Grind City Brass Band

Memphis, TN

About

Grind City Brass Band is a community-driven brass ensemble based in Memphis, Tennessee, dedicated to celebrating the rich brass band traditions of the Mid-South while fostering connection, creativity, and accessibility through live performance. Founded in July 2024 by Stephen Courtney, Zack Corpus, and Allegra Fisher, the ensemble was created with the belief that great music thrives when musicians of diverse backgrounds come together with a shared purpose. The band is made up of a wide-ranging group of local amateur musicians, band directors, college professors, active-duty and retired military band members, and professional performers from across Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. This unique blend of experience and perspective allows Grind City Brass Band to approach music-making with both high artistic standards and a welcoming, inclusive spirit. The group aims to present performances that are energetic, engaging, and accessible to audiences of all ages. Grind City Brass Band is dedicated to becoming a more active part of the community through expanded performances, collaborations with local organizations, and outreach opportunities that support music education and lifelong musicianship. By bringing people together through the power of brass music, the ensemble seeks to contribute meaningfully to Memphis’s vibrant cultural landscape while continuing to grow as both a musical and community-focused organization.

Musical Director

Zack Corpus

Zack Corpus is an Assistant Professor of Practice for Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Memphis and a tubist with the Memphis Brass Quintet. He has been heard across the USA and internationally, including Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. He has performed with the Bluff City Wind Ensemble, Shoals Symphony Orchestra, Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Winds, and Memphis Symphony Orchestra and held a substitute position with the Orlando Philharmonic. Prior to his appointment at the University of Memphis, Zack taught orchestra and band for seven years in the public schools of Tennessee and Alabama. He has received numerous accolades for his playing, advancing as a finalist in the International Tuba and Euphonium Association competitions and the prestigious Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Competition. As an avid supporter of tuba and euphonium chamber music, he has championed the creation of new ensembles, including the iTuba Quartet, a finalist in the ITEA International Chamber Music Competition, and the Zach Curlin Quartet, a chamber ensemble of his students at the University of Memphis. He is passionate about expanding the tuba beyond its classical roots, establishing the North Texas Tuba Jazz Collective, and revitalizing the charts of Rich Matteson and other low brass jazz pioneers. Zack's arrangements for tuba/euphonium ensemble can be heard on the albums Axis and Tubas in Love released by the University of Memphis Bottom Line Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble. Zack earned his Bachelors of Music from Kansas State University, Masters of Music from the University of North Texas, and Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Memphis. His primary teachers, including Phillip Black, Dr. Steven Maxwell, Donald Little, Dr. Brian Bowman, and Dr. Kevin Sanders, have shaped his musical perspective and contributed to his unique style.

Choice Program

California Legend

Bruce Broughton

Program Notes

California Legend was inspired by Las Sergas de Esplandian by Garci Ordonez de Mantalvo, published in Seville in 1510. Quoting from A Companion to California, the story recounts the fictional adventures of Esplandian. Among the places he visits is one "on the right hand of the indies, an island called California, very near to the Terrestial Paradise, which was peopled with black women, accustomed to live after the fashion of Amazons, there arms were full of gold. The land was ruled by a Queen named Calafia."