Seraph Brass
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
7:00pm
Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet
Raquel Samayoa, trumpet
Layan Atieh, horn
Lauren Casey-Clyde, trombone
Robyn Black, tuba
Winners of the American Prize in Chamber Music
“One comes away marveling at the performances and the rich, soaring sound generated by the five musicians.”
About Seraph Brass:
In its 11th season, Seraph Brass was founded by trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden with a mission to showcase the excellence of women brass players and highlight musicians from marginalized groups, both in personnel and in programming. Winners of the American Prize in Chamber Music, the group has been praised for its “beautiful sounds” (American Record Guide), “fine playing” (Gramophone), and “staggeringly high caliber of performance” (Textura). In addition to performances and residencies, Seraph performs as a 10-piece ensemble, as soloists with symphony orchestras and wind bands, and in collaboration with other chamber artists.
The 2024-2025 season highlights include a residency at the Festival International De Vientos that includes a performance of Anthony DiLorenzo’s Chimera with the Cusco Symphony Orchestra in Peru, a performance at the 78th Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, and performances at the Jeju Festival in South Korea, Guanajuato’s Pro Musica Classica Series in Mexico, Foo Foo Festival in Pensacola (FL), Pro Music Joplin (MO), Trinity Concert Series in Watertown (NY), and Celebrity Concert Series in Huntsville (AL). Seraph’s residency highlights of the season include Yale School of Music, University of Miami, University of Memphis, University of Missouri, Mary Baldwin University, and the Pear Arts Residency in Fort Wayne. Seraph will be releasing a new album in March of 2025 through Tower Grove Records, showcasing new works for brass quintet and featuring compositions by Jeff Scott, Reena Esmail, Kevin Day, and Kevin McKee.
Seraph Brass performs a diverse body of repertoire, ranging from original transcriptions to newly commissioned works and core classics. The group has commissioned pieces by Grammy award winner Jeff Scott, as well as Jennifer Jolley, Joseph Hallman, Catherine McMichael, Marcus Grant, and Rene Orth. The pieces by Orth and McMichael are featured on Seraph’s Silver Medal Global Music Award- winning debut album Asteria. The group regularly participates in commissioning consortiums, recently supporting works by Kevin Day, Mischa Zupko, Sara Jacovino, and Lillian Yee. Seraph recently commissioned and premiered Jennifer Jolley’s Dust for brass quintet and wind ensemble, which was performed with various ensembles across the US. Other concerto performances have included Rick DeJonge’s Prelude and Fantasy, James Stephenson’s Dodecafecta, Suite from Mass by Leonard Bernstein and Anthony DiLorenzo’s Chimera.
Members of Seraph Brass are passionate about music education, and hold teaching positions at the University of North Texas, Shenandoah Conservatory, Texas State University, and Texas Lutheran University. In each of their tours, the group works to provide educational outreach to local schools, and they also offer a variety of entrepreneurship and career development workshops, in addition to traditional brass pedagogy and technique classes.
The ensemble has toured around the world, including performances at the Tafalla Brass Week in Spain, Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, the Busan Maru International Music Festival in South Korea, University of Toronto in Canada, the Forum Cultural Guanajuato in Mexico, International Women’s Brass Conference, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, and a two-week tour across China. Recent touring highlights have included shows and residencies at Oberlin College, Brevard Music Center, Chautauqua Institution, Swarthmore College, the Lyric Chamber Music Society in NYC, Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Michigan, Chamber Music Raleigh, National Gallery of Art in D.C., Asheville Chamber Music Series, Virginia Arts Festival, Boise Chamber Music Series, University of North Carolina School for the Arts, Michigan State University, Sarasota’s Artist Series Concerts, Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago, and Del Valle Fine Arts Presents in California, as well as concerto appearances with the Florence Symphony, the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Texas Tech University Wind Ensemble, University of North Texas Wind Orchestra, Shenandoah Conservatory Wind Ensemble, University of Nebraska-Omaha Wind Ensemble, and Swarthmore College Wind Ensemble. The group has also toured extensively as Allied Concert Services and artists, and was formerly in residency alongside the Dover Quartet at the Artosphere Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Members of Seraph Brass have performed with such esteemed ensembles as the London Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony, Marlboro Music Festival, Lucerne Music Festival in Switzerland, Britt Festival Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, and the Daejeon Philharmonic. Many members of Seraph Brass performed with Adele on her North American tour.
Seraph Brass is a Yamaha Performing Group.
