contemporary music, and performs regularly with BBQ trombonist Sean Reed as part of their brass duo, Hegemony. Mike studied formally at the Eastman School of Music under James Thompson. Mike enjoys long walks on the beach at sunset and Mexican food.
Matt Marks, French Horn
Originally from Southern California, Matt Marks received his formal education at the Eastman School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music in London. A founding member of the Brooklyn Brass Quintet, Matt has been a significant presence in the New York City contemporary and experimental music scene since his debut in 2002 when he performed the New York premier of Ligeti’s Hamburg Concerto for solo horn at the Miller Theater. Of the performance The London Financial Times wrote that “Matt Marks played brilliantly” and the NY Times spoke of “lots of wonderful moments”. A founding member of the new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound, he has appeared as a soloist with the group on several occasions and played concerts with them at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, Ca., and many others around the country. Alarm Will Sound can most recently be heard on their newest album, Acoustica: Alarm Will Sound performs the music of Aphex Twin, which was praised by Billboard Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, the New York Times, and much of the mainstream press. Matt has had the pleasure of working with many contemporary composers, such as Steve Reich, John Adams, Augusta Read Thomas, Benedict Mason, David Lang and others. As a composer Matt has performed original music at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Eastman School of Music, Dickinson College, and clubs throughout New York City. This last season Matt made his solo horn debut at Carnegie Hall, performing Stefan Freund’s Paper Trail. Current projects include his BDSM-themed Ensemble de Sade, his upcoming Christian electronica musical The Little Death, and an arrangement of The Beatles’ Revolution #9 for Alarm Will Sound to be performed this season at the Kitchen and next year at Carnegie Hall.
Matthew Mead, Trumpet 
Matthew Mead, born in Seattle Washington, grew up and studied trumpet in San Diego and around Southern California. Matthew attended the Eastman School of Music, where he studied trumpet with world renowned trumpeter and pedagogue James Thompson. In 2004, after receiving his degree in trumpet performance, Matthew moved to Cuiacan, Mexico, where he plays in the Orquesta Sinfonica Sinaloa de las Artes. Matthew has perfomed with a variety of groups including the Eastman Wind Ensemble, San Diego Symphony, QC New Music Group, and the Music Academy of the West Orchestra and Faculty brass quartet.In his spare time, Matthew enjoys cooking and surfing.
Sean Reed, Trombone
Trombonist, Sean Scot Reed has performed in the United States, China, Singapore, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Israel, Thailand, Vietnam, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. He is the former Principal Trombonist of the Thailand Philharmonic, Associate Principal Trombonist of the Israeli Symphony Orchestra, Rishon LeZion, Israel, Principal Trombonist of the Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra, Second Trombonist of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Principal Trombonist of the Spoleto, Italy Festival Orchestra. Reed has also performed with the Houston Symphony, Bangkok Symphony, the Siam Philharmonic, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, the Austin Symphony, Luciano Pavoratti, Placido Domingo, Rene Fleming, Red Rodney, Duffey Jackson, Steve Houghton, Bob Mintzer, Marvin Stamm, Dave Steinmeyer, Doug Flutie, Frankie Vallie, Freddie Cole, Maria Sneider, Bobby McFerrin, Teo Macero, Bob Sneider, Tim Hagan, Alarm Will Sound, the American Wind Symphony, Chautauqua Institution Festival Orchestra, Scotia Festival, Victoria Bach Festival the North Carolina School of the Arts International Music Program, Brass-Arts Bangkok, the Bangkok Brass Quintet and as Lead Trombonist of the Eastman Jazz Ensemble. Recent performances include the Eastern Trombone Workshop and the Kennedy Center and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Sean Reed is currently the Director of Brass Studies at NYU Steinhardt.
