About Us
Musicians
Current members of Occasional Brass and Strings all hail from New England, and enjoy playing weddings and events in the Boston area. Get to know them here.
Brass
Ami Fields - French Horn
A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Ami holds her Bachelor and Master Degrees in Horn Performance from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and the University of New Mexico, respectively. You may have heard her playing from behind the scenes in local productions such as 'A Little Night Music' at the Lyric Stage (Back Bay), or 'Into the Woods' at the New Repertory Theatre (Newton). She currently splits her time between the Boston and New York City music scenes. Ami's life ambition is to be immortalized in print on the inside of a Nantucket Nectar's lid.
ami@occasionalbrass.com
Bryan Hilliard (aka Deeb) - Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Bryan grew up in Brockton, MA, then studied with Jeff Holmes and the late Walter Chesnut while attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He found the funk in 1991 and joined Rippopotamus, a Boston-based funk/rock band. During his tenure with Rippo, he opened for a variety of national acts, including Queen Latifah, Phish, Fishbone, De La Soul, and the Beastie Boys. Bryan can be heard around town playing weddings, musicals, funk, rock, big band, dixieland, salsa, merengue, and even a circus gig or two. He is a featured artist for Sonare Winds, and plays their trumpets exclusively.
bryan@occasionalbrass.com
Jerome Smith - Tuba, Bass Trombone, Trombone, Piano
A native of Austin, TX, Jerome Smith attended College at UT Austin, then relocated to Boston to work on his Doctorate in Trombone at Boston University. Being no stranger to the freelance music scene, Jerome doubles on Tuba, Euphonium, and Bass Trombone, as well as encompassing all styles of music from Classical, to Jazz, Rock, and even Country/Western. You can check him out at a Red Sox game, jamming with the Hot Tamale Brass Band, or around town just rocking out. Jerome hopes to one day play in a professional orchestra.
jerome@occasionalbrass.com
Russell Bogartz (aka Roof) - Trombone
Russell graduated Cum Laude from UMass Amherst with a B.A. in Music Education. He planned to audition for Orchestras but joined the Rock Band Rippopotamus instead, taking on the alter ego "Roof". Rippopotamus went on to win a Boston Music Award for Outstanding Funk Band, licensed a song as the theme song for MTV's Singled Out with Jenny McCarthy, won a WFNX award for Best Jam Band and has played around the country and the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada. Russell has played with numerous ensembles from Orchestral to Jazz and from Dixieland to Funk.
russell@occasionalbrass.com
Stan Johnson - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Stan has been performing professionally for 22 years. In addition to his work with us, he has been performing for weddings, holiday celebrations, and sacred music and is currently on staff with Entertainment Specialists and Groove Entertainment agencies. Stan has performed at music festivals in Montreaux, New Orleans, Chicago, Memphis, and Detroit. Recently, performances included a Western US tour with Mighty Sam McClain, sideman with guitarist Rick Russell and organist Ron Levy, and trumpet for the Sweet Willie 'D' Band. He also performs with his own jazz trio.
stan@occasionalbrass.com
Strings
Hannah Thiem - Violin
In addition to her work with Occasional Brass and Strings, Hannah is the violinist and vocalist of Copal, and a featured soloist with DJs in Boston, New York, and San Francisco. She is also violinist with Cyanide Valentine, and performs hip hop violin with Kanye West on his east coast shows in Boston, New York, and surrounding cities. She has studied classical, world, and jazz, with an emphasis on emulating Middle Eastern, Eastern European, Nordic, and Spanish gypsy traditional styles. Hannah brings an amazing sound and presence to our string offerings.
hannah@occasionalbrass.com
Halley Feaster - Cello
Halley is a classically trained cellist who has branched out into other forms of expression. She sings, plays acoustic cello, six-string electric cello, and bass. Halley is also a member of Copal, playing cello and singing with the funky, gypsy and belly-dancing group. Most recently, she arranged strings for and performed on the Dropkick Murphy's latest release, The Meanest of Times. She continues to divide her time between writing, arranging, and performing in the Boston/Cambridge area. Halley is the newest musician to join Occasional Brass and Strings.
halley@occasionalbrass.com
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