Chesapeake Silver Cornet Brass Band

The Chesapeake Silver Cornet Brass Band is a 35-piece all-brass concert band that has been developed in the tradition of the English brass bands of the last century and more recently, the American Sousa-style bands. Founded in 1996, the band is a nonprofit musical group comprised of volunteer, professional-level musicians from communities all along the multi-state area of the Chesapeake Bay region area including Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

The broad appeal of the band’s music – light classics, marches, big band, jazz and pops – is ideal for concert venues aimed at appealing to a wide age range. In addition to performing, the band provides a narrative on the music to add personal interest, humor and educational value to the concert.

The band has released five professional recordings, Brass by the Bay, Holiday Brass, Swinging Brass, American Pride, and Concert in the Park. From formal performing arts concerts to more informal outside summer festivals, the band has performed for audiences ranging in size from 300 to 20,000 persons.

The Chesapeake Silver Cornet Brass Band is believed to be the first nonmilitary brass band ever formed in Delaware.

Charles E. (Ed) Hockersmith is in his twelfth season as Music Director and Conductor of the Chesapeake Brass Band. He is a tuba player by training and a graduate of the US Armed Forces Advanced School of Music. He studied conducting with Maestro George Barati, San Francisco and Honolulu Symphonies and has been the Bandmaster/Commander of the 287th Army Band, Delaware National Guard since 1978.

 Mr. Hockersmith has performed with the Potomac Symphony, Harrisburg Symphony, Shippensburg University Festival Orchestra, Newark Symphony Orchestra, Delaware Symphony Repertoire Orchestra, and the Brandywine Brass and Burnished Brass Quintets. He is currently completing his doctorate at the University of Delaware.p