One concert is for a good cause, the other for kids’ imaginations

Published 1:30 am Thursday, November 28, 2019

Puget Brass doesn’t sound like your typical brass section.

“We use slightly different instruments than you’d find in American brass bands,” said Elizabeth McDaniel, Puget Brass president. “Instead of trumpets, we use cornets, and instead of French horns, we use E-flat tenor horns.”

The British-style brass band also features flugelhorn, tenor horn, baritone, tenor trombone, bass trombone, euphonium, bass and percussion. As a result, you’ll hear a mellower, darker and warmer sound.

Puget Brass’s holiday benefit concert for Neighbors in Need is at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood. The program includes traditional carols, such as “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and “White Christmas,” as well as songs from the acclaimed 1965 album “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi.

McDaniel, 27, of Lynnwood, who plays trombone in the band, said you’ll be surprised by how different Puget Brass sounds compared to a typical brass section.

“It’s the timbre of the instruments,” she said. “A trumpet can cut through an entire orchestra because of how bright it sounds. This is a much darker sound that’s easier to blend. It’s a really unique, gorgeous sound.”

Puget Brass formed in 1999. The 25 or so members rehearse once a week in the Seattle area.

A Trinity Lutheran ministry, Neighbors in Need assists homeless and low-income Snohomish County residents with basic support services, such as shelter, toiletries and food. The program is offered from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. every Saturday morning.

“We believe strongly in doing everything we can to help the people who need it,” McDaniel said. “It’s such a relief for this community.”

Everett Philharmonic

The Everett Philharmonic Orchestra will celebrate its 10th annual “Music for the Imagination” concert with a bang. Literally.

This year’s concert, intended for families, is set for 3 p.m. Dec. 1 at Everett Civic Auditorium, 2415 Colby Ave., Everett. It includes an opportunity for kids to try their hand at replicating the sound of cannon shots during Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.”

Children at the concert will be handed brown paper bags for them to blow up. They’ll be instructed when to pop them by director Paul Elliott-Cobbs.

The goal is to synchronize their pops with the hit of the bass drum — but kids will be kids.

“The bangs will go off whenever they want to,” Elliott-Cobbs said. “But we trust the parents to watch over them.”

The “Music for the Imagination” concert is designed for kids at about an hour in length.

“By the last 25 percent of the concert, kids are getting antsy,” he said. “This just occupies the kids who have lost their focus.”

Cobbs, 68, of Covington, has found other ways to engage children in the concert. They’ll also get to shake jingle bells to Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.”

After the concert, the kids are invited to meet orchestra members, tour the instrument families — they’ll get a passport to stamp — and play instruments in the percussion section.

“This is a good way for families to feel free to bring their kids,” he said. “The music is exciting. It will keep their attention.”

Other selections include Rossini’s overture to “An Italian in Algiers” and Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite.” The third movement of Beeth- oven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5” will be played by Christina Hahn, a 13-year-old pianist from the Bothell-Kirkland area.

Christina is the Snohomish County Music Teacher Association’s 2019 Concerto Competition winner. She takes lessons with Allan Park Piano Studio in Seattle.

“It’s such a big honor and I’m very excited,” said Christina, who has been playing piano since she was 5. “Beethoven’s song is very bold and very happy. It’s going to be like a dialogue with the orchestra.”

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for youth. Children younger than 5 get in free. Group tickets of four or more are $10 each. Call 425-585-8975 or go to www.everettphil.org for more information.

Evan Thompson: 425-339-3427, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @ByEvanThompson.

If you go

Puget Brass’s annual benefit concert for Neighbors in Need is at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 6215 196th St. SW, Lynnwood. The concert is free, but donations will be accepted. More at www.pugetbrass.org.