Founded in 2007, the Sterling Brass Quintet (SBQ) is the premier brass ensemble of the EYSO Chamber Music Institute. SBQ members study and perform significant chamber music literature at the highest level and work with some of the finest artist teachers and chamber music coaches in the world, including weekly coaches Matt and Kari Lee (DePaul University, Chicago Brass Quintet) and guest coaches such as former CSO trumpet Will Scarlett, Stephen Burns (Fulcrum Point), Floyd Cooley (DePaul), Rex Martin (Northwestern), and members of the Wisconsin Brass Quintet (University of Wisconsin-Madison). 

Members are selected by competitive audition and offered full scholarships thanks to the generosity of the Ainsworth Family in memory of SBQ’s first patron, Sterling “Stu” Ainsworth, a tireless supporter of music and education throughout the Fox River Valley.