Vancouver Brass Collective
The Vancouver Brass Collective (VBC) are young brass and percussion professionals with a shared vision grounded in entrepreneurship and community, aiming to expand and redefine the genre of brass ensemble music.
We caught up with UBC alumni—VBC creator Dasa Silhova (BMus’19, MM’20) and director Jaelem Bhate (BMus’17, MMus’19)—to explore the Collective’s vision, their thoughts on the future of brass music in Vancouver, and their newly released album Acoustic Alloy.
The Vancouver Brass Collective has been called an ensemble “for the community, by the community.” Can you elaborate on what this philosophy means to you and the group as a whole?
The creation and maintenance of an ensemble is all about its people. There are often categorizations of ensembles—amateur, professional, community, recreational, educational—and while these definitions are helpful in many ways and can communicate important context, they sometimes overlook how important it is to start and end with the community in creating any type of musical group. That means responding to the needs of the community in which you work, listening to the needs of the people who call your ensemble home, and fostering opportunity for new musicians to find that musical home with your ensemble. That is the meaning of our collective; a mosaic of people who are brought together by each other and for each other, by the music on the stands for the audience that hears it, more than anything else.
How did the idea of this collective come together, and how has the community in Vancouver supported or influenced the development of the ensemble?
The creation of the Vancouver Brass Collective was primarily the idea of UBC alum Dasa Silhova as a way to provide opportunities for brass musicians in Vancouver. Underpinned by a strong devotion to fostering a sense of belonging within the ensemble, and a commitment to expanding and redefining the genre of large brass ensemble music, Dasa created the VBC with the help of colleagues and friends in 2019. The community of Vancouver is the foundation on which the ensemble is built. Without the support of the immediate community, VBC would not exist. The vibrant and thriving arts community, and talent, of Vancouver is what allows the work of the collective to continue.
“Acoustic Alloy” is a beautiful metaphor for the diversity and identity of the group. Can you talk about how this metaphor reflects the way the members of the ensemble work together and collaborate?
There are many layers to the concept of Acoustic Alloy. This album was designed to celebrate the community nature of the ensemble, and the diversity of brass musicians across Vancouver, Canada and the globe contributing to the genre. With two commissioned works, three Canadian composers, eight living composers, and 25 musicians, the album is the sum of many parts coming together to make one. This was the artistic vision of director Jaelem Bhate and in combination with the metal nature of brass instruments, Acoustic Alloy perfectly represented this project.
Vancouver Brass Collective
Jaelem Bhate (BMus'17, MMus'19), conductor, artistic director, and composer
Vancouver Brass Collective
Marina Antoniou (BMus'18), trombone
Vancouver Brass Collective
Josh Sung, trombone and composer
Vancouver Brass Collective
Sharman King (BMus’70 and Adjunct Professor, UBC), trombone
Vancouver Brass Collective
Jason Ford (BMus'13, DAP '20), horn
Vancouver Brass Collective
Jacob Kryger (MMus'22), percussion
Vancouver Brass Collective
Kaiya Gazley (BMus'23), percussion
Vancouver Brass Collective
Matheus Moraes (MMus'19, DMA'24), trumpet
Vancouver Brass Collective
Chris Baldwin (MMus student), trumpet
Vancouver Brass Collective
Luke Hildebrandt (BMus'18, BEd'21), percussion
Vancouver Brass Collective
Maddie Davis (BMus‘22), horn
Your album features two commissioned works. What was the process for selecting these pieces, and how do they contribute to the overarching theme of the album?
The collective, by nature of its breadth, was lucky to have two composers working within its ranks; trombonist Joshua Sung, and conductor Jaelem Bhate. Utilizing our ‘in-house’ talent seemed like a perfect way to advance our mission of honouring and reflecting the community. Having both composers involved in such a crucial and intimate way in the production and creation of these recordings added another layer of meaning to the record. Tangibly, working with living composers during the recording process ensures that their music is represented in a way that resonates with them, and contributes to the legacy of Canadian composers in an extremely genuine manner.
How do you see the role of contemporary music in shaping the future of the brass community, particularly within Vancouver?
The real power of large ensembles is two-fold; their ability to tell stories through music, and the involvement of so many people in that telling. There are so many stories to be told, and large ensembles like the VBC have the opportunity to choose stories from people and communities that may have been silenced or forgotten. Using contemporary music as a lens through which to examine our role in society as musicians and citizens is a powerful concept that can bring real change—in Vancouver, Canada and beyond.
How did you approach balancing traditional brass sounds with the modern influences and diversity that Acoustic Alloy showcases?
We asked ourselves, from as many different perspectives as we could, if our community could see themselves in what we were recording. Representation matters, and hearing contemporary, female, BIPOC and minority voices alongside Strauss, in proportions that suggest their music is just as relevant and worthy, was vital in ensuring we were finding the right balance.
“Representation matters, and hearing contemporary, female, BIPOC and minority voices alongside Strauss, in proportions that suggest their music is just as relevant and worthy, was vital in ensuring we were finding the right balance.”
This album features 25 musicians and I was curious how the size of the ensemble affects the dynamic between the brass players and percussionists?
In any large group, whether brass, strings, or percussion, a unifying theme has always been breath. Even though percussionists don’t use breath and air to directly make sound like brass players, they do use it to understand character, tempo, dynamic, and all manner of musical information. With breath as a foundation, the distance between a drum and a trumpet shrinks rapidly.
UBC Alumnus, Jaelem Bhate guides the collective’s direction. How would you describe his impact on the creation of Acoustic Alloy and the vision of the ensemble?
Jaelem brings with him a wealth of knowledge in leading large ensembles, as a recording artist, and director with a national reputation. Working with a leader who was born, raised and educated right here in Vancouver means that we are guided by someone who deeply understands the community in which we make music. It means that we are able to rely on the guidance of a conductor who not only knows the ‘what’ but also the ‘why’ of the Vancouver Brass Collective.
How do you envision the Vancouver Brass Collective influencing both the local music scene and broader global musical communities in the years to come?
Our hope is for the VBC to expand what it can offer the community by creating new opportunities for musicians both in the performance and educational realms. Right there in our name, we are committed to the concept of being a ‘collective’. That is, a group of musicians who support each other and work towards a shared vision of success as a team, rather than from a top-down approach. This group is uniquely positioned to be a thought leader within the genre, and an advocate within the community for years to come.
Vancouver Brass Collective Acoustic Alloy
Available wherever you stream your music.
What do you hope listeners take away from Acoustic Alloy, and how does this album reflect the future direction of the Vancouver Brass Collective?
As Acoustic Alloy suggests, everything we do is supported by the concept of making one from many through music. Beyond musical satisfaction, we hope that listeners realize this genre is not as niche as it sometimes seems. That this music, the stories it can tell, and the people it represents, are of today and share a voice through this genre that is just as impactful and meaningful as Beethoven. We hope listeners embrace what is possible, what we have created, and to feel that they are now part of our collective.
Acoustic Alloy features UBC Alumni: Jaelem Bhate (conductor, artistic director, and featured composer), Dasa Silhova (founder, administrative director, and trumpet), Matheus Moraes (trumpet), Albert Wu (horn), Emily Daily (horn), Maddie Davis (horn), Tyrell Loster (horn), Duane Kirkpatrick (horn), Marina Antoniou (trombone), Kevin Jackson (trombone), Sharman King (trombone), Nick Francis (euphonium), Stephen Franklin (euphonium), Alan Li (tuba), Jacob Kryger (percussion), Kaiya Gazley (percussion), Luke Hildebrandt (percussion), and is available on all music streaming platforms.
