Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Performing Arts Center will present Mnozil Brass Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The Austrian band features classically trained musicians who combine musical virtuosity with a theatrical wit that has been compared to Monty Python.
“They are pop. They are jazzy. And they are goofy. Members of Mnozil Brass have serious talent, but what they do with it is pretty funny stuff,” wrote Boston music critic Dave Howell.
Mnozil Brass began 20 years ago in a small tavern in Vienna called the Mnozil Inn, across the road from the music academy, where friends got together for informal jams. “We entertained in pubs, and we have brought that experience onstage,” said trumpeter Thomas Gansch.
The band now tours throughout the world, performing up to 130 shows a year. “We play any kind of music, including classical, country and jazz. Great old-school, light music, with schtick like Spike Jones and the City Slickers,” Gansch said.
Mnozil Brass is a big hit on YouTube where the group’s humorous videos have attracted millions of viewers. The most popular video is “Lonely Boy,” in which band member Leonhard Paul simultaneously plays two trumpets with his hands and works two trombone slides with his feet.
Mnozil Brass has also collaborated on three operetta and opera productions and composed and recorded the music for the 2006 film “Freundschaft.” The band was nominated for an Amadeus Austrian Music Award and won the Salzburger Stier Cabaret Prize in 2006.
Tickets for the Mnozil Brass concert are $25-$35 and are discounted for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400 or toll free at 888-289-8497.
The performance underwriters are Donald R. and Jo Anne Lowe.
