Founded in 1997, the Prairie Brass Band is a not-for-profit performing arts organization which aspires to the highest musical standards and is dedicated to the growth of the brass band movement in the Chicago area and throughout North America. PBB's 35 volunteer members travel from all over Chicago and its suburbs to attend rehearsals and performances. PBB performs about ten concerts per year in the Chicago area. In addition, PBB competes in the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) Championships and participates in regional brass band festivals such as the Grand Celebration of Brass Bands in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Since its formation, the conductor of the Prairie Brass Band has been Dallas Niermeyer, a nationally recognized music adjudicator and recently-retired director of bands at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Under his direction PBB has won two NABBA titles, including one in the Challenge Section in 1998, PBB's first year of competition - an outstanding feat for a new band! Since then, PBB has competed in the Honors Section (the next highest section) and has shown improvement each year, including another victory at the 2002 competition, which was held in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Prairie Brass Band uses traditional British brass band instrumentation: cornets instead of trumpets, tenor horns instead of french horns, both euphoniums and baritones, and E-flat and B-flat tubas, as well as percussion. The music for every instrument in the band is written in treble clef, except for the bass trombone (which is a story in itself). Since the band competes in a national contest every year, there is a great incentive to continually improve. Most players, however, are attracted to the band simply because the music is challenging, widely varied, and fun to play. Unlike an orchestra or wind band, brass bands have no string or reed instruments and the percussion section is smaller, which increases the musical demand on the musicians to fill all the voices of the orchestra. In a brass band all of the musicians are more active and get to play throughout the pieces, making greater use of their skills.

The summer of 2002 saw the formation of the Prairie Brass Ensemble (also known as "PBB Lite" for short) and Jazz on the Prairie to meet the high demand for quality musical groups in the Chicagoland area, and to further explore the seemingly bottomless library of available music for smaller 5- to 10-piece groups. Both groups have proven to be popular with audiences since their inaugural performances in the fall of 2002.

Since 1999, the Prairie Brass Band has made its official home in Arlington Heights, Illinois - a northwest suburb of Chicago. In honor of the Prairie Brass Band's move, May 21, 1999 was declared Prairie Brass Band Day in Arlington Heights.

The Prairie Brass Band's annual concert series in Arlington Heights includes three indoor concerts at John Hersey High School: an Autumn/Holiday concert in November or December; a Spring concert in March, which often features pieces being prepared for the annual NABBA competition; and a Summer concert in June, often in a lighter "pops" style.

Besides performing at Hersey HS, the Prairie Brass Band rehearses every Thursday night at the Thomas Middle School, is a member of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, and has several members who live and/or work in Arlington Heights.

The Prairie Brass Band is looking forward to a long and enjoyable relationship with the Arlington Heights community.

For more information about brass bands in general, please click here.