Showcasing the finest blend of brass quintet music
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TrumpetMike Downey is a freelance trumpeter in the Phoenix area. He has been playing trumpet since grade school. Mike honed his musical skills though studying privately with instructors including James Benitez (Arizona Opera Orchestra) and Benny Nguyen (Phoenix Symphony). Mike took an early retirement in 2018 from his career in aerospace engineering to further focus on music. This includes musical theater orchestras, two brass quintets, jazz big band, and assistant principal/2nd trumpet with Chandler Symphony Orchestra.
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HornBorn in Korea, Sue received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Seoul National University. She came to the United States for her graduate studies and earned a Master’s degree in French Horn Performance from Yale University and then studied in the Doctor of Music Art program at Rutgers University where she received a fellowship. She has performed as a soloist, chamber, and orchestra musician at various concert halls in Korea, Japan, Canada, Italy, and United States including Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.
She and her husband of 14 years have two children, and a fish named Blueberry.
Sue is also a member of the Chandler Symphony Orchestra and has been a member of the Driftwood Brass Quintet for the last 9 years.
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TubaDuane Tendick has been playing in The Valley since the 1970’s. He has been the principal tuba player in the Scottsdale Symphony, the Sun City Symphony and currently with the Chandler Symphony. Duane has toured China twice with the American Festival Orchestra in 2011 and 2016. He also plays the contrabass trombone in the Chandler Gilbert Community College trombone choir and plays tuba in their concert band. He plays in his polka band, Das Liederhosen, around the state. He also plays the sousaphone with The Hot Beignets, a local band playing early 20th century jazz from New Orleans.
At five years of age, he started playing the accordion. In elementary school he played trumpet and started on the tuba at 16 in high school. He has studied with Ray Nutaitus at ASU and Gordon Hallberg of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
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TromboneBob began his musical career in eighth grade in Horicon, Wisconsin. Bob went on to earn his Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He studied trombone with Frank Crisafulli, a Professor of Trombone at Northwestern University and a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. While at Eastman, he studied with Emory Remington, a Professor of Trombone. During his musical career, he was a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and performed in pit orchestras for many nationally known entertainers, Broadway Musicals, and the Holiday on Ice.
After more than 36 years as director of bands at several Wisconsin high schools and a church choir director, he moved to Sun Lakes in 1996. Since coming to Arizona, Bob was a principal trombonist with the Salt River Brass Band for four years and is currently a principal trombonist with the Chandler Symphony Orchestra. He recently retired as director of the Sun Lakes Community Church, Sun Lakes United Church of Christ, and Sun Lakes English Handbell Choirs after almost 20 years.
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TrumpetTom has been a musician and performer since he was 5 years old. In his adult life, he has been a music teacher in the Roosevelt School District as well as a professional musician playing in both professional orchestras and bands traveling and performing in over 70 classical jazz festivals all over the world. He earned a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Nebraska and a Master’s Degree from Arizona State University in Music Education. He is currently retired from teaching and plays in a number of groups around the Phoenix area.
Tom is the newest member of The Driftwood Brass Quintet. He is adding his own unique personality to the group by adding his improvisational skills as well as introducing a new dimension to the group by playing a wide variety of odd and unusual instruments.