About The Saginaw Brass Quintet
SAGINAW BRASS QUINTET (formerly FCC BRASS) has performed throughout Michigan since its formation in 2006. We’re a group made up of professional and amateur musicians, and we love to play in a wide variety of musical genres. Whether you want marches, polkas, rags, spirituals, baroque, classical, jazz, rock, or pop music, we’ve got you covered!
Our gigs aren’t limited to weddings and church services. We play all kinds of gigs, including educational music shows, Halloween, Beatles, festivals, parties, and more!
If you’re looking for brass in the Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City area, we’re your group! We’ll even throw in a drummer to make our rock covers really go all out.
Book us now to make your event brass-tastic!
Meet The Members Of The Saginaw Brass Quintet
Brandon Jerashen - Trumpet 1 & Musical Director
Brandon holds a B.A. degree in Music from Saginaw Valley State University. He is director of High School Bands for the Tawas public schools in Michigan. He has performed with the Midland Community Orchestra and is past conductor of the classic Legacy Band in Saginaw. He was accepted into the Michigan Youth Arts Band in 2006; received the Rhea Miller scholarship in music award; awarded two Musician of the Year awards while attending SVSU; and received the Outstanding Senior in Music Education Award.
Doug Schuller - Trumpet 2 & Arranger
Doug performs with the Saginaw Area Concert Band and the Tri-City Trumpets, and is a founding member of the classic rock/blues band The Anechoics. He has performed as a baritone with the Saginaw Chorale Society and as a vocalist with the Saginaw Brass Quintet. He has served in music ministry as trumpeter and cantor for over 20 years at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Saginaw. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska, where he also studied music composition and participated in the marching band with several national television appearances. Doug writes and arranges much of our music.
William Ostler - French Horn & Ensemble Coordinator
Bill is a present Member of the Midland Community Orchestra, Harbor Springs Community (summer) Band, and Founder and member of the Mid-Michigan Horn Club and performing quartet. He has performed with Saginaw Germania Orchestra, Shiawassee Chamber Orchestra, SVSU Theater Pit Orchestra, Saginaw Pit and Balcony Pit Orchestra, Straits Area Concert Band, Harbor Springs Community Band, Saginaw Area Concert Band, and the Alma Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the Saginaw Congregational Church Chancel Choir. He is a member of the International Horn Society. He has a B.A. degree in teaching with a minor in music and a M.A. in later elementary teaching from SVSU.
Keith Kidder - Trombone & Vocalist
Keith is a founding member of SBQ and has performed as a soloist and member of the Saginaw Choral Society. He currently is a member of Saginaw's First Congregational Church Chancel Choir, and has performed as a vocal soloist with the Saginaw Eddy Concert Band and currently with the Saginaw Brass Quintet. He is sought after as a tenor soloist in the Great Lakes Bay area. He holds a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from MSU.
Zach VanderGraaff - Tuba & Internet Guy
Zach is an elementary music teacher with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Music Education. He also works as a freelancer in the digital marketing space and runs the successful music resource website, Dynamic Music Room. An avid tuba player and fan of making brass music fun and accessible to all people, he’s played in many groups around the state, including Central Michigan University’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble, CMU Brass Band, Central Foundation Tuba/Euphonium Quartet, CMU Symphony Orchestra, East Shore Wind Symphony, Mid-Michigan Brass Band, Bay Concert Band, and the FMB German Band. He also co-directs the Clam Lake Band in Cadillac during the summer months.
Drummers & Alternates
Steve Nyquist - Drums
Steve has been performing drumset in the Saginaw area for over twenty-five years now. He has a B.A. in Music Education from Saginaw Valley State University. He currently plays percussion for the Saginaw Choral Society as well as the Pit and Balcony Theater, The Bay City Players and the Midland Center for the Arts. He, also, currently plays with Vortex Jazz and Blues Band, Laurie and the Lefty’s, and his original band - Sprout and the Orange. He is happy to be back performing on occasion with the Saginaw Brass Quintet.
Phil Bossenberger - Drums
Phil has been the director of the Birch Run Bands since 2018. Phillip is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University (B.M.E., 2008) and earned his Masters in Conducting from Sam Huston State University (2015). He is the 2019 winner of the Birch Run/Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce Teacher of the Year Award. Phillip is the conductor of the Saginaw Area Concert Band. He has been a director and instructor for Herter Band Camp since 2018. Phillip is an active musician throughout Michigan with various cover bands, jazz bands, the Saginaw Brass Quintet and the Midland Saxophone Quartet.
HEATHER BRITT - HORN (ALTERNATE)
She has a B.A. in horn from SVSU. She has performed with SVSU concert band as principal. She has also been a member of SVSU's jazz band, East Shore Wind Symphony , Classic Legacy Band of Saginaw and Tawas Community Concert Band.
Jim O'Connell - TUBA (ALTERNATE)
Music education major degree from CMU.Band teacher.
Archie Sawyer - Trumpet (alternate)
He is a member of The Hit Men Band (formerly known as Three Penny Revue), and the Saginaw Elite Big Band. Archie also performs or has performed with the Soul Street Band, Mike Brush and Brian Rombalski, Saginaw Eddy Concert Band, Pit and Balcony Theatre, Bay City Players Theatre, Midland Center for the Arts and various Tri- City area churches. He is also a member of Razor Entertainment, which features over 100 professional musicians with stage and recording credits as diverse as Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, The Temptations, Amy Grant and Woody Herman. He has been nominated for Best Jazz Instrumentalist by Bay Area Review Magazine’s Music Awards multiple times.
Paul Marshall - Trumpet (Alternate)
Performs with The Bay Tones, the Saginaw Eddy Concert Band, and the Saginaw Area City Band.
Nancy Benjamin - Horn (Alternate)
Performs with the Saginaw Area City Band, the Classic Legacy Band, and the Saginaw Eddy Band. She holds a B.M and M.M. in music education from CMU.
David Valasek - Drummer (Alternate)
He holds BM and MM degrees from Central Michigan University. He has held teaching positions on the Saginaw Valley State University music staff in percussion instruction. He is currently the head of bands at Albion College.
Bill Howard - Trumpet (Alternate)
He holds a BA degree in Music and a BS degree in Nursing from SVSU. He is a member of the Saginaw Elite Big Band, The New Brass Express Polka Band, and performs with the Midland Community Orchestra. He performs solo in the Saginaw area, especially at his home church - Immanuel Lutheran in Frankentrost. He performs with various Pit Orchestras from Pit and Balcony, Bay City Players, and Bay City John Glenn. Bill is a registered nurse at Great Lakes Health Center.
Joel Wiseman - TRUMPET (Alternate)
Subs, now, in our trumpet section due to his busy work/teaching/performing schedule. Present Member and first trumpet of the United States Army Band. He has a BA degree in music education from SVSU. He has performed with 7 other major U. S. Army bands in the capacity of Brass Quintets, Jazz Bands/Combos, Concert Bands, Ceremonial Bands, Fanfare Trumpet Ensembles, Dixie Land, Big Band, and Rock Band combos. He is currently the artistic director of the Midland Concert Band. He has performed with the Saginaw Eddy Concert Band, the Midland Concert Band and Community Orchestra, Bay Concert Band, the Royal Canadian Army Band Windsor Regiment, Flint Youth Wind Ensemble, Anderson University's Symphonic Band, SVSU Concert Band - Jazz Band- Pit Orchestra.
Dave Selley - Trumpet (Alternate)
Performs with Touch of Brass in Midland and other bands.