Harlequin Brass was formed in early 1995 by a small group of top class musicians who wished to perform quality brass ensemble music in the North of England.

The line up was based on the now famous combination of 4 Trumpets, 4 Trombones, Horn and Tuba made popular by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble in the 1970's and its successor, London Brass.

A great deal of music has been written and arranged specifically for this combination of instruments by professional composers and arrangers such as Jim Parker (Soldier, Soldier / Ground Force), Roger Harvey, Eric Crees, Christopher Mowatt, John Iveson, Richard Bissell, Gordon Langford and Elgar Howarth. In addition, Harlequin Brass has been fortunate enough to have many works especially composed or arranged for it, resulting in a repertoire of over 400 pieces of music ranging from Baroque to Big Band, and everything in between!

The group feels very strongly that if live brass music is to survive, it must appeal to new and wider audiences, particularly young people, so it seeks to provide not only musical and technical excellence, but also variety and entertainment. A concert from Harlequin Brass may take you through the ages of Classical Music, through to Ragtime, Blues, Jazz and Popular Music, and across the seas to the music of France and Spain, or even Mexico and Argentina!

In addition to its extensive solo work, Harlequin Brass enjoys and specialises in work with choirs. The line up lends itself very well to sharing a stage and performing with choirs of all sizes and types ranging from a small choir such as the Sheffield Cathedral Chamber Choir to a large male voice ensemble such as Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir.

The quality of the ensemble has been widely recognised with an appearance on BBC Television's 'Songs of Praise", regular broadcasts on BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4, and on Classic FM. Harlequin Brass also have the honour of being the first British Brass Ensemble to perform in the Concertgebouw Concert Hall, Amsterdam. Harlequin Brass released their second CD 'Music for a Millennium' in 1999 and received the award of 'Record of the Year' from Classic FM Magazine.