Inner Focus Los Angeles quintet finds new home in Hancock County

It’s a long way, both geographically and psychologically, from Los Angeles to Hancock County. But a group of five talented musicians has made that large leap of faith. The four men and one woman in the Los Angeles Brass Quintet have come with two missions: to teach others and to learn more about themselves.

It’s been a bit of a transition leaving behind the millions in activity-packed L.A. to live among the thousands in off-season Mount Desert Island.

“It does allow you to focus on what you want to focus on,” said trumpeter Jason Foltz. “This is our life and it’s been our challenge. We’re left with just this group, and making it work, and that’s something we’re learning to do over time.”

The quintet is in Hancock County under the auspices of The Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth. Their stay, which is for up to three years in renewable one-year increments, was arranged by Chamber Music America’s Rural Residency Program and was made possible largely through a National Endowment for the Arts grant.

Half of the musicians’ salaries are paid for by the NEA grant. The other half must be raised by The Grand, through concert admissions, teaching fees, fund-raising and other grants. They do 20 hours a week of public service and 20 hours a week of rehearsal. The residency lasts for the school year, with the members having the summer off.

Since its arrival in late August, the quintet has made a number of public appearances, including concerts and fund-raisers, and plays in different churches every Sunday. Their main thrust is to work with the schools, but they arrived after most school budgets were locked in for the year.

“We want to see this thing develop,” said tuba player Nathan McIntyre. “This year, we’re beating on doors and getting responses, but there’s no funds available. We hope to be more inculcated in the schools next year.”

The group, founded in 1995, recently made one of its first school visits in Ellsworth, visiting the high school in the morning and the middle school in the afternoon.

Talking to high-school band students, members of the quintet (which also includes trumpet player Rich Candelaria, trombonist Steven Suminksi and English horn player Liesl Perkins) took turns stepping out front and talking about their experiences or different issues of musicianship.

They also played a varied selection of pieces, including familiar classical works such as “Flight of the Bumblebee,” selections from “West Side Story,” jazz songs such as “Sweet Georgia Brown” and even the theme from “The Simpsons.”

“We like to play music and focus on what we think the audience will enjoy,” McIntyre said. “This is a performance for the audience, and our successful programs have included all styles.”

After their program was complete, they opened the floor to questions. One girl hit the nail on the head when she asked, “Why Maine? Was it, like, charity?”

So why did five successful working musicians leave L.A. for the Maine coast? In short, it was time for a change.

“We had a decision to make about how to focus our energies,” Foltz recalled. “We had been free-lance musicians in L.A., and we all felt lost. We had made the decision to focus on the ensemble. Then we found out about the program and went through the application process.”

CMA matches up the groups applying with the areas that are looking for a group.

So why did The Grand seek a group for residency?

“We live in such a geographically large, rural area, and we have great music programs in the schools,” explained Bob Bahr, The Grand’s executive director. “We were wondering how we could help students from different schools interact with each other. A good way was bringing in five musicians who will live and work here, a group of pros to interact with and become mentors for inter-school ensembles.”

The Grand’s board interviewed both the brass quintet and a woodwind ensemble from Boston.

“A lot of [the decision] came down to personalities,” Bahr said. “The transition was going to be more difficult for the woodwind quintet, because they were trying to figure out how often they could get back to Boston. It was clear [the brass quintet] was looking for a rural environment, not to do contract work with symphonies, and was looking to make a real difference.”

Despite a slower start than they would have liked, it’s clear that the group’s members are adjusting well to Maine.

“I like lobster fisherman, I like snow, and I’m learning to say ‘wicked,’ ” Candeleria joked.

To book the Los Angeles Brass Quartet, contact Bob Bahr at 667-5911 or Rich Candelaria at 288-9654.