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The PYO Music Institute (PYOMI) is pleased to announce Anthony Prisk and Ernesto Tovar Torres as co-directors of Bravo Brass, PYOMI’s intermediate to advanced brass ensemble. Both are current members of The Philadelphia Orchestra and bring extensive performance and teaching experience to the program. Their appointment takes effect this January, with Bravo Brass moving to a new rehearsal schedule of Tuesdays, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., at PYO Music Institute, 240 South 20th Street, Philadelphia.
“Anthony and Ernesto are extraordinary musicians and generous teachers, and Bravo Brass students are fortunate to learn from artists at the highest level of the profession,” said Louis Scaglione, President, CEO and Music Director of PYO Music Institute. “We’re grateful to welcome them into an expanded role in the PYOMI family and excited for what they will build with this ensemble.”
Prisk joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as second trumpet in August 2013, following eleven seasons as second trumpet of the Houston Symphony and four seasons as a trumpet fellow with the New World Symphony. He has performed internationally with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, and the Montreal Symphony, and has appeared as a soloist with several youth orchestras. He teaches at Temple University and the Peabody Institute and holds degrees from the University of Illinois and McGill University.
Tovar Torres is fourth horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Before joining Philadelphia, he served as second horn of the Atlanta Symphony from 2015 to 2017 and has performed with the Dallas Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic, and the Grand Rapids Symphony, among others. A finalist in the 2013 International Horn Competition of America, he has presented master classes at institutions including the Curtis Institute of Music and the Jerusalem Music Center. He trained at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music with William VerMeulen and holds a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University.
Bravo Brass serves musicians ages 12 to 22 and is one of eleven ensembles within PYO Music Institute, which serves over 1,000 students annually across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. More information on Bravo Brass, including audition requirements, is available at pyomusic.org.
Learn more about Bravo Brass
Bravo Brass is the only year-round student brass ensemble in the Philadelphia area. The program offers student brass players the opportunity to build their technical capabilities and musicianship through fun and challenging repertoire.
Explore the Program
“The experience of performing in a brass ensemble in high school is extremely rare and a valuable opportunity for any serious brass student.”
-Isabella Gilligan, Trumpet