The 2024-2025 season highlights include a residency at the Festival International De Vientos that includes a performance of Anthony DiLorenzo’s Chimera with the Cusco Symphony Orchestra in Peru, a performance at the 78th Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, and performances at the Jeju Festival in South Korea, Guanajuato’s Pro Musica Classica Series in Mexico, Foo Foo Festival in Pensacola (FL), Pro Music Joplin (MO), Trinity Concert Series in Watertown (NY), and Celebrity Concert Series in Huntsville (AL). Seraph’s residency highlights of the season include Yale School of Music, University of Miami, University of Memphis, University of Missouri, Mary Baldwin University, and the Pear Arts Residency in Fort Wayne. Seraph will be releasing a new album in March of 2025 through Tower Grove Records, showcasing new works for brass quintet and featuring compositions by Jeff Scott, Reena Esmail, Kevin Day, and Kevin McKee.
Seraph Brass performs a diverse body of repertoire, ranging from original transcriptions to newly commissioned works and core classics. The group has commissioned pieces by Grammy award winner Jeff Scott, as well as Jennifer Jolley, Joseph Hallman, Catherine McMichael, Marcus Grant, and Rene Orth. The pieces by Orth and McMichael are featured on Seraph’s Silver Medal Global Music Award- winning debut album Asteria. The group regularly participates in commissioning consortiums, recently supporting works by Kevin Day, Mischa Zupko, Sara Jacovino, and Lillian Yee. Seraph recently commissioned and premiered Jennifer Jolley’s Dust for brass quintet and wind ensemble, which was performed with various ensembles across the US. Other concerto performances have included Rick DeJonge’s Prelude and Fantasy, James Stephenson’s Dodecafecta, Suite from Mass by Leonard Bernstein and Anthony DiLorenzo’s Chimera.
Members of Seraph Brass are passionate about music education, and hold teaching positions at the University of North Texas, Shenandoah Conservatory, Texas State University, and Texas Lutheran University. In each of their tours, the group works to provide educational outreach to local schools, and they also offer a variety of entrepreneurship and career development workshops, in addition to traditional brass pedagogy and technique classes.
The ensemble has toured around the world, including performances at the Tafalla Brass Week in Spain, Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, the Busan Maru International Music Festival in South Korea, University of Toronto in Canada, the Forum Cultural Guanajuato in Mexico, International Women’s Brass Conference, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, and a two-week tour across China. Recent touring highlights have included shows and residencies at Oberlin College, Brevard Music Center, Chautauqua Institution, Swarthmore College, the Lyric Chamber Music Society in NYC, Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Michigan, Chamber Music Raleigh, National Gallery of Art in D.C., Asheville Chamber Music Series, Virginia Arts Festival, Boise Chamber Music Series, University of North Carolina School for the Arts, Michigan State University, Sarasota’s Artist Series Concerts, Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago, and Del Valle Fine Arts Presents in California, as well as concerto appearances with the Florence Symphony, the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Texas Tech University Wind Ensemble, University of North Texas Wind Orchestra, Shenandoah Conservatory Wind Ensemble, University of Nebraska-Omaha Wind Ensemble, and Swarthmore College Wind Ensemble. The group has also toured extensively as Allied Concert Services and artists, and was formerly in residency alongside the Dover Quartet at the Artosphere Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Members of Seraph Brass have performed with such esteemed ensembles as the London Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony, Marlboro Music Festival, Lucerne Music Festival in Switzerland, Britt Festival Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, and the Daejeon Philharmonic. Many members of Seraph Brass performed with Adele on her North American tour.
Seraph Brass is a Yamaha Performing Group.
Artist Biographies:
Classical trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden is a highly in-demand soloist, praised for her “splendid, brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and her “pure, refined, and warm” tone (American Record Guide). A Gold Medal Global Music Award Winner, Opus Klassik Nominee, and Yamaha Performing Artist, Bowden works diligently to establish a new repertoire for the trumpet through creative, collaborative commissioning projects and award-winning albums.
Bowden’s 2023/2024 season brings an impressive lineup of solo performances, including four world premiere concertos. Highlights include her debut with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, where she performs a program including Clarice Assad’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra and Shostakovich’s Concerto in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra with pianist Henry Kramer. In another key debut, Bowden appears as a soloist with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, performing Reena Esmail’s Rosa de Sal and Assad’s Bohemian Queen. With the DuPage Symphony, she premieres a new arrangement of Gala Flagello’s Persist, newly arranged for two trumpets, and performs as soloist on Grace Williams’ Trumpet Concerto. She debuts with Oregon’s Rogue Valley Symphony in Henri Tomasi’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra before touring the Fung and Assad concertos to the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, and Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra.
