Our Mission
The Princeton Brass Band is devoted to advancing the British-style brass band tradition in our corner of the world through performance and educational outreach. PBB is a 501(c)3 organization. Donations help PBB uphold its mission by funding collaborations with guest artists and clinicians, venues, instruments, sheet music, recording projects, and music education through the Princeton Youth Brass Band.
About the band
The Princeton Brass Band was founded in May 2004. It is what is commonly referred to as a 'British-Style' brass band (cornets, flugel horn, alto/tenor horns, baritones, euphoniums, tenor and bass trombones, Eb tuba and Bb tuba and percussion) with 28 players, to distinguish it from the 'American-Style' jazz brass band.
The Princeton Brass Band is a major cultural presence in New Jersey and the USA, attracting top players from throughout the region. PBB is a member of the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA). In 2008 the band brought the first trophy in NABBA history back to New Jersey. In 2013 the Princeton Brass Band became National Champions of North America (NABBA). In 2023, the band returned to NABBA after a six year hiatus and claimed 1st place honors in the First section of the competition.
The band has an extensive collection of performance videos on You Tube, many of those videos can also be found in the ‘Images and Video’ page on our site - just a few clicks over. The band has toured nationally and were Guest Artists at the Great American Brass Band Festival in Kentucky.
The band motto ‘Resurgam’ means ‘I Shall Rise Again’.
About our Music Director
Aaron VanderWeele currently serves on the faculty of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. He has been Principal Euphonium and Euphonium Soloist of the world-renowned New York Staff Band since 1993.
In 2007, Mr. VanderWeele was awarded International Euphonium Player of the Year — only the third American to receive this prestigious recognition.
He is a Buffet Crampon Artist and performs exclusively on the Besson Brass 2052 Prestige Euphonium. He has over twenty recordings to his credit — four of which are solo album recordings. He received his FTCL and LTCL Euphonium Performance Diplomas from Trinity College, London.
Mr. VanderWeele has been featured as a soloist and clinician at many Northeast Regional Tuba Euphonium Conferences and the U.S. Army Band’s Tuba Euphonium Workshop. He is an avid pedagogue and brass band exponent in the United States.
In 2013, Mr. VanderWeele was Principal Euphonium in the Princeton Brass Band when the band won the Championship Section competition at the NABBA - North American Brass Band Association Competition in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
His single greatest memory as a brass band artist was accompanying famed rock star Elton John at Carnegie Hall with fellow members of the New York Staff Band. Aaron has two sons who are both brass band musicians.