Canadian Brass

Canadian Brass is proud to tell you about their chief classical arranger over the past 30 years. Art & Mary Ellen Frackenpohl have set up a program for young brass quintets very much in keeping with our own philosophy: learn through performance.

Dr. Arthur and Mary Ellen Frackenpohl have endowed a fund to establish The Frackenpohl Honors Brass Quintet that will provide financial and experiential support to five undergraduate brass majors. Potsdam College will administer the endowment annually. Part of the endowment will go toward scholarships for the student members of The Frackenpohl Honors Brass Quintet, while experiential support includes enabling the Quintet to travel and perform while also providing opportunities for guest artists, teachers and performers to interact with the Quintet through clinics and master classes.

Dr. Frackenpohl has published more than 400 instrumental and choral compositions and arrangements including three large choral works, a chamber opera, two string quartets, five brass quintets, a piano sonata and numerous works arranged for the Canadian Brass, the most recent being J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. His works have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan. Dr. Frackenpohl earned degrees from the University of Rochester, the Eastman School of Music and McGill University.

Mrs. Frackenpohl graduated from Crane in 1954 with a degree in Music Education. She taught flute privately and played extensively for more than 20 years, also serving as an adjunct faculty member at The Crane School of Music and St. Lawrence University. In celebration of her 50th reunion from Potsdam, the Frackenpohls established the Mary Ellen Walkley Frackenpohl ’54 Student Ensemble Travel Endowment to provide travel money for ensembles from The Crane School of Music.

Those wishing to support the Frackenpohl Honors Brass Quintet may do so by contacting the Potsdam College Foundation at (315) 267-2118.