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Our Story
The Old Crown Brass Band was founded in 2007 and has become one of Fort Wayne, Indiana’s premier performing ensembles. The band is a traditional British brass band and plays all styles of music. The 32-piece brass and percussion ensemble is made up of members of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, local music educators and freelance musicians. All members of the band are non-compensated and share a passion for brass band music. While conforming to the model of the traditional British brass band, the band programs all types of music including marches, jazz arrangements, show and movie scores, and orchestral transcriptions. The band also has formed a separate smaller performing group known as the “Old Crown Lite” The band performs at many venues throughout northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio.
Pictured above is the original 2007 Old Crown Brass Band.
The band has received numerous honors including first place in the open section of the 2014 and 2015 North American Brass Band Association Championships. The Band moved up into the third section of the 2016 Championships and received third place honors. The band repeated the third place honors in 2017 and in 2018. In 2019, the band won first place in the third section. In 2022 the band participated for the last time in the third section. 2023 brought a move up to the NABBA second section and OCBB placed third out of a field of nine. OCBB received third place honors at the 2024 US Open Brass Band Championships. Old Crown Brass Band continues to be a contender in the 2nd section of NABBA.
The Old Crown Brass Band was a featured ensemble at the 2010 and 2018 Indiana Music Educators Conference. The Old Crown Brass Band has served as host band for the North American Brass Band Association Championships from 2015 through 2020.
The Band is looking forward to hosting the NABBA Championships in Fort Wayne again in 2025 and 2026!
Old Crown Brass Band has welcomed guest soloists: trumpeter Tim Zimmerman, trumpeter Rex Richardson, trombonist Adam Johnson and the Synergy Brass Quintet. In 2014, the band also enjoyed sharing a program during a joint concert with the award-winning Stavanger Brass Band from Norway. Old Crown Brass Band has done several joint concerts with the National Champion Five Lakes Silver Band.
The band has enjoyed having several conductors through the years. T.J. Faur (cornet) is currently serving as conductor of the Old Crown Brass Band. Joseph Peters (trombone) serves as our associate conductor. Old Crown Brass Band is a member of Arts United of Fort Wayne and the North American Brass Band Association.
The Old Crown Brass Band is honored to be a member of the North American Brass Band Association.
Our Conductors
T.J. Faur
T.J. Faur received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Northwestern Illinois University in 1991 and his master’s degree in music education from Butler University in 1995. T. J. studied trumpet under Leon Rapier of the Louisville Symphony and Marvin Perry of the Indianapolis Symphony. He has also studied conducting with Harvey Pernstein and Stanley DeRusha while at Butler University.
Mr. Faur taught in Batesville, IN for three years before moving to Fort Wayne where he taught college courses for one year at Indiana University – Purdue University. He then worked at Manchester University for six years as Director of Instrumental Studies and later as the Jazz Band Director.
T. J. has spent fifteen years studying and working at the Interlochen Arts Camp. He was formerly the Fine Arts Director and Band Director at ?Lakewood Park Christian School in Auburn, IN. This is Mr. Faur’s ninth season as conductor of the Old Crown Brass Band.
J. Joseph Peters
J. Joseph Peters is the founder and current director of the Steuben County Festival Choir. He is the co-conductor of the Old Crown Brass Band of Ft. Wayne, IN, and the choir director at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Angola, IN. Mr. Peters has studied trombone, organ, piano, and conducting at the Interlochen Arts Academy, DePauw University, and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. He has studied with world-renowned performers such as trombonist Carl Lenthe of the Bavarian State Opera, organist Todd Wilson, conductor Gabriel Crouch of the King’s Singers, and conductor David Efron of the Cologne Opera. Mr. Peters was an Emerson Scholar at Interlochen Arts Academy, where he earned his high school diploma while double-majoring in trombone and organ. Mr. Peters earned a Bachelor of Music in trombone performance with a second major in computer science and a minor in organ from DePauw University, on a full music merit scholarship. He then earned a Master of Music from the Jacobs School of Music in bass trombone and conducting and has been named a Pressler Scholar. Mr. Peters currently works as Vice President of sales and marketing at Powerscreen Midwest in Chicago, where he fulfills his childhood fascination with heavy equipment. He serves on the Steuben County Humanities Fund board, the Board of Directors of the North American Brass Band Association, and as President of the Indiana Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. As of 2018, Mr. Peters the most recent and youngest recipient of the Angola Mayor’s Arts and Humanities Award. Mr. Peters is currently in his year of formation with the Sovereign Order of Malta to become a Knight of Malta.
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