Sunshine Brass Band

The Sunshine Brass Band was founded in 1983 and is comprised of all volunteer musicians from the Tampa Bay and central Florida areas. Membership in the band is open to anyone in the area who demonstrates the required musical proficiency and eagerness to participate. The Sunshine Brass Band is a true community band, comprised of adult and youth amateur musicians who come from all walks of life. Members are drawn together by their shared love of brass band music and commitment to pursue musical excellence.

The Band takes seriously its commitment to serve and represent the community through musical excellence. The band can perform in any venue large enough to host a 30 piece group, and often performs at local churches and schools in exchange for donations. The band’s repertoire spans a vast range, from patriotic marches to Broadway show tunes to rock-n-roll and back to traditional symphonic pieces. The band enjoys musical camaraderie with other musical entities and has performed joint concerts with the Salvation Army's Florida Divisional Band, and the Tampa Bay Symphony in addition to our own feature concerts.

The Band's commitment to musical excellence is fostered most notably through participation in national competitions. In 1984, 1985, and 1986 the Sunshine Brass Band won the Honors Division of the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) championships. After an eleven-year absence from national contest, the Sunshine Brass Band returned to the NABBA competition in April 1998 and has consistently risen among the ranks of other brass bands to gain top honors in the Challenge Division in 2000 and again in 2002. In 2003 the band recorded and released its debut CD entitled Sunshine & Brass. In 2013 the band recorded and released its second CD, Joy, a Christmas themed work. The band is currently serving at Tampa Covenant Church as artists-in-residence.

Dr. Aaron K. Campbell - Music Director

Dr. Aaron K. Campbell is an active freelance Euphonium, Trombone, and Tuba performer in the Tampa Bay area, and is the instructor of tuba and euphonium at the University of Tampa. Aaron is the founder, president, and solo euphonium of the Tampa Brass Band and serves as principal euphonium and low-brass section leader for the Florida Wind Band. Aaron regularly performs with other groups throughout Florida such as the Florida Orchestra, the Florida Wind Symphony, and the Brass Band of Central Florida. Aaron also performs frequently as a solo, chamber, and musical theater musician.

As a soloist Aaron regularly presents recitals and has been a featured soloist with the Florida Wind Band, the JMU Symphonic and Brass Bands, as well as multiple high schools throughout the southeastern United States. Aaron’s debut solo CD “For Those That Wander” featured new works for the euphonium and piano including four new pieces commissioned by Aaron. Aaron regularly performs and demonstrates at conferences such as being a featured soloist at the 2019 Georgia Music Education Association Conference, speaker at the Inaugural International Brass Festival hosted by the University of Florida, and the 2018 South-East Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference hosted at Florida State University, where he gave a recital including two newly composed works for Euphonium and Piano that he also commissioned. (Turbo by Jonathan Hadden and The Wind Carries Relics by Tyler Kline.)

Along with being a performer Aaron is also in demand as a music educator, and has had a regular private lesson studio since graduating high school. Aaron currently boasts a large private studio of students on all brass instruments at all levels, ages, and musical backgrounds. Aaron also puts on clinics and regularly visits classrooms and conferences to give masterclasses and lectures. Aaron has given presentations on musical entrepreneurship and creating non-traditional musical career paths at colleges and high schools throughout the southeastern United States.

Aaron's other projects include his YouTube channel, "AKCEuph", featuring performances, educational information, and product reviews pertaining to brass musicians. He is also the host of his own podcast entitled "Young Musicians Guide", which is a series of interviews with musicians who are making a living by following uncommon careers paths and have valuable advice for the next generation of promising artists.

Aaron is a Besson performing artist and performs exclusively on a Besson BE 2052 Euphonium. He is also a Denis Wick and Lefreque performing artist. Aaron is the first person to ever receive a Doctorate of Musical Arts in euphonium at the University of Florida which he earned with a cognate in entrepreneurship. Aaron also holds a Master of Music in Euphonium Performance from James Madison University, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of South Florida. Primary teachers include Carlyl Webber (Army Field Band Euphonium, Retired), Jay Hunsberger (Former Principal Tuba, Sarasota Orchestra), Kevin Stees (Tuba/Euphonium professor, James Madison University) and Dr. Danielle VanTuinen (Tuba/Euphonium professor, University of Florida).

Interested in joining the band?