Athena Brass Band

A brief biography

The Athena Brass Band is the first all-female brass band in the United States, named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. The band was formed in 2003, organised by Laura Lineberger following her inspiration to to create such a group to perform at the International Women's Brass Conference in 2003. Laura is a Board Member of the IWBC. This successful debut resulted in invitations to perform at the Great American Brass Band Festival in 2005 and a return to the IWBC in 2006.

In putting together the band, Laura first enlisted Anita Cocker Hunt as conductor (Anita is the conductor of Cincinnati Brass Band and President of NABBA, the North American Brass Band Association) and then set to work contacting some of the best women brass players in the U.S.

The Athena Brass Band musicians include current or former members of the U.S. Army Band, the U.S. Coast Guard Band, Brass Band of Battle Creek and the New Sousa Band. There are several college professors and public school music educators, conductors, music therapists, a sound engineer, a music publisher and a composer; also a nuclear physicist, a biologist, a sociologist, an MBA and an author. Most of the ladies also play with a NABBA brass band.

A venue has yet to be confirmed for the next performance of Athena Brass Band - there are several possibilities for 2008.