The Youth Brass Band Of Central Florida (YBBCF), located in Orlando, Florida, was formed in September of 2007 as an expansion and educational endeavor of the Brass Band of Central Florida. The youth band consists of 30 of the area’s most talented young musicians. The YBBCF’s mission is to provide an opportunity for the finest area brass and percussion students to supplement their wind band experience by performing in a British-style brass band and to raise the overall all level of brass ensemble playing in the area.

The YBBCF will maintain a strict instrumentation based on the British brass band tradition which includes B-flat and E-flat cornets, E-flat tenor horns, and B-flat baritones are used in addition to trombone, bass trombone, tuba, and percussion. In addition to contemporary pieces written for brass band, the group’s repertoire includes orchestral and band transcriptions. Membership in the group is by recommendation and audition, and the season goes from November to April of each year. Future highlights for the brass band will include sponsoring clinics and master classes with various guest artists and conductors.

In its fourth full season, the YBBCF looks forward to continuing to offer an exceptional musical experience for the area’s top young musicians. Repertoire is challenging and the ensemble provides the students with the opportunity to develop their skills as musicians in a youth brass band program that is quickly becoming the premiere organization of its kind.

Openings: We are looking for the highest caliber musicians on trumpets (cornets), horns, trombones, euphoniums, tubas and percussion. Placement will be determined by audition. Audition dates for the 2010-2011 season will be Oct. 17th and Oct 24th, 2011. Please e-mail your interest at  ybbcf@bellsouth.net.

Eligibility: Students must enrolled be in high school or college/university educational program and be accomplished on their instruments. A commitment to the dates in the schedule is also necessary. If you have conflicts with anything on the schedule, contact the Director to see if it will prevent participation.

Current members: Members of the 2009-2010 season of the YBBCF  are automatically invited to audition for the 2010-11 season. The auditions are competitive and placement in the band is based on overall results. Please note that prior participation does not guarantee selection for new season.

New Members: Students interested in auditioning to become new members in the YBBCF must have a written recommendation sent to the Director of the YBBCF before you are invited to audition. Recommendations can be from your band director or private lessons instructor. Auditions are by invitation only. Invitations will be made after a recommendation is received. E-mails are OK for the recommendation, but they should include information about musical ability, responsibility, and character.

Audition material: Each player is required to play 3 to 5 minutes of material that express the player's musical abilities, tone, range, technique, etc. In addition to their own selection, a player will be required to play sight reading material which will be provided at time of audition.

Percussion: You will need to prepare excerpts for timpani, snare and xylophone. The audition location will have instruments; you will need to bring your own mallets.

The Band: The Youth Brass Band Of Central Florida (YBBCF) will accept up to the 32 most advanced players and will play on traditional British style instruments (cornets and tenor horns are provided by the ensemble) with rehearsals being held Sunday afternoons from 1:30pm-3:30 PM in the orchestra room of the First Baptist Church of Orlando starting November 7th, 2010.

All questions and recommendations in regards to the audition should be submitted to the YBBCF Musical Director, Rick Perez at YBBCF@bellsouth.net.

YBBCF 2010-2011 Concerts:

Saturday, April 9, 2011:  11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Friends of Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Central Florida

Winter Park Civic Center, Morse Avenue, Winter Park

Join us at our Ice Cream Social featuring ice cream, entertainment, celebrity servers, cake walk, face painting, balloon art, and special guests including Ronald McDonald®.

Silent Auction will feature items for the entire family.  Special music by the Youth Brass Band of Central Florida.  Presentation Cake by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. 

Rick Perez – Conductor/Music Director

Rick Perez serves as Music Director of the Youth Brass Band of Central Florida in its third season. With over 20 years of musical performance, conducting, and brass band training experience, the conductor of the YBBCF brings a superior musical and educational offering to the direction of this all star ensemble.

Rick began his musical journey as a teenager by participating in the Salvation Army music summer camp programs in Keystone Heights, Florida. By the age of 17 he was conducting his first brass band ensemble as bandmaster of the Hialeah Corps Band. His formal music education continued at Miami-Dade Community College and as a private student of famed trumpet virtuoso and master teacher, Gilbert Johnson (Philadelphia Orchestra, Curtis Institute of Music and University Of Miami.)

Conducting and brass studies continued via various Salvation Army music programs with notable educators and performers including James Curnow (Asbury College), William Himes (Salvation Army Central Territory Musical Director), and Stephen Bulla (President’s Own Marine Band) to name just a few wonderful teachers and mentors that have influenced his musical career.

As a performer and conductor, our musical director has appeared and performed with numerous groups including the Florida Philharmonic, Florida Southern College Brass Quintet, King’s Brass, Sunshine Brass, Southeastern University Wind Orchestra, the Florida Divisional Band, and the Southern Territorial Staff Band of the Salvation Army. In addition to conducting and performing with various ensembles around the country, Mr. Perez has been a regular clinician, conductor, and educator at the Salvation Army’s annual Florida Music Institute (FMI) in Starke, Florida.

Rick Perez currently performs with the award winning Brass Band of Central Florida, the founding and parent organization of the Youth Brass Band of Central Florida. 

Sponsorships

The Youth Brass Band Of Florida is an educational project of the Brass Band Of Central Florida, a 501-C3 not-for-profit organization. Your generous gift to support this on-going project is tax free and will help us offer the best possible experience to the young people that will participate in the group. Every dollar designated for the Youth Band will go to support the program. All officers and director are volunteers.

We would like to acknowledge the following individuals and their respective companies for their support of this outstanding youth program:

Dr. Richard Smith, Smith-Watkins Instruments

Mr. Denis Wick, The Denis Wick Products Company

Mr. Gerry Lopez , Gerry Lopez Music

Mr. Zig Kanstul, Kanstul Instruments

RBC Bank, USA

Your kind and generous support of the Youth Brass Band Of Central Florida allows us to continue to offer a wonderful opportunity to help develop the next generation of great musical artists.

Platinum Level-Donation of $10,000 or more.

Gratitude : Contributor will receive an engraved plaque; name will be mentioned in gratitude at concert, and their name will be listed on Band web site and in programs for three years.

Gold Level-Donation of $5,000. to $9,999.

Gratitude : Contributor's name will be mentioned in gratitude at concert and will be listed on Band web site and in programs for three year.

Silver Level-Donation of $1,000. to $4,999. 

Gratitude : Contributor's name will be listed on the band site, and in the programs for two years.

Bronze Level-Donation of $500. to $999 

Gratitude: Contributor's name will be listed in the programs for one year.

For additional and specific information in regards to sponsorship opportunities for the youth band project, please contact our Music Director, Rick Perez, at YBBCF@bellsouth.net