Illinois Brass Band marks 35th anniversary with special concert at Aurora University

The 30-member Illinois Brass Band, led by music director Stephen Squires, hosts its 35th Anniversary Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, in the Crimi Auditorium on the campus of Aurora University, 1347 Prairie St. in Aurora.

Bruce Briney, the band’s first music director, will open the concert with Stephen Bulla’s “A Festive Prelude,” which was the first piece that the band performed at their inaugural concert in 1991.

The band also will perform “Trittico,” by composer James Curnow, that represents the band’s first winning performance in the North American Brass Band Association’s annual championships in 1996.

There will be many other brass band favorites, old and new, on the program that will recognize past members of the ensemble as well as honor those members who have passed.

The guest soloist for the afternoon will be Timothy Higgins, principal trombonist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was appointed to that position at the beginning of the 2025-26 season. The band will accompany Higgins on the Gordon Langford “Rhapsody for Trombone and Brass Band” as well as Philip Sparke’s “Sambezi” for Trombone and Brass Band. These tour de force selections will showcase Higgins’ mastery of the trombone.

Tickets are $25, $15 for 18 and younger and college students with a current ID. Advance tickets are available via illinoisbrassband.org. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door on the day of the performance.