The Pentabrass quintet, made up of musicians from the Turin Teatro Regio orchestra, was founded in 1998. It performs widely in Italy and abroad, and is a regular guest at the main brass music festivals. In 2002 it inaugurated the Festival de Cuivres en Dombes. In 2004 the ensemble was invited to the Jeju Brass Festival in South Korea, and in March 2005 to the University of Georgia Brass Spring Festival in the United States. Also in 2005 they took part in the Bagnolo Mella Festival with Fred Mills. In 2007 they were back at this Festival with Michel Becquet and in 2009 with the euphonium player Adam Frey. In 2006 Pentabrass were invited to the Sbalz Spanish Brass in Alzira and in August that year to the Santa Fiora International Festival.
In 2007 they performed at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and in 2008 at the Limoges Epsival. In 2009 Gabriele Cassone invited them as guests to the Wind Instruments Festival at the Cantelli Conservatory in Novara. Just last year they played at the Oldenburger Promenade with the Russian trumpeter Andrei Ikov and – again in Germany – with the European Brass Orchestra.
The quintet has recorded two Cds: Suite Impromptu and Fred Mills and Pentabrass. Fred Mills is a great trumpeter, the founder of the fabulous Canadian Brass ensemble, and the long friendship led them to organize the Pentabrass Festival. This late-summer appointment at Quincinetto is attended each year by soloists and teachers like Ronald Romm, Phil Smith, Andrei Ikov, Chris Martin, Frank Lloyd, Phil Myers, Michel Becquet, Joseph Alessi, Jacques Mauger, James Gourlay. The quintet has just recorded a third CD, as a sestet with Adam Frey, that will be issued in the next few months.