Last year, Brian Meixner took the phrase “the trumpet shall sound” literally. An associate professor of music at High Point University, Meixner founded the North Carolina Brass Band (NCBB), the state’s newest professional music ensemble, and the newest professional brass band in the country.
NCBB is a British-style brass band, composed of 28 musicians and instruments from cornets to tubas, as well as percussion. NCBB has garnered national and international attention with its debut album, First in Flight.
Of the band’s holiday series this month, Meixner says, “It’s traditional Christmas music … with a twist.”
Historically, brass bands in North Carolina were largely community-based. As one of a handful of professional brass bands in the nation, NCBB still has those small-town roots — plus big-city sound.
Why does this Haywood County town have some of the cleanest water in the state? It’s the result of the community’s efforts to keep the forests in its watershed pristine.
The spectacular views in North Carolina’s High Country aren’t just inspiration for writers, painters, and sculptors. Those landscapes — the rugged gray face of Grandfather Mountain, the vibrant fall leaves, the deep green meadows — are brushstrokes on Earth’s own canvas.
The sprawling vineyards and wide-open skies that stretch for miles across seven North Carolina counties offer relaxing getaways — not to mention some of the state’s finest wines — for Sunday drivers aching to escape the rush of city life.
Nothing lasts forever — and that’s what makes many of our cherished moments so special.
