Upstate Brass Band Performance

This event is not scheduled for the 2026 SC Festival of Flowers.

Come hear the amazing music of the UpSTATE Brass Band!

Enjoy while you visit our Juried Arts & Crafts Show and all the great hand-
made works.

The Members of The Upstate Brass Band Are:

• Ray Conway is 1st trumpet and musical director. Born in Virginia, he earned his BA in music from Bluefield College and his Master of Church Music from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was the Minister of Music &Worship at College Street Baptist Church for 35 years before retiring in 2021. Ray and his wife, Vanessa, live in West Union, SC (Think Walhalla).
• Trombonist Ashley Fleshman holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from USC and has played professionally for many years. He plays in the Dick Goodwin Big Band, Dem Bones, and the SC Singing Churchmen. He and his wife, Ann, live in Columbia.
• French horn player Mark Chambliss is originally from Americus, GA. He earned his BS in applied mathematics and MS in Information and Computer Science from Georgia Tech and spent most of his career in Atlanta, then ten years in Columbia. Mark plays in the orchestra at First Baptist Pickens and has played in the orchestras at First Baptist Church of Atlanta and Riverland Hills Baptist Church in Irmo. He also played in the Lake Murray Symphony, the Columbia Community Band, and the Lexington Brass Quintet. He and his wife, Kaye, are now retired to Pumpkintown.
• Our tuba player, Robert Beaver, was born and raised in Gulfport, MS. He earned his Bachelor of Church Music degree from William Carey College and his Master of Arts in Christian Education from New Orleans Theological Seminary. Robert recently retired after 38 years of full-time music ministry. He and his wife, Jane, live in a beautiful house on a hill overlooking Lake Secession in Abbeville County.
• Barry Wilson, 2nd trumpet & manager. Originally from Greenwood, he now lives at the intersection of two dirt roads in Hodges with his wife, Beverly. He earned his BA in Music Education from Lander, a Master of Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Worship Studies from The Robert E. Webster Institute for Worship Studies.  After 34 years as a Minister of Music (and other duties as assigned), he has been cruising into retirement, teaching part-time at several colleges and universities.