International Brass
Biography International Brass
International Brass
Music without limits - we take our music seriously while enjoying what we do. International Brass comprises five musicians from four countries - The Netherlands, Lithuania, Austria and Germany, all of whom reside in Germany.
We believe that it is the international nature of our group that makes it unique. In a sense our common language is music itself and our individual cultural experiences serve to lend a certain flair to our music.
Ultimately however, it is the quality of each performance and our strength as entertainers that is most important to us.
All about Classical.... and much more: International Brass plays a broad spectrum of musical styles; from baroque to rock, from romantic-era organ sounds to big-band jazz, from Mozart to Mancini. Our focus is on quality in music - no style is therefore necessarily excluded.
We're not mainstream, definitely not pop and we avoid the mediocre. We're always looking to broaden our repertoire; aiming to challenge our audiences as well as ourselves. We seek out quality arrangements and work to develop them into high quality performances - that is what we're about.
Simply put our mission is to play good brass music well.
Our experience, drive and philosophy come together to create a memorable performance that we believe leaves a lasting impression on our audiences and fosters their support. We’ve been fortunate to play concerts together across Germany and the Netherlands, as well as in Austria, France, Lithuania and Oman.
Participation in so many exciting international concerts and music festivals, as well as the appreciation and enthusiasm of the many audience members that we’ve met, fosters our resolve to continue doing what we do
Elmar Lehnen
was born in 1965 in Hinsbeck, Lower Rhine. He received his first organ lessons from Wolfgang Seifen who became an important model for him. Following his course at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik in Aachen with Berthold Botzet, Norbert Richtsteig, Hans-Josef Roth and Viktor Scholz, he continued his studies at the Schola Cantorum in Paris with Prof Jean-Paul Imbert, where he graduated with distinction in 2001, earning a “Diplome de Concert”. Having been organist and choirmaster in Mönchengladbach for ten years, Elmar Lehnen was appointed to succeed Wolfgang Seifen as organist of the papal basilica of St. Marien in Kevelaer in 2000. From 2008 until 2012 he was also choral director at St. Marien. In addition, Elmar Lehnen devotes himself to his international concert schedule. Television, radio and CD recordings document his musical activities.
