Under the direction of founding Music Director William Rollins, the NEBB was established in 1988 with performances throughout New England, including concerts at Boston University’s Tsai Performance Center and Crane’s Castle Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts as well as participation in the Northeast Brass Band championships at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.
From 1998 to spring 2008, the band thrived under the leadership of Music Director Douglas Yeo, broadening its activities to include concerts at Symphony Hall in Boston as well as performances in New York City and New Jersey. Maestro Yeo was supported by Terry Everson as Associate Conductor and Principal Cornet during this period.
Commencing in the fall of 2008, the NEBB began a 13-year period under the guidance of the distinguished Stephen Bulla, former chief arranger for the ‘President’s Own’ U.S. Marine Band. Under Bulla’s leadership, the band’s calendar expanded annually to concert venues across New England.
In September 2021, we entered a new era in the life of the NEBB as we welcomed our former member, Terry Everson as Musical Director. Terry is an internationally renowned trumpet soloist, educator, arranger/composer and church musician. His role on the BU Brass Faculty is already paying dividends as DMA students are entering the NEBB.
NEBB continued expanding its tradition of community giving and musical inspiration. This has included contributing over $4500 to the worldwide Brass Band Aid fundraising effort to build a school in Adet, Ethiopia. During the 2007 – 2008 Season, the band donated 10% of proceeds from sales of its new CD ‘Be Glad Then America’ to Home For Our Troops, an organization that raises funds to build housing for severely disabled veterans. Since then, The NEBB has continues to perform gratis fund raising concerts at a number of venues including the Wilmington Congregational Church, the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center in Boston (for the Salvation Army), and at several schools in low/moderate income communities throughout Massachusetts.