Biography
Barry Bocaner is a low brass instrumentalist and period instrument specialist. He performs on a wide spectrum of historical and modern low brass instruments ranging from sackbuts, ophicleide, and serpent to modern trombones and euphonium. He regularly appears with early music ensembles, symphony orchestras, and period instrument groups in the Washington, DC metro area as well as across the United States.
Instruments I Play
Modern Instruments
- Tenor trombone (large bore, medium bore, small bore, German style)
- Alto trombone
- Bass trombone
- Euphonium
- British style baritone horn
- Tuba (bass and contrabass)
- German-style kaiserbariton
- German-style B-flat tenorhorn
- Bass trumpet (rotary and piston valve)
Period Instruments
- Tenor sackbut
- Alto sackbut
- Bass sackbut
- Lyzarden (tenor cornett)
- Alto classical trombone
- French romantic trombone
- British romantic trombone
- French tuba in C
- Ophicleide
- Quinticlave
- Serpent
- Bass horn (historic cimbasso, Russian bassoon, upright serpent)
- Valve trombone contrabasso a Verdi (cimbasso)
- Tenor saxhorn (American Civil War)
- Baritone horn (euphonium) circa 1880
- Recorder consort (Renaissance - garklein, sopranino, soprano, altos in F and G, tenor, basset, contrabass)
Some of the Groups I Have Played With
- Bethlehem Bach Festival Orchestra (opens in new tab) – Alto classical trombone
- Brass Band of Northern Virginia (opens in new tab) – Baritone horn (ensemble co-founder)
- Grand Harmonie – Ophicleide
- Handel Period Instrument Orchestra (Handel Choir of Baltimore) (opens in new tab) – Alto classical trombone
- Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra (opens in new tab) – Bass trumpet
- Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band – Baritone horn, B-flat tenorhorn, trombone
- Opera Lafayette (opens in new tab) – Ophicleide
- Teatro Nuovo (opens in new tab) – Serpent, bass horn, ophicleide, classical trombone
- Virginia Grand Military Band (opens in new tab) – Euphonium
- Washington Bach Consort (opens in new tab) – Tenor and alto sackbut, alto classical trombone
- Washington Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble (opens in new tab) – Alto, tenor, and bass sackbut, lyzarden, recorders
- Washington National Cathedral Baroque Orchestra – Tenor classical trombone, ophicleide
Discography
American Rhapsody
Brass of the Potomac
Firestorm – The Music of Stephen Bulla
Brass of the Potomac
de Haske Brass (DHR 03 067-3)
Quickstep – Brass Band Music of the Civil War
Coates Brass Band
MSR Classics (MS1422)
Thomas Coates – The Father of Band Music in America
Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band
MSR Classics (MS1556)
The Gilded Age
Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band
MSR Classics (MS1726)
Viva Italia
Duke Vespers Ensemble
MSR Classics (MS1580)
Edmond Dédé: Morgiane, ou, Le sultan d'Ispahan
Opera Lafayette
Delos (DE3628)
Gallery
Media & Online Channels
Explore performance videos and curated concert recordings:
- View a curated YouTube Performance Playlist (opens in new tab) featuring videos including me from various sources.
- Visit my primary YouTube channel at youtube.com/bbocaner (opens in new tab).
- Follow along on Instagram @moltistrumenti (opens in new tab) (check Story Highlights for extra clips and photos).
Contemporary Instrument Makers
Makers of instruments I use:
- Adams Musical Instruments (opens in new tab)
- Doug Elliott Mouthpieces (opens in new tab)
- Ewald Meinl Musikinstrumentenbau (opens in new tab)
- Kobliczek Musikinstrumentenbau (opens in new tab)
- Michael Rath Trombones (opens in new tab)
- Serpent Ribo (opens in new tab)
- Thein Brass (opens in new tab)
- Wessex Tubas (opens in new tab)
- Yamaha Band and Orchestra (opens in new tab)