STUART STEPHENSON -Trumpet - joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) as Principal Trumpet at the beginning of the 2013-14 season. He is one of the youngest Principals of the ASO. 

Mr. Stephenson has performed at the Aspen Music Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center. An active educator, he maintains a private trumpet studio and is a brass coach for the Midwest Young Artists. A Fairfax Station, VA, native, Mr. Stephenson began playing the trumpet at age 10 and also plays the piano. He holds a bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School and a master’s degree from Northwestern University. Mr. Stephenson’s notable teachers include Barbara Butler, Charlie Geyer, Chris Martin, Tom Rolfs, Tom Cupples, Adel Sanchez, Raymond Mase, and Mark Gould.

MICHAEL TISCIONE-Trumpet- joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2002. An avid chamber musician, besides being a regular member of the ASBQ, he performs regularly with the Burning River

Brass, has recently toured China with the Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet, and appears frequently at the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at both the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. In addition to his duties with the ASO, Mr. Tiscione serves as second trumpet with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and has performed with the orchestras of New York, Philadelphia, and Toronto. In 2010, Mr. Tiscione took a leave of absence to perform on second trumpet with the San Francisco Symphony for their 2010-2011 season. Recent solo engagements have included appearances with the United States Military Academy at West Point, Georgia Philharmonic, and Georgia Brass Band at the 2012 International Trumpet Guild Conference. A native of Monroe, NY, Mr. Tiscione holds degrees from Indiana University (BM)MICHAELrthwestern University (MM). His teachers have included John Rommel, Charles Geyer, Barbara Butler, John Charles Thomas, and Louis Ranger. His bride is the Principal Oboe of the ASO, Elizabeth Koch Tiscione, and the two often perform together in chamber settings as well as on the Symphony Hall stage.

RICHARD DEANE - Horn - has been the third horn of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1987. Mr. Deane is a native of Richmond, KY, where he began his horn studies with Stanley Lawson. He received

a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Myron Bloom, and a Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Michael Hatfield. Other teachers have included Jerry Peel at the University of Miami and David Wakefield at the Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Deane was a first prize winner in the American Horn Competition in 1987. He has played Principal Horn with the Colorado Philharmonic and the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, and has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Solisti New York, Lexington Philharmonic, and for the 2012-13 Season was Acting Associate Principal Horn of the New York Philharmonic. In Atlanta, Mr. Deane performs with the Atlanta Chamber Players, as well as many other groups, and toured Norway with the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet as part of the Olympic cultural exchange between Lillehammer and Atlanta. In May of 1999 Mr. Deane was a featured artist at the International Horn Society Convention held at the University of Georgia in Athens. In addition to teaching master classes at such schools as the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Georgia State University, Cleveland State University, and Eastern Kentucky University, Mr. Deane has been visiting professor of horn at the University of Georgia since 2006. He also serves as Principal Horn of the Brevard Music Festival in North Carolina each summer. His article, “The Third Horn Brahms Experience,” was published in the Spring 2007 edition of The Horn Call — the journal of the International Horn Society — and his best-selling method book, “The Efficient Approach: Accelerated Development for the Horn,” is published by the Atlanta Brass Society Press. Richard's wife, Jill is a busy business-woman, and they have two sons.

NATHAN ZGONC - Trombone -  joined the trombone section of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2011. Mr. Zgonc has received numerous awards, including special prizewinner at the Budapest

International Trombone Competition and first place at the Zellmer, Frank Smith Memorial, and Robert Marsteller solo competitions. In 2009 Nathan spent the summer as the Principal Trombone of the Seattle Symphony for Wagner's Ring Cycle. He has also performed with the San Francisco, Cincinnati, National, and Houston symphony orchestras, as well as the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra. Mr. Zgonc career includes positions with the Vancouver Symphony, Utah Symphony and Opera, Sarasota Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and United States Navy Band. Originally from Fairview, OR, Mr. Zgonc studied at Indiana University, San Francisco Conservatory, and Manhattan School of Music. His teachers include David Finlayson, Mark Lawrence, and Keith Brown. He is featured on recordings with Vancouver Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, U.S. Navy Band, and Seattle Symphony. In September 2010 Mr. Zgonc gave the world premiere of Aura by Tony DiLorenzo in honor of his mother, Lorely Zgonc — the late concertmaster of the Portland Opera and Ballet. Nate's wife Karen is a Social Media specialist, and they have two young boys.

