Welcome to the Commonwealth Brass Band of Louisville, KY

The Commonwealth Brass Band, based in Louisville, KY, was founded in 1989. Its members are drawn from the metropolitan area, including southern Indiana.

Brass bands differ from military and concert bands in that they consist exclusively of conical bore brass instruments (cornets, euphoniums, alto horns, flugelhorns, trombones and tubas) and percussion. No woodwinds allowed! The brass band tradition began in England in the early 19th century where bands were organized by manufacturers and mines for the recreation of their workers. The popularity of brass bands grew such that by the turn of the century there were some 20,000 such bands active in Britain. Many distinguished composers, including Gustav Holst, Edward Elgar, and Ralph Vaughn Williams have written pieces for brass band.Similarly popular in the United States, virtually every town in America had a band in the middle of the last century. Many companies on this side of the Atlantic also sponsored bands. (In Louisville, The Courier-Journal and American Standard were two among many.)

The CBB performs free concerts several times a year in churches, parks, town squares and amphitheaters, not to mention the occasional concert hall. In addition, the band has participated in the Great American Brass Bands Festival in Danville, Kentucky (in 1990 and 1992) and competed in The North American Brass Band Championships (in 1992 and 1994).

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