The members of the Mir Brass Quintet come from the Baltimore Symphony, the Richmond Symphony and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. 

It is the compelling nature of Shostakovich’s string quartets transcribed for brass that is the central force uniting the members of the Mir Quintet.

In many ways, these string quartets, sound as if they were really meant to be played on brass instruments.  The distinct colors of the five brass instruments interact with each other to give each line independence, while the ensemble is unified by the similarity of brass techniques.  Most importantly, the powerful lines and imagery of Shostakovich’s writing is given real strength by brass instruments.

The quintet takes its name from the Russian word for peace.