The Curvd Aire Brass Quintet


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Music for Weddings, Parties, Concerts and Recitals,

Services, Graduations, Holidays and other Special Events.

Ensembles, Soloists, and Guest Performances.

Curvd Aire? Simply put, it is the essence of music. Waves of sound. The curved pipes of brass instruments. The graceful lines of melody. There are beautiful curves in all music and art.

Curvd Aire is an ensemble of professional musicians with a remarkable history of experience, education and musical talent, including current and former members of many of the most prestigious musical organizations in the Sacramento region. The members of Curvd Aire have extensive experience and training in classical and commercial music, and have performed and recorded music in all genres.

This diversity of skills and experience enable Curvd Aire to provide exactly the kinds of music you need for any occasion.
In addition to the brass quintet, Curvd Aire can also provide soloists, chamber groups, or large ensembles, according to your needs and budget.
We specialize in weddings, concerts and recitals, parties, services, graduations, holidays, and other special events. Curvd Aire performs alone or as guest artist(s) with other ensembles.

With members of the Camellia, Auburn, Sutter and CSUS Symphonies as well as numerous brass and woodwind ensembles, this fine ensemble is made up of brass and woodwind musicians with keyboards and other vocalists and instrumentalists available on request. The members of Curvd Aire have extensive experience and training in classical and commercial music, and have performed and recorded music in all genres. Most have music degrees, and all play with great skill and elan.

This diversity of skills and experience help Curvd Aire to provide exactly the kinds of music you need for any occasion.

Curvd Aire can provide soloists, chamber ensembles, or large ensembles, according to your needs and budget.

To contact Curvd Aire, send E-mail to CurvdAire@aol.com or call (916) 835-7426.

The Curvd Aire Brass Quintet is:

Angel Contreras, Horn
Angelina Contreras just completed her undergraduate studies at CSU, Sacramento.  She graduated with her Bachelors of Music in Horn Performance and Music Education in the summer of 2007.  Currently, she is teaching band programs at three schools in the San Juan Unified School District: Woodside K-8, Orangevale Open, and Citrus Heights Elementary.  Angelina is currently the principal hornist of the Solano Community Symphony, as well as utility horn for the Camellia Symphony.  Angelina has also performed with the San Francisco Youth Symphony Orchestra, California Youth Symphony, and the North State Symphony.  She also plays with local church orchestras and has private students in Roseville, Sacramento, and Benicia.  Angelina plans to go back to school for a Masters Degree in Horn Performance, as well as a teaching credential. 

Maurice Montgomery – Trumpet

Maurice Montgomery was born in Hutchison Kansas and moved to the Sacramento area with his family where he graduated from Luther Burbank High School. He was awarded a scholarship to the University of Nevada Reno where he earned a B.S. Degree in Secondary Music Education. He then attended Berklee School of Music in Boston Mass. where he studied with world renowned instructors such as Herb Pomeroy and Carmine Caruso.

Maurice has played professionally throughout Northern California and Nevada for over 35 years. He has performed with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis jr., Burt Bacharach, Manhattan Transfer, The Beach Boys, Nancy Wilson, Linda Ronstadt and countless more. Currently Maurice is a member of the California Musical Theatre/Music Circus Orchestra performing Broadway Musicals. Maurice teaches all brass instruments at Sacramento Country day School and maintains a private lesson studio at Tim's Band Instruments music store.

Donna Pool, Tuba (aka Nigurski, after the Chicago Bears football star, Bronko Nagurski)
Born in Albuquerque, NM, Donna grew up in Santa Rosa, CA and Sonora, CA. Her musical education began in fourth grade on the flute and piano. In high school, she chose to take band instead of typing and within two weeks graduated from “lead cymbal” player to section tuba. Seeking good stories to tell her grandchildren, she earned a BM in Tuba. She (with her tuba, "Guido") has played with many brass quintets, bands and orchestras, including the California Wind Orchestra, the Sutter Symphony, and most recently, the Camellia Symphony. Donna teaches choir and band at Arcade Middle School in the San Juan Unified school district and also enjoys traveling, cooking, scrap-booking, reading, and gardening, and can’t wait until her two sons are old enough to play Dungeons and Dragons with her.

Kurt Schmidt, Trombone
Kurt has a B.A. in Biology from UC Riverside, and Bachelor and Masters degrees in Trombone Performance from USC in Los Angeles. Born in Detroit, and raised in L.A. where he free-lanced in symphonies, ballet, opera, light operas, and dance bands. Kurt was Bass Trombonist for eight seasons with the Shreveport Symphony and Brass Quintet in Louisiana, and also the Longview Symphony (Texas).

Back in (Sacramento) California since 1990, Kurt regularly performs with the Camellia Symphony, and Folsom Lake Orchestra, the Davis Brass Ensemble and Curvd Aire Brass Quintet.  He is also a member of both the Fred Morgan and Moonlight Swing big bands.  Past engagements have included the Sacramento Symphony and Ballet, Stockton Symphony, and California Wind Orchestra.  Kurt studied trombone with Robert Marsteller, Louis Van Haney, Jeff Reynolds, Terry Cravens and Claude Gordon (yes, the trumpet man!).

Paul Simmons, Trumpet
Paul earned his B.M. at the University of Delaware, and his M.M. at CSU, Sacramento and has studied with Gary Dilworth, David Blackinton, Richard Solis, Gilbert Johnson, Tony Crapis and Robert Goodman. Paul has been a member of the Camellia, Sutter, and CSUS Symphonies, the Newcastle Brass, California Brass, the Davis Brass, and Christiana Horns.

He has performed and/or recorded with ensembles from Philadelphia to Las Vegas including Daimon, East Coast Connection, the Big Band Express and Stone Gumbo, playing musical styles from traditional jazz to hard rock.

Other musicians we love to work and play with:

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