The Inside Story: Calliope Brass and SECOND NATURE

As a musical ensemble and non-profit organization, Calliope Brass flourishes in its joint mission of cultivating both entertainment and education. And with the freshly-commissioned contemporary works on SECOND NATURE, this vibrant ensemble proves that innovation lies at the very core of its existence.

Today, the members of Calliope Brass are our featured artists in the “Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our composers and performers. Read on to learn more about each members’ passions outside of music, dream artistic collaborations, and their collective love for happy hour…

What have been your biggest inspirations on your musical journey? 

We are inspired by our peers and our students! We learn so much from each other and from our friends in the music scene in NYC. A few of us teach as well, and watching our students learn, persist, and grow is always inspirational. A few of us also have parents and older siblings who are musicians, and witnessing their careers has made it easier for us to imagine and pursue a career in music. 

If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing? 

Olivia: My other great love/hobby is reading so I think in an alternate universe I am some kind of fiction book editor. In real life, in addition to my performance work I am an arts nonprofit grant writer. 

Sam: Before I was accepted into a performance graduate school program, I was well on my way to start a career as an actuary. When I was straddling both paths, I would joke that I would either be able to afford tubas or be able to play them very well, but not both! I still enjoy math and tutor students to this day. 

Erin: I actually already work in data analysis research for a software company in addition to my music career. I use data to understand the customer experience, and tell the story of what we can do to improve our customer support to the people in my company with the power to make changes. I’ve also gotten very good at using the software to automate processes, which has come in handy for running the Calliope organization. 

Sara: I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never had a Plan B. 

Rebecca: I’ve spent a lot of time working musician adjacent — as a music teacher and for arts nonprofits. I would go full on into one of those roles! 

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? 

Olivia: Tine Helseth. She was the first trumpet player whose sound I fell in love with, and I still want to sound like her when I grow up. 

Sam: Louis Cole. I don’t know if I could keep up with him, but I really enjoy the humor, weight, groove, and uniqueness of his music and collaborations. 

Rebecca: Shaina Taub — she is changing the world with her art. 

What advice would you give to your younger self? 

Olivia: Persistence is the most important thing. You will succeed if you keep showing up. And it’s not a race — everyone gets where they need to be in their own time. 

Sam: You don’t need to wait for permission to dream big. 

Erin: Friction builds strength, so lean into the hard parts as a learning experience. Frustration is normal but don’t let it stop you from showing up. 

Sara: Ask for help before you think you need it. 

Rebecca: Love yourself first. 

What are your passions outside of music? 

Calliope Brass: Happy hour at Taqueria Diana.

Olivia: Reading good books. Also, in the past year my husband and I have been having fun baking pies together from the Sister Pie cookbook (one day we’ll make a pilgrimage to Sister Pie in Detroit). 

Sam: Traveling to new places (with or without a tuba). 

Erin: Spending an inordinate amount of time at the local coffee place and walking around the park with my husband Aleks. 

Rebecca: Reading, seeing theater, drinking negronis on the couch with my husband Owen and dog Marlon. 

Sara: Reading spec fic and having opinions about coffee. 

What emotions do you hope listeners will experience after hearing your work? 

We think every track on the album will elicit different emotions, but we hope that people who listen to the album as a whole feel connected to nature – whether it’s the great outdoors or human nature! Perhaps the easiest track to feel emotion through is Lillian Yee’s Miracles of the Human Condition. This piece explores the trajectory of a romantic relationship and we hope you will feel all of it – the excitement of first meeting, the anxiety and anger of an argument, the peace of making amends, and the total elation of making peace and getting married. In a more broad sense, we hope that you feel inspired to make your own art after listening to ours.