Event Title
The Fanfare Orchestra: An Inside look into Flemish Brass Bands
Date of Publication
3-26-2021
Document Type
Paper
Abstract / Program Notes
The Fanfare Orchestra is a type of brass band that evolved out of the British Brass Band explosion that began in the mid-nineteenth century. Fanfare orchestras are found almost exclusively in Belgium and the Netherlands with instrumentation consisting of the entire saxhorn family, trumpets, flugelhorns, trombones, euphoniums, alto horns, saxophones, and percussion. The tradition behind the fanfare orchestra is to provide entertainment as well as preserve the traditional folk music and traditions of the Low Countries. As such, fanfare orchestras also perform concerts at civil events and celebrations. This paper will explore the origins of the fanfare orchestra, the impact it had on the cultural and musical history of Belgium and the Netherlands, and the resurgence of fanfare orchestras in the new millennium. This paper will also discuss the development of the saxhorn, using archival material from the Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels, Belgium to explain the crucial role that saxhorns played in the Fanfare Orchestra.
Biography
A native of New Jersey, Alexandra Zacharella is Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Low Brass at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. Zacharella holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in trombone performance from the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music, with minors in conducting, music education and jazz studies; a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from The University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance and Music Education from The University of Hartford, The Hartt School. Zacharella is an active low brass and wind ensemble clinician and has presented clinics and masterclasses in South Korea, Hong Kong, California, Michigan, Georgia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma to name a few. She presented at the 65th and 70th Annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois and gave the plenary paper for the keynote performance for trombonist and Conn-Selmer Artist Christian Lindberg, at the International Conference of the College Music Society in Stockholm, Sweden in 2015. Zacharella has performed at the International Trombone Festivals in California, Spain, France, Georgia, Texas, and Las Vegas. She has given numerous presentations, performances/recitals on trombone and euphonium and poster sessions at the International Conference of College Music Society in Belgium, Australia, Sweden, Argentina and South Korea and at National and Regional CMS Conferences throughout the United States. She has performed and presented at the Music by Women Festival, Southwestern CBDNA regional conference, the International Women’s Brass Conference, and the ArkMEA Conference. Zacharella is a Bach Artist and a Signature Artist for Warburton.
Keywords
Fanfare, orchestra, brass
The Fanfare Orchestra: An Inside look into Flemish Brass Bands
The Fanfare Orchestra is a type of brass band that evolved out of the British Brass Band explosion that began in the mid-nineteenth century. Fanfare orchestras are found almost exclusively in Belgium and the Netherlands with instrumentation consisting of the entire saxhorn family, trumpets, flugelhorns, trombones, euphoniums, alto horns, saxophones, and percussion. The tradition behind the fanfare orchestra is to provide entertainment as well as preserve the traditional folk music and traditions of the Low Countries. As such, fanfare orchestras also perform concerts at civil events and celebrations. This paper will explore the origins of the fanfare orchestra, the impact it had on the cultural and musical history of Belgium and the Netherlands, and the resurgence of fanfare orchestras in the new millennium. This paper will also discuss the development of the saxhorn, using archival material from the Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels, Belgium to explain the crucial role that saxhorns played in the Fanfare Orchestra.