SFCM students were given an in-depth look at the Chromatic Brass Collective's evolving model of a leaderless brass ensemble in February, a week that culminated in an expansive concert showcasing a range of composers and performers alike.

"Spending a week working with the Chromatic Brass Collective was a highlight of my time at SFCM," tuba student Max Castor said. "We got to hear from world-class musicians about their careers and learn about their passion not just for performance, but for education and community engagement. The side-by-side with CBC and OPC was a fantastic experience: Seeing the reactions of all of the performers and audience members after the concert was an excellent reminder of why we all love music." Trombone student Austin Talbot added, "The CBC was absolutely astonishing to work with! What they are doing for diversification of our industry is unmatched, at least from a brass perspective.”

Chromatic Brass Collective co-founders (from left) Yasmeen Richards, Navilla Burns, and Madison Dorsett.

After their initial residency at the Conservatory in 2023, CBC co-founder Yasmeen Richards said, "[Co-founder] Madison [Dorsett] and I sat down and thought about every single thing that we had seen throughout that week: All these different pieces at SFCM and my background of being from Oakland and knowing how far the Conservatory feels in a lot of different ways. And we were like, well, we want to attack these different issues as almost a recruitment thing for students of color. So we structured this visit to address a lot of the issues or improvements that the team wants to do."

The CBC is a great learning model for students who want to start their own performing organization. Dorsett and Richards started the group in 2020 as a response to George Floyd's murder and have continued to adhere to both programmatic and organizational models. "We want to play music by Black or brown composers. We want there to be a lot of women and gender-nonconforming folks, and we also want them to be alive, or alive recently," Richards said. "But once we determine the program and start casting the characters and everything, it just kind of becomes a matter of figuring out what needs to get done and who needs to do what, and based on each person's job description and role."

CBC member Imani Duhe works with a student.

The evening's program included composers like Adolphus Hailstork and Duke Ellington, alongside an arrangement of Beyoncé's "Cuff It," off last year's Renaissance. It also featured the world premiere of Madison Anglin's Green Sky, a product of the 2024 CBC New Works Consortium, which the group modeled around a tiered system in which certain donations would receive copies of the piece, or publishing rights, CBC's Secretary and co-founder Navilla Burns explained. Two pieces were composed by CBC members, Shanyse Strickland and Jazzie Pigott. (SFCM trombone faculty and Brass Choir Director Paul Welcomer conducted portions of the evening's program as well.)

For Richards, who grew up in Oakland—her grandfather taught at the Public Conservatory—the residency was an opportunity to expose students in her hometown to opportunities she was unaware of at their age. "[SFCM's Executive Director of Roots, Jazz, and American Music] Jason [Hainsworth] had asked me, 'Why didn't you apply to SFCM?' And I was like, 'That was so out of my reach in my mind," she said. "It's really exciting for the kids too, when we were visiting them the OPCM executive director asked them, 'How many of you have been to the San Francisco Conservatory?' and none of them had been here. So this was their first opportunity to see these facilities and see what their future could look like if they choose to go that route."

The Chromatic Brass Collective rehearses alongside students.

"And that's what our mission is. There's absolutely no reason why it's not possible for you to be here just because you haven't seen other people that look like you."

The CBC members were inspired by SFCM's students as well, Richards added. "You can see the brightness in their eyes when they're interacting with us and hearing our perspectives and kind of making them feel validated in whatever fears that they may have that they're facing."

Students from the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music rehearse alongside the CBC.

Dorsett is taking a personal moment with a student with her as a memory. "I was explaining how I wanted to be a geneticist before I decided on music, inspired by some of my teachers who were such strong, smart, capable women. This student was waiting for us outside of one of the classes and she told me, 'I'm running late to class, but I just wanted to tell you that really changed my whole perspective on being a musician.' I'm only 23, so sometimes I feel like I'm too young to make an impact, but hearing that made me realize I can still make a difference."

"One thing—or one of a million things—I really, really love about San Francisco Conservatory is the commitment to newness and seeing and imagining what a different future would look like," Richards continued. "Classroom music is so heavily rooted in routine, age, and how established and prestigious things are. When you are an organization that's three years old and founded online by a bunch of Black women, there are chances that are not given to you without having to work for years. SFCM is paying its stature forward to us; it's a chance that they took."

Learn more about studying brass at SFCM.