The Gateways Brass Collective has presented dynamic performances and inspirational educational programs since 2018.

Members of the quintet include Herbert Smith and Courtney Jones, trumpet; Larry Williams, horn; Isrea Butler, trombone; and Jerome Stover, tuba. The Gateways Brass Collective is a resident ensemble of the Gateways Music Festival, whose mission is to support and connect professional classical musicians of African descent and enlighten and inspire communities through the power of performance.

The quintet has been featured at music festivals across the US including the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the Ravinia Festival, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show, the Conn Selmer Institute, the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Band Director’s Consortium, and the International Trombone Festival.

Equally fluent in classical, jazz, and contemporary music, members of the Gateways Brass Collective have performed with Frank Sinatra, Arturo Sandoval, Ray Charles, Count Basie Orchestra, Mingus Big Band, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Earth Wind & Fire, The Roots, Rochester Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Boston Symphony, New World Symphony, among others.