This fall, the Performing Arts Series of the School of the Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno has presented a series of virtual live performances and conversations.

M5 Mexican Brass’ show-stopping performance will conclude the fall portion of the series at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12. Following the performance, founding band member Alexander Freund will answer questions from the audience during a live question and answer session.

“Each performance this season has included something more intimate and engaging than we traditionally would have planned for in a pre-COVID context,” Shoshana Zeldner, program manager, special events at the School of the Arts, said. “The virtual experience has initiated an opportunity for us to connect our audience and performers in a much more personal way.”

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M5’s performance will continue this sentiment with a live question and answer session following the performance with Freund and fellow band members. Guests, in real time, will be able to submit questions for band members.

“In a way, we have now invited our audience onto the stage, as active participants, to learn about our visiting artists in a new, more personal, and truly quite impactful way,” Zeldner said.

Internationally recognized, M5 Mexican Brass provides a captivating blend of great virtuosic chamber music in all styles from Baroque to Broadway, effortless humor and a winning rapport with the audience. With their natural sense of showmanship, inimitable Latin American charm, and their very own sound, their performances are fun, surprising and unexpected. Band members include Alexander Freund (trumpet), Oscar Villegas Miranda (trumpet), Juan Carlos Quiterio (French Horn), Robert Carlos Cruz (trombone), and Josè Lopez Juàrez (tuba).

Freund is the assistant professor of trumpet at Georgia State University and has toured nationally and internationally as a member of M5, a soloist, and an orchestral musician. From 2003 until 2018, Freund lived in México where he was principal trumpet of the Symphony Orchestras of Michoacán and Nuevo Leon and Professor at the Conservatorio de las Rosas in Morelia. Born in Germany, Freund took his first music classes with members of the Berlin State Opera. He has a master’s degree from the University of Arts in Berlin, Germany, and a doctoral degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

M5 Mexican Brass is one of six artists presented during the 60th anniversary of the University’s Performing Arts Series. The Series continues in February 2021 with the Irish band Goitse, a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock and jazz vocalist Michael Mayo.

“By attending a virtual event, guests help to support artists across the world while ensuring that the Performing Arts Series traverses this pandemic, ready and fully equipped to deliver an incredible next season,” Zeldner said. 

To purchase tickets for the Performing Arts Series, visit the Performing Arts Series website, or call the School of the Arts at 775-784-4278 (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday). Individual event tickets are $15 and free to University of Nevada, Reno students. Each performance will remain available on-demand for 14 days following the live event to ensure adequate time for viewing. 

In addition to the Performing Arts Series, the School of the Arts presents the Reno Jazz Festival and Lake Tahoe Music Camp as well as world-class visual art exhibitions, musical performances, theatre productions, dance concerts and public arts events presented by the departments of Art, Music, and Theatre and Dance. The School’s degree programs provide a strong foundation in a range of artistic disciplines, enabling students to contribute as artists, educators and scholars at the local level and beyond. Finally, the School, as well as the College of Liberal Arts, encourage broad campus and community participation in the arts through its numerous performances, lectures, exhibitions, core courses and outreach activities that explore diverse cultures and encourage lifelong learning. 

The 2020-21 Performing Arts Series is funded in part by WESTAF (the Western States Arts Federation); the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; the Associated Students of the University of Nevada and the Graduate Student Association. In-kind support is provided by CLM Design, Advertising, Interactive.

For more information about School of the Arts, visit the School of the Arts website, call 775-784-4278, or email arts@unr.edu. Event information, news and photos also are available by following the School of the Arts’ Instagram and Twitter handles: @NVArts365 and Facebook pages.