The Wesley Community Foundation will sponsor an exciting and vibrant evening of music on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 7:00 PM, in the White-Helms Chapel at The Gardens at Wesley Des Moines. The Choppers Brass Quintet and organist Thomas B. Clark will present From Bach to Beach Boys, a program that spans the centuries with music both sacred and secular, classical and contemporary.
The program opens with Gabrieli’s Sonata pian ’e forte, one of the earliest known works to specify loud and soft alternations between two choirs of instruments. Organist and Tacoma AGO member Paul Tegels transcribed this work for organ and brass, and it will be performed antiphonally, with the brass choir at the opposite end of the chapel from the organ.
The concert will also feature selections by J. S. Bach, George Frederic Handel, and Marc-Antoine Charpentier, alongside works by living composers including Thomas Marlatt, Frederik Magle, and Robin Dinda. The program highlights original contributions from within the ensemble: a composition by hornist Stacey Eliason and three Beach Boys transcriptions for organ and brass by organist and Tacoma AGO member Thomas Clark. The evening concludes with a dramatic rendition of Grand chœur dialogué by Eugène Gigout, transcribed and arranged for organ and brass by Paul Tegels.
Performers include:
Shelly Devlin, trumpet
Kevin Slota, trumpet
Stacey Eliason, horn
Zach McLurg, trombone
Dennis Goans, tuba
Thomas B. Clark, organ
The Choppers Brass Quintet is a Seattle-based ensemble known for its eclectic programming and dedication to both historic and contemporary brass repertoire. Whether performing at art festivals, churches, museums, or colleges, The Choppers are committed to making brass music engaging and accessible. Their repertoire spans from the 16th century to the present and includes original compositions and arrangements by ensemble members. In addition to their collective work, Choppers musicians are active throughout the Puget Sound region as soloists, teachers, clinicians, and conductors, and have performed across the country.
The chapel at Wesley Des Moines is fortunate to have Paul Fritts and Co Organs opus 46, a two manual mechanical action organ situated in a gallery. The room was designed to be accoustically favorable to music, with a shoebox shape, tall ceiling with complex shape, and low pile carpet. The organ is a gift from then Wesley residents Tom and Jan Crews.

Admission is free, and refreshments will be served following the performance.
Sponsorship Information
The program is sponsored by the Wesley Community Foundation. Wesley Community Foundation helps enhance the lives of older adults and their families by supporting wellness and educational programs for residents and staff, funding improvements to make Wesley communities even better, and developing capital campaigns to create new Wesley communities.
Funding for the players is provided by the Music Performance Trust Fund of the American Federation of Musicians, which supports admission-free, live, quality music performed by professional musicians to the public of all backgrounds. The Choppers Brass is part of Seattle Musicians’ Union, Local 78-493.
More information, including a Google map, may be found in the calendar entry.