Raquel Samayoa is an accomplished trumpet soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, and educator with a diverse and dynamic career. She is currently Associate Professor of Trumpet and co- director of the UNT Brass Band at the University of North Texas College of Music. Dr. Samayoa was previously on faculty at Tennessee Tech University and Northern Kentucky University.
Raquel is principal trumpet with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra (TX) and a Yamaha Performing Artist and a Denis Wick Artist and Clinician. Passionate about chamber music, Raquel is a member of the award-winning Seraph Brass and Lantana Trio, with whom she frequently tours both domestically and internationally. Notably, as a member of Lantana Trio, she performed at the inaugural Festival Internacional de Mujeres Instrumentistas de Metal (FIMIM) in Mexico in 2023, celebrating women in brass. Her recent engagements include the College Music Society Southern Conference, the Midwest Clinic, the Historic Brass Society Symposium, the International Women’s Brass Conference (IWBC), and the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) Conference. She has also been a guest artist at the Prairie Music Residency (Canada), the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain, the Interlochen Trumpet Intensive, and events at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (Australia) and Moscow Conservatory (Russia). Dr. Samayoa serves on the ITG Board of Directors and has co-hosted the IWBC in 2014 and 2022.
Layan Atieh is a Palestinian-American horn player currently residing in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to being a member of Seraph Brass, Layan is also a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Layan regularly performs with the Cleveland Orchestra and coaches the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO). As an active freelance musician, Layan has also performed with the New World Symphony, the Canton Symphony, the Akron Symphony, and the Harrisburg Symphony. Layan is passionate about chamber music, and has performed in chamber music festivals all over the world, including the Hidden Valley Festival of Winds, Domaine Forget, and the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, as well as orchestra festivals such as the Music Academy of the West.
In 2022, Layan completed her undergraduate studies at the Peabody Institute under the tutelage of Robert Rearden, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Johns Hopkins University. Layan completed her Master’s degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard King and Nathaniel Silberschlag.
Lauren Casey-Clyde is an active freelancer, educator, chamber musician and soloist residing in Austin, TX. She has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Opera, Temple Symphony Orchestra, Central Texas Philharmonic, Waco Symphony Orchestra, Cambrian Symphony Orchestra and Round Top Festival Orchestra. She recently made her debut performance at SXSW performing with Density 512 as part of the Graham Reynolds Showcase, and has recorded and performed with New-Orleans style Boss Street Brass Band. She will make her Carnegie Hall debut in June of 2024, performing under the baton of Jerry Junkin with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble. Internationally, Lauren was named a finalist for the 2023 International Trombone Association Quartet Competition and the winner of the Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition. She has performed under many esteemed conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Bernard Haitink, Robert Spano and JoAnn Falletta.
As a soloist, Lauren was selected as an artist to perform at the 2024 International Women's Brass Conference in Japan and was invited as a special guest to perform at the Texas State Capitol for the 2022 International Peace Concert. She was a finalist at the 2023 Big 12 Tenor Trombone Solo Competition, a finalist in the 2022 University of Texas Concerto Competition,and a prize winner in the Susan Slaughter Solo Competition at the 2019 International Women’s Brass Conference. In 2016, she was named the winner of the Northeast Tuba and Euphonium Conference Young Artist Solo, and has since made solo appearances around the country with the University of Texas Concert Band, New England Brass Band, Saratoga High School Wind Ensemble, and Boston University Wind Ensemble.
Robyn Black is a tubist based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is currently the Principal Tuba of the Milwaukee Symphony, a position she won at 18 years old. She regularly performs with music festivals such as the Lakes Area Music Festival and the Artosphere Festival Orchestra. As a chamber artist, Robyn also performs with Seraph Brass.
Recognized for her solo playing, Robyn was awarded first prize in “The President’s Own” 2018 Marine Band Concerto Competition, and the student division of the 2018 Falcone Tuba and Euphonium Competition. For her undergraduate, Robyn studied at Rice University with Dave Kirk.