MICHAEL MOORE - Tuba and Artistic Director -  joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) in 1968, and at age 18 was the youngest tubist among any major orchestra.

Mr. Moore has performed the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto with the ASO in Symphony Hall and at Piedmont Park, as well as the Edward Gregson Tuba Concerto with ensembles in Atlanta and Columbus. In October 2003 he was guest tubist with the Chicago Symphony. Additionally, Mr. Moore was guest artist at Tubilustrium 2005 in Cosenza, Italy, and at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. Mr. Moore is the founder of the non-profit Atlanta Brass Society and the ABS Press, and also artistic director of the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet. He serves on the faculties at Georgia and Kennesaw state universities and at Emory University, where he teaches tuba and euphonium, coaches brass chamber music, and conducts the newly formed Atlanta Symphony Community Brass Ensemble. Along with his numerous musical pursuits, including playing banjo, Mr. Moore serves as treasurer of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians and treasurer of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Player's Association, and is also a board member of the Atlanta Federation of Musicians.

Born in Oklahoma and raised in Georgia, Mr. Moore received a bachelor's degree in music literature with a minor in composition from Georgia State University. His tuba studies have been with Arnold Jacobs and Ed Kleinhammer of the Chicago Symphony, Ward Fearn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, William Hill of Georgia State Univeristy, and his father, E.W. Moore -  longtime ASO tubist under Henry Sopkin. Michael's wife, Paula Peace is Artistic Director of the Atlanta Chamber Players, and his daughter, Erin is an elementary band director in the Atlanta Public Schools. This is Mr. Moore’s forty-sixth  year as a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet.

The Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet began forty-six ago as the “Ceremonial Troupe” of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, having performed for numerous dignitaries including HRH Prince Charles.  The Quintet presents an incredibly varied repertoire, from original transcriptions of Renaissance and Baroque music through theatrical pieces and commissioned works by Southeastern composers. The Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet has appeared on numerous occasions on National Public Radio’s Performance Today, and in the summer of 1996 was the “house band” for four days of live radio broadcast over NPR to 40 countries. The

Quintet’s performances are also featured on the “Spirit of ‘96” NPR CD. In October 1992, The Quintet provided all of the music for the Tribune Broadcasting live worldwide broadcast of The Search for Scarlet, performing civil war salon music in the State Capitol. In June of 1993, the Quintet presented “A Norwegian Brass Odyssey,” playing in Oslo, Lillehammer, and at the Bergen International Festival in Bergen, Norway. The Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet is also the Official Brass Quintet of the 1996 Cultural Olympiad. In June 2004, the ASBQ performed at the G-8 Summit on Sea Island, Georgia for the President of the United States. The ASBQ has performed on numerous occasions at the Governor's Mansion and for dignitaries statewide. The Quintet was formerly in residence at Kennesaw State University and the Dozier Center in Cobb County. Besides all manner of concerts, the Quintet performs numerous private functions throughout the year and provides masterclasses for young brass players. For more information about the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet, please contact us at info@atlantabrass.com

About the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet

About the Musicians

Historic Photos with Previous Personnel

Chris Martin (Georgia Native, now Principal Trumpet, Chicago Symphony     2000-2006

Bearded Richard Deane, horn 1991-

Stephen Wilson, former 2nd Trombone in the ASO 1994-2002

Mark Hughes, then Assoc. Principal Trumpet, now Principal Trumpet, Houston Symphony   1991-2006

Bespectacled tubaist Michael Moore 1968-

This was the quintet for much of the Kennesaw State University residency.

ASO Principal Trombone Colin Williams joined the Quintet in 2002 and remained a regular member until 2013.

The ASBQ at the G-8 Summit on Sea Island, Georgia, 2004. President Bush posed with us with Navy Seals patrolling the beach in the background.

With organist Timothy Albrecht at Emory University. The ASBQ has played Emory's Commencement since 1981.

Tom Hooten, now Principal Trumpet in the Los Angeles Philarmonic, played from 2006-2012.  Mike Tiscione, started in September 2002.

Tubaist Michael Moore outside his dressing room during the run of the Vaughan Williams Concerto with the ASO in 2005

The ASBQ

c. 1973.

Joe Walthall 2nd and Asst. Princ. Trumpet, Principal Trombone Harry Maddox, Michael Moore, Principal Horn Brice Andrus, Larry Black, 3rd Trumpet