Madison Brass Band

Madison, WI

About

The Madison Brass Band, founded in 2002 is an all-volunteer 30-piece ensemble based in Madison, Wisconsin. Bavarian immigrant George Scherer founded the original Madison Brass Band in 1863. Its first members were businessmen, cobblers, cigar-makers, stonecutters, and a saloon proprietor. Only one member was a professional musician. George Scherer led the band from 1863 to 1878. The band went into remission in the 1890s, in 2002 it was reestablished in its current form. The band is currently directed by Chris Fiol. The Madison Brass Band was incorporated in 2004 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to bring the great British and American brass band tradition back to the greater Madison area. The band is active 12 months of the year presenting concerts throughout the southern Wisconsin region. Since 2012, the Madison Brass Band has competed in the North American Brass Band Association contest.

Musical Director

Chris Fiol

Chris Fiol (they/them) is the newly appointed Music Director of the Madison Brass Band and has served in this position since September 2025. They have been a performing member of the Madison Brass Band since November 2022 and the Milwaukee Festival Brass since August 2023, playing Eb bass with both groups. Chris is an active freelance musician and music educator providing private tuba/euphonium lessons, performing in a variety of chamber and large ensembles throughout southern Wisconsin, and serving as a certified WSMA adjudicator for solo and ensemble contests. Chris graduated with their MM in music performance from UW-Madison and their BM in music performance from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Choice Program

Land of the Long White Cloud - Aotearoa

Philip Sparke

Program Notes

Dating from 1979, The Land of the Long White Cloud (Aotearoa) was Philip Sparke's first test-piece. It was commissioned by the New Zealand Brass Band Association for their 1980 National Championships (their centenary year) and set for the European Brass Band Championships, the same year, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Aotearoa was the name given to New Zealand by its Polynesian settlers whose first sight of the islands was a long, flat cloud lying low over the land. The work has no specific program although many have seen pictures of the surging ocean in the opening bars. A faster dance-like section leads to a slow, haunting solo for soprano cornet; this is taken up by the whole band before earlier material returns. The dance-like tune is, this time, given a fugal treatment and the opening bars return to close the work.

NABBA Results History (11)

Section	Best Finish	Wins
Second	1st	1
First	4th	—

Event	Section	Place	Score
Championships 2026	First	8th	87.967
NABBA Championships 2025	First	8th	86.567
NABBA Championships 2024	First	7th	90.167
NABBA Championships 2023	First	9th	84.750
NABBA Championships 2019	First	8th	257.200
NABBA Championships 2018	First	8th	275.200
NABBA Championships 2017	First	10th	269.200
NABBA Championships 2016	First	6th	275.000
NABBA Championships 2014	First	4th	94.200
NABBA Championships 2013	First	8th	237.200
NABBA Championships 2012	Second	1st	270.200

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