Introducing The Kona Brass Quintet
The Kona Brass performs elegant brass quintet music that spans 600 years of musical styles, including Classical, Baroque, Renaissance, Hawaiian, Jazz, Pop, Ragtime, and a variety of music from around the world.
The Kona Brass was formed in 2004 to bring brass quintet music to West Hawaii. Centuries ago, brass quintets were the means of intertwining music with life's activities, performing for townspeople and royalty, at formal and informal events. The Kona Brass continues this tradition by performing a
repertoire
that spans 600 years of musical styles - from the Renaissance through to the Jazz era. Our informal “talk story concerts” tell listeners about the interesting background of the music and composers. We also create custom programs for private events. Audiences throughout Hawaii describe our music as “Beautiful and elegant,” or have a single word of feedback – "Awesome."
Musicians
Garry Russell – Tuba
 Garry Russell has been performing for over 35 years, and for 27 years he was a professional musician in Las Vegas performing the tuba and trombone. He was the principal tubaist with the Nevada Symphony Orchestra and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Garry was also one of the founding members of the Las Vegas Brass Quintet which made many recordings and toured the United States. For 25 years he was the tuba instructor at University of Nevada – Las Vegas. Garry performed on "the strip" in most of the major hotels in Las Vegas playing for many stars that came to the city, including Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, Dolly Parton, Steve and Edie, Bobby Vinton, Tony Orlando, Neil Sedaka, Johnny Mathis and many more. Garry performs in several musical groups in Hawaii, including the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra, the Good Times Jazz Band, and musical theater productions.
Orrin Olson – French Horn
Orrin Olson was a very active free-lance musician in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area for over 30 years.
For 26 years he was a principal horn with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, performing operas, ballets
and musicals. He also served as principal horn of the National Gallery Orchestra, the Washington Chamber Orchestra
and Wolf Trap Farm Park. As an extra, he performed, toured and recorded with the National Symphony Orchestra. His
television performances include: Presidential Inaugural Galas, Dione Warwick, Christmas in Washington, The Kennedy
Center Honors and the new John Philip Sousa Band (with Keith Brion). Orrin taught French horn at the University of Maryland,
where he was a member of both the Faculty Brass & Woodwind Quintets. During his 15 years of retirement in Kona, he
has performed as an extra with the Honolulu Symphony, and performs with his wife Judith, in Kona's Traveling Jewish
Wedding Band.
David Clausnitzer – Trumpet
 David Clausnitzer has performed for over 35 years as a free-lance musician and teacher. He is an active musician in Hawaii, playing trumpet, flugelhorn, and piano at a variety of venues. He performs with The Olliephonic Horns, Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra, the Good Times Jazz Band, and various other groups. David received his B.A. in music from Rutgers University in 1975. He then supported himself in the New York metropolitan area by teaching trumpet and piano and by playing a variety of music, including jazz, big band, salsa, polkas, and classical. David also played with The Four Tops, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.
Armando Mendoza – Trumpet
 Armando Mendoza is an acclaimed trumpet performer and conductor, originally from Puna, Hawaii, who has traveled the world studying music, performing, and conducting. Armando has been a free-lance performer for over 35 years, performing avant-garde and contemporary, jazz, rock-and-roll, and classical music. Armando earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a Master’s degree in Trumpet Performance from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for Doctoral training in music performance, and he also studied conducting at both the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Since 1994, Armando has been the Band Director at Hilo High School. In addition, Armando served for 9 years as the Hawaii County Band Director, and as Acting Assistant Music Professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He performs for many groups, including the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra and numerous theatrical productions.
Sue Garrod – Trombone
 Sue Garrod has been performing trombone for nearly 25 years, while also maintaining her academic and technical career. During her years in Indiana, she was a member of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, the Lafayette Citizen’s Band, and the Big Swing Band. In Hawaii, she performs with a variety of musical groups, including The Olliephonic Horns, Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra, Casablanca, Kona Dance Band, and she has been a member of the pit orchestra for a variety of live musical theater productions.
Additional Musicians
Bill Sever – French Horn
Bill Sever is an educator and musician who is originally from Kailua, Oahu and Hilo, Hawaii. He has a B.S. in Music Education from
Eastern Nazarene College, a M.Ed. from
Heritage College,
and a M.A. in Brass Pedagogy from
Ohio State University.
Bill is currently the band director at Waiakea High School in Hilo.
He performs with several organizations, including the
Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra, the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH) Orchestra, the Kona Community Orchestra, the Hawaii County Band, and the Knox County Symphony in Ohio. He has also performed in numerous theater productions including Camelot,
Oklahoma, Wizard of Oz,
Brigadoon, and My Fair Lady.
Ollie Mitchell – Trumpet
Ollie Mitchell has been performing for several decades with name bands and as a leading studio musician. Ollie began his musical training with his father, the legendary Harold (Pappy) Mitchell, and he established his own reputation as one of the top performing and recording artists in Los Angeles. He played lead trumpet in several name bands including Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, and Harry James, and he performed for nearly two decades as a full-time studio musician. His recording credits number in the thousands, and he can be heard on many radio, movie and TV recordings including Hawaii Five-O, I Love Lucy, M*A*S*H*, The Flintstones, Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’,” and some of the early albums of Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass. Ollie was also a prolific teacher and mentor for many stars that followed, including Herb Alpert. On the Big Island of Hawaii, Ollie is well known as the leader of the popular big band,
The Olliephonic Horns,
where he plays trumpet and flugelhorn.
Ollie Mitchell has written a book about his life and adventures as a busy Hollywood studio trumpet player, WWII sailor, scuba diver and bandleader.
Ollywood
is available from ONM Publishing.
Scott Weiss – Trumpet
Scott Weiss of Ventura, California, is a frequent visitor to the Big Island.
Scott is a CPA, Real Estate Broker, and partner in an entertainment company.
As a trumpet player he has been performing for 36 years in brass quintets,
jazz ensembles, concert bands, and orchestras. As a filmmaker, Scott has produced several
musical documentary DVD’s on trumpet players, and he has filmed many of the
top trumpet players in the world. Scott is the founder and executive
director of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Music 4 Kids, which provides free music lessons at the local Boys and Girls Club in Ventura
County, California.
Paul Arceo – Trumpet
Paul Arceo has been performing trumpet and conducting in Hawaii for many years. In addition to performing with various groups and musical theater productions, Paul has been the featured soloist performing trumpet concertos. He is currently the Director of the Hawaii County Band, based in Hilo.
Linda Hoover – Trumpet
Linda Hoover is a faculty member at the Parker School, where she teaches Music and Movement to kindergarten through fifth grade students. She has an undergraduate degree in special education from Ball State University, and a master of science degree in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University. She has been a special education teacher in Illinois, Indiana, Texas and on Maui. Before moving to the Big Island, Linda was a member of the Maui Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Swing Band, and the Maui Brass Ensemble.
Keith Irwin – Trumpet
Originally from Michigan, Keith moved to Colorado to study music at Colorado Christian University. There he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music while studying under Prof. Mark Dorn. Keith lead trumpet sections in the "Mainstream" big band and University Wind Ensemble for four years. He has performed with Denver's "Musica Sacra" Orchestra as well as with several brass quintets, rock bands and jazz groups in the Denver Metro area. Keith recently moved to the Big Island to staff at the University of the Nations. He enjoys playing everything from Bach to Buddy Rich!
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