Grace Brass is the most recent name for a long-standing tradition of traveling brass ensembles at Grace College, dating back almost 40 years.
Following in the footsteps of Jerry Franks, Dennis Herrick, and Tim Zimmerman, Dr. Tim Sanborn has led the group for six years.Grace Brass is charged with performing for official Grace College events such as convocations and commencement, and has been featured in concerts and other events for years.
The group performs in concert at churches and schools, and has been privileged to perform abroad numerous times. The most recent opportunity was in Brazil in March 2003.
As a guest of RBC ministries, Grace Brass performed in churches, Word of Life Camps, and schools in and around Sao Paolo and Curitiba, Brazil. Grace Brass can be heard regularly at churches and schools throughout the Midwest.
Dedicated to far more than performing a musical concert, Grace Brass offers a multi-media event of music, speaking and video to audiences. The group anticipates a trip involving music and ministry to South Korea and China in May 2007.
Grace Brass is dedicated to the highest quality performance of great music, with a clear purpose of glorifying God in music, word and action.
Dr. Tim Sanborn is Grace Brass' trombone player. Sanborn has led the Grace Brass for six years, the length of his tenure at Grace College. He was trained at Baylor University, the University of Michigan and Indiana University, and has taught at the college level for 23 years. Having performed on four continents and in 35 states, Sandborn is a sought-after professional player and teacher.
He is founder of the Grace Academy of Fine Arts, a community music program with more than 125 students. He is married to Ruth, and the couple have two sons.
Jonathan Clydesdale plays trumpet. Clydesdale is a Grace College freshman this year, majoring in business and accounting. He is the lone Texan in the group, from Wylie, Texas.
Katie Daniels plays horn and is a senior music major, from Elbridge, N.Y. She has played in Grace Brass for three years.
Andy Overy plays theeuphonium. Overy is a sophomore this year at Grace, majoring in Biblical studies. He is from Auburn and is in his second year with Grace Brass. One of his hobbies is growing tropical plants such as bamboo, banana and orange trees.
Caleb Roth plays trumpet. He is a freshman at Grace, majoring in business administration. From Hudsonville, Mich., Roth and his twin brother were both Presidential Scholar Competition winners.
Ben Sanborn is the percussionist. The oldest of Dr. Tim and Ruth Sandborn's two sons, Ben is a freshman at Lakeland Christian Academy. He is interested in animals, paintball and music.
Jeremy Smith plays trombone. Smith is originally from Pensacola, Fla., and now lives in Winston-Salem, N.C.. An extremely gifted trombonist, he is the tallest member of Grace Brass. Smith is a freshman, majoring in music performance at Grace.
Sue Ann Vasser is the group's pianist. She is from Waterflow, N.M., and has lived her entire life either on or near an Indian reservation. Her quiet, humble spirit gave Sanborn a real surprise when he found pictures of her shooting shotguns at beer bottles in the desert near her home.
Val Wolff plays trumpet. Wolff transferred from the University of Wisconsin this year. A sophomore youth ministry major, her infectious attitude and personality make Wolff a delight in Grace Brass.
