PSO Brass Quintet at "Live under the Arch"

Adam Gallant (trumpet) earned a Bachelor of Music degree in music education and a Master of Arts degree in music studies from the University of New Hampshire. He performs regularly with the Portsmouth Symphony, Portsmouth Brass Quintet, Symphony by the Sea, Maine State Ballet, New England Brass, and Great Bay Philharmonic. Adam is currently the Equipment Manager, Music Librarian, and Assistant Outreach Coordinator for the University of New Hampshire Music Department. He is also the trumpet instructor at the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham, New Hampshire.

John Cardin (trumpet) received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire and earned his Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Southern New Hampshire University. He regularly performs as a soloist throughout southern NH, and with the Portsmouth Symphony, the Portsmouth Brassworks Quintet, and Telergy. Mr. Cardin is the band director for Elm Street Middle School in Nashua NH. Outside of music, he pursues a diverse array of passions, from computers and gaming, to tennis, weightlifting and photography.

Tracey Crain (horn) received her Bachelor of Arts in horn performance from the University of New Hampshire under the mentorship of Kendall Betts and Hazel Dean Davis. Inspired by how the arts impact individuals of all abilities, she continued her journey at UNH by earning her M.Ed. in special education. Now a special education case manager in Portsmouth, Tracey continues to foster her love for music by performing in the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra, the Portsmouth Brass Quintet, and the Maine State Ballet. She shares her joint passion for teaching and music by teaching private horn lessons with the mission to inspire young musicians to express themselves through music. Her ideal Sunday afternoon includes sipping on a hot cup of black tea and serenading her cat with horn music.

Brandon Newbould (tenor trombone), attended Messiah College outside of Harrisburg, PA and is the 2003 winner of the Keith Lance Kuhlman Performance Competition. He has traveled with Borealis Brass to premiere new sacred music in Rome and served as co-principal trombone in the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra. Presenting his Graduate Lecture Recital on the use of trombone in Moravian music, he received his MFA in trombone performance at University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2007. His performance of Turrin’s “Fandango” on Progressions (with colleague William Stowman) was selected for 2008 Grammy consideration in both the wind/concert band and soloist category. Since relocating to New England in 2007, he freelances with the Symphony New Hampshire, the Portsmouth Symphony, and the Seacoast Big Band. Brandon is also on the faculty of the Saint Paul School and Philips Exeter Academy.  

Jim Griswold (bass trombone) loves performing with the Portsmouth Brass Quintet and Seacoast Wind Ensemble. He has played bass ‘bone since the early 1970s with a 20-year hiatus for work and living that took him overseas and other places that were not conducive to playing.  He worked as a groundwater geologist for more than 30 years and now lives in Lee where he farms elk, chickens, Asian pear, trout and anything else that can sell at local farmers markets in the Seacoast area.

The Portsmouth Brass Quintet is comprised of key brass players from the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra. The ensemble was founded by Adam Gallant in the fall of 2016 and is dedicated to performing serious brass chamber music at the highest level. The PBQ has performed recently on the seacoast in Portsmouth, Kittery, Newington, Rye, Exeter, and Durham. In February 2018, they gave their debut recital at South Church in Portsmouth, featuring the works of Stravinsky, Gabrieli, Bach, Dahl, and Bernstein. The quintet is available for weddings, church services, education concerts, graduation ceremonies, and any other occasion calling for brass music.