Bowden’s 2023/2024 season brings an impressive lineup of solo performances, including four world premiere concertos. Highlights include her debut with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, where she performs a program including Clarice Assad’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra and Shostakovich’s Concerto in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra with pianist Henry Kramer. In another key debut, Bowden appears as a soloist with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, performing Reena Esmail’s Rosa de Sal and Assad’s Bohemian Queen. With the DuPage Symphony, she premieres a new arrangement of Gala Flagello’s Persist, newly arranged for two trumpets, and performs as soloist on Grace Williams’ Trumpet Concerto. She debuts with Oregon’s Rogue Valley Symphony in Henri Tomasi’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra before touring the Fung and Assad concertos to the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, and Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra.
Raquel Samayoa is an accomplished trumpet soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, and educator with a diverse and dynamic career. She is currently Associate Professor of Trumpet and co- director of the UNT Brass Band at the University of North Texas College of Music. Dr. Samayoa was previously on faculty at Tennessee Tech University and Northern Kentucky University.
Raquel is principal trumpet with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra (TX) and a Yamaha Performing Artist and a Denis Wick Artist and Clinician. Passionate about chamber music, Raquel is a member of the award-winning Seraph Brass and Lantana Trio, with whom she frequently tours both domestically and internationally. Notably, as a member of Lantana Trio, she performed at the inaugural Festival Internacional de Mujeres Instrumentistas de Metal (FIMIM) in Mexico in 2023, celebrating women in brass. Her recent engagements include the College Music Society Southern Conference, the Midwest Clinic, the Historic Brass Society Symposium, the International Women’s Brass Conference (IWBC), and the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) Conference. She has also been a guest artist at the Prairie Music Residency (Canada), the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain, the Interlochen Trumpet Intensive, and events at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (Australia) and Moscow Conservatory (Russia). Dr. Samayoa serves on the ITG Board of Directors and has co-hosted the IWBC in 2014 and 2022.
Layan Atieh is a Palestinian-American horn player currently residing in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to being a member of Seraph Brass, Layan is also a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Layan regularly performs with the Cleveland Orchestra and coaches the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO). As an active freelance musician, Layan has also performed with the New World Symphony, the Canton Symphony, the Akron Symphony, and the Harrisburg Symphony. Layan is passionate about chamber music, and has performed in chamber music festivals all over the world, including the Hidden Valley Festival of Winds, Domaine Forget, and the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, as well as orchestra festivals such as the Music Academy of the West.
In 2022, Layan completed her undergraduate studies at the Peabody Institute under the tutelage of Robert Rearden, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Johns Hopkins University. Layan completed her Master’s degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard King and Nathaniel Silberschlag.
Lauren Casey-Clyde is an active freelancer, educator, chamber musician and soloist residing in Austin, TX. She has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Opera, Temple Symphony Orchestra, Central Texas Philharmonic, Waco Symphony Orchestra, Cambrian Symphony Orchestra and Round Top Festival Orchestra. She recently made her debut performance at SXSW performing with Density 512 as part of the Graham Reynolds Showcase, and has recorded and performed with New-Orleans style Boss Street Brass Band. She will make her Carnegie Hall debut in June of 2024, performing under the baton of Jerry Junkin with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble. Internationally, Lauren was named a finalist for the 2023 International Trombone Association Quartet Competition and the winner of the Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition. She has performed under many esteemed conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Bernard Haitink, Robert Spano and JoAnn Falletta.
As a soloist, Lauren was selected as an artist to perform at the 2024 International Women's Brass Conference in Japan and was invited as a special guest to perform at the Texas State Capitol for the 2022 International Peace Concert. She was a finalist at the 2023 Big 12 Tenor Trombone Solo Competition, a finalist in the 2022 University of Texas Concerto Competition,and a prize winner in the Susan Slaughter Solo Competition at the 2019 International Women’s Brass Conference. In 2016, she was named the winner of the Northeast Tuba and Euphonium Conference Young Artist Solo, and has since made solo appearances around the country with the University of Texas Concert Band, New England Brass Band, Saratoga High School Wind Ensemble, and Boston University Wind Ensemble.
Robyn Black is a tubist based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is currently the Principal Tuba of the Milwaukee Symphony, a position she won at 18 years old. She regularly performs with music festivals such as the Lakes Area Music Festival and the Artosphere Festival Orchestra. As a chamber artist, Robyn also performs with Seraph Brass.
Recognized for her solo playing, Robyn was awarded first prize in “The President’s Own” 2018 Marine Band Concerto Competition, and the student division of the 2018 Falcone Tuba and Euphonium Competition. For her undergraduate, Robyn studied at Rice University with Dave Kirk.
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