Tayler Duby is a freelance performer and educator based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She holds a Master’s degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Utah and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Nevada-Reno. Tayler finds great joy and fulfillment in innovative performance and teaching practices.

Tayler is currently the Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at Salt Lake Community College and she performs with several local ensembles, including the Canyons Brass Quintet, Salt Lake Symphony, Salt Lake Choral Artists, and Draper Philharmonic & Choral Society. She performed as Principal Trumpet with the Hart Theater Company in their 2024 world premier of Hope for the Flowers, as well as Second Trumpet with The Grand Theatre in their 2025 production of Dreamgirls. She has also excelled in numerous local and national competitions, notably achieving the title of National Finalist in the 2022 MTNA Young Artist Brass Competition.

In addition to her performing career, Tayler is passionate about music education. She recently completed a two-year Graduate Teaching Assistant position, in which she developed her college teaching skills, with the University of Utah Marching Band. She has conducted several clinics and masterclasses in high schools across Utah, Nevada, and northern California, enriching young musicians' skills and knowledge. Tayler also enjoys arranging music for solo instruments and chamber ensembles, as well as recording and editing music.

Mya is a multifaceted scholar and musician currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Genetics at the University of Utah. With a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Kentucky, Mya brings a unique blend of scientific rigor and artistic passion to her pursuits. Mya's research focuses on muscle stem cells and skeletal muscle regeneration. Her work is driven by a curiosity about how these cells contribute to the repair of muscle after various traumas, with implications for medical advancements in regenerative medicine. Alongside her academic endeavors, she remains deeply connected to her musical roots. As a talented French horn player, Mya actively participates in orchestral and chamber groups, channeling her creativity and musicality into collaborative performances.

Bjorn Swanson is a trombonist and music educator based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bjorn has previously taught at the University of Utah as an adjunct faculty member and graduate teaching assistant, working extensively with the department of athletic bands, serving as an assistant director of athletic bands for the past two years, and the music education area. Bjorn has performed and presented at several conferences and festivals around the country, including the International Trombone Festival, CBDNA Conference, and the Utah Music Educators Association Conference.

Bjorn is also an advocate of brass chamber music, founding the brass ensemble, Canyons Brass Quintet, and the Utah Chamber Brass Collective at the University of Utah in the fall of 2022. Since its founding, the Utah Chamber Brass Collective has performed multiple recitals including a residency featuring the brass ensemble, Mirari Brass Quintet.

Bjorn received his Bachelor's of Music in Performance and Bachelor's of Arts in Music Education from the University of Iowa in 2020, and his Master's of Music in Instrumental Performance from the University of Utah in 2023. His primary instructors are Dr. Jonathan Allen, Dr. Donn Schaefer, Mark Davidson, and his grandfather Dr. Thomas Swanson.

Camille Saint-Saëns composed his whimsical Carnival of the Animals in 1886 as "a piece of fun," forbidding its public performance during his lifetime to protect his reputation as a serious composer. The "Fossils" movement presents a brilliant musical joke: Saint-Saëns quotes melodies that were already considered ancient in his time, including his own Danse Macabre, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," French nursery rhymes like "Au clair de la lune" and "J'ai du bon tabac," the patriotic "Partant pour la Syrie," and even Rossini's "Una voce poco fa" from The Barber of Seville.

The Bill Holcombe arrangement for brass quintet faces the unique challenge of translating the original's prominent xylophone part—meant to evoke clattering bones in a midnight museum—into brass textures. Saint-Saëns' self-deprecating wit appears immediately as he quotes his own Danse Macabre from just twelve years earlier, suggesting even his recent works had become "fossilized." The movement's two-minute duration packs in musical archaeology: melodies appear sometimes inverted (as with "J'ai du bon tabac" played upside-down), creating layers of sophisticated humor that delighted Franz Liszt at an early performance where musicians wore skeleton masks.

Gustav Holst's The Planets (1914-1917) drew inspiration from astrology rather than astronomy, with Venus representing peace, harmony, and fortune. The movement opens with a solo horn theme in E-flat major that unfolds over gently rocking accompaniment figures, creating what critic Michael Short called "one of the most sublime evocations of peace in music." Holst allowed himself rare romanticism here, particularly in the famous oboe solo that his daughter Imogen described as providing "the right answer to Mars." The movement's transparent orchestration features delicate harp glissandos, muted strings, and celesta, building to a luminous climax before dissolving into tranquil silence.

The R.A. Jones arrangement for brass quintet faces the formidable challenge of redistributing the original's ethereal string tremolo and woodwind passages among brass instruments. This brass quintet version employs extensive mute usage—straight mutes for the opening horn solo, cup mutes to simulate distant effects, and careful dynamic control to maintain the movement's meditative character. The famous oboe melody typically passes to flugelhorn or muted trumpet, while the trombone and tuba must execute the rolling accompaniment figures with exceptional delicacy, proving that brass instruments can whisper as beautifully as they proclaim.

This beloved Scottish melody, composed by actress Dora Jordan around 1801, has traveled far from its folk origins. The simple tune in 6/8 meter tells of a Scottish soldier's departure for war, with its characteristic dotted rhythms evoking the lilting quality of Scottish folk music. The song gained new life through Arthur Pryor's famous 1899 trombone solo arrangement, which transformed the simple tune into a virtuosic theme and variations showcasing the full technical and expressive range of the instrument.

Pryor's arrangement typically includes an introduction, the theme, and multiple variations that progressively increase in difficulty—featuring rapid triple-tonguing passages, dramatic glissandos, pedal tones, and soaring melodic lines that extend into the altissimo register. Modern brass quintet arrangements, including versions by Andrew Poirier and others, ingeniously distribute these solo passages among all five players, creating a collaborative showcase. Each instrument takes turns with variations suited to its character: the trumpet might execute brilliant fanfare-like passages, the horn explores lyrical middle variations, the trombone pays homage to Pryor with glissando-filled variations, while tuba variations often feature surprising agility in rapid passages. This democratic approach transforms a solo vehicle into a celebration of the entire brass family's capabilities.

Leonard Bernstein's Candide (1956) concludes with this profound meditation on finding meaning through simple, honest work. After experiencing war, disaster, and human cruelty throughout Voltaire's satirical tale, the naive Candide and his companions abandon grand philosophical theories for practical living: "We're neither pure, nor wise, nor good / We'll do the best we know / We'll build our house and chop our wood / And make our garden grow."

The Chris Dedrick arrangement for brass quintet transforms Bernstein's choral finale into a showcase for brass instruments' ceremonial warmth. Dedrick (1947-2010), a founding member of The Free Design and key creative force behind many Canadian Brass performances, crafted a technically demanding yet emotionally powerful arrangement. The piece begins intimately in B-flat major with a simple hymn-like texture, gradually building through modulations and increasingly complex counterpoint. The first trumpet navigates particularly challenging high passages (often reaching written high C and above), while inner voices weave intricate harmonies that reflect Bernstein's sophisticated jazz-influenced voice leading. The arrangement's climax features all five instruments in glorious counterpoint before returning to the simple dignity of the opening—suggesting that through mutual care and authentic work, we can create beauty in an imperfect world. This transformation from intimate reflection to triumphant affirmation showcases the brass quintet's unique ability to combine chamber music subtlety with orchestral grandeur.