(Denton, TX) – The Madera Wind Quintet, one of the state’s premiere woodwind ensembles, is set to perform throughout Texas in February. The group will give concerts and master classes in Tyler, Denton, Nacogdoches, Kingsville and Corpus Christi before heading to San Antonio to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention.
The tour coincides with a Kickstarter campaign to fund the Madera Wind Quintet’s next album. Titled Five Piece Combo, the recording features the previously unrecorded suites for wind quintet by Don Gillis (1912-1978), a delightfully quirky Texas composer best known for his Symphony No. 5 ½ (“A Symphony for Fun”), and his work as legendary producer for the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Toscanini.
The quintet’s touring program features selections from the forthcoming album of music by Gillis, as well as compositions by young composers Sean Friar and Daniel Nass from their previous album Five at Play. They will also play original arrangements of music by Aaron Copland and Beck, works by Arne Running, György Ligeti and Brazilian composer Oscar Fernandez, and a quintet by Franz Danzi, one of the earliest composers to write music in the genre.
Madera has performed frequently in the North Texas and Oklahoma regain, but this will be their first appearance in South Texas. At several schools, the quintet will work with students in master classes and Q&A sessions in addition to performing.
“Playing in a chamber group – especially a wind quintet – is unlike any other form of performance,” said Rachel Yoder, co-founder and clarinetist of the group. “We’re excited to help coach student chamber groups at these schools and share our experience as musical entrepreneurs.”
Madera oboist Jason Paschall, said, “I am thrilled at the thought of our upcoming tour! Our love for outreach, for each other and for the music itself will make every performance engaging and inspiring.”
2015 Tour Dates:
7:30 PM Friday, Feb. 6: University of Texas – Tyler (Tyler, TX)
8:00 PM Saturday, Feb. 7: Banter Bistro (Denton, TX)
4:00 PM Sunday, Feb. 8: Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, TX)
2:00 PM Monday, Feb. 9: Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi, TX)
7:30 PM Monday, Feb. 9: Del Mar College (Corpus Christi, TX)
6:30 PM Tuesday, Feb. 10: Texas A&M University – Kingsville (Kingsville, TX)
9:30 AM Thursday, Feb. 12: TMEA Convention (San Antonio, TX)
About the Madera Wind Quintet:
The Madera Wind Quintet was formed in 2008 by students and alumni of the University of North Texas, and has quickly become known as one of today’s most exciting wind quintets. Exploring the fringes of the quintet repertoire — new music, forgotten gems, original arrangements and music for children — Madera also engages audiences with the classic repertoire and beauty of the wind quintet sonority.
The musicians of the Madera Wind Quintet are Amy Thiemann (flute), Jason Paschall (oboe), Rachel Yoder (clarinet), Jorge Cruz, Jr. (bassoon) and Angela Winter (horn). Together they recently recorded the complete suites for wind quintet by Texas composer Don Gillis, for release on the upcoming album Five Piece Combo. Madera’s first recording, Five at Play (2012), featured new works for wind quintet chosen from a call for scores.
Madera premiered the International Joint Wind Quintet Commissioning Project’s winning composition at the 2012 International Double Reed Society and International Horn Society conferences, and was selected for a musical showcase at the 2015 TMEA conference. Educational outreach is also important to Madera, whose work includes workshops and clinics for students of all ages.
