About Us
The Madera Wind Quintet was established in the fall of 2008 by students and alumni of the University of North Texas. Based in Denton, Texas, Madera performs a variety of quintet literature, including standards of the genre as well as new works. Recent performances include the Dolce Chamber Music Players 2012 concert series in Dallas, TX and guest artist appearances at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX and Austin College in Sherman, TX.
In the pursuit of finding new and exciting music for wind quintet, Madera held their 2012 Call for Scores; this call elicited over 130 entries, five of which were selected for inclusion in their current performance and recording project Madera Wind Quintet: Five at Play. Also committed to educating students about chamber music, the Madera Wind Quintet has performed and taught master classes in area schools. The quintet includes members who are on faculty at Texas Woman’s University and Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Current Members:
Jorge Cruz, Jr., bassoon
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, bassoonist Jorge Cruz holds a Bachelor of Music from San Jose State University and a Master of Music from the University of North Texas. He is currently working on his doctoral degree at the University of North Texas. He has studied with Kathleen Reynolds, Keith Collins, Jerry Dagg, and Cyrle Perry. Jorge plays in the University of North Texas Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orchestra and Baroque Orchestra. He also performs regularly with the Sherman Symphony.
Jorge has been an enlisted member of the Air National Guard for nine years serving as a musician and had the distinct honor of deploying overseas last summer. He is currently a member of the 531st Air National Guard Band of the Gulf Coast. Prior to his move to Texas, Jorge served as adjunct faculty at Chabot Community College. He currently teaches privately in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area.
Katrina Elsnick, flute
Originally from McLean, VA, Katrina Elsnick is a flutist and private instructor in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. She holds performance degrees from the University of North Texas (MM ’09) and George Mason University (B. Music ’06) and has studied with Dr. Mary Karen Clardy, Dr. Elizabeth McNutt, and Judith Lapple. While at the University of North Texas, Katrina performed with the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, Opera Orchestra, Flute Choir, and NOVA new music ensemble.
As a Concerto Competition winner at George Mason University, Katrina was a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed as a soloist with the University of North Texas Flute Choir, and the McLean High School Symphonic Band. Katrina was the winner of the Virginia MTNA Woodwind Young Artist Competition, and received 2nd Place for the Virginia MTNA Chamber Competition.
Katrina currently performs with the Madera Wind Quintet and the Lone Star Wind Symphony, and can be heard on GIA Publications and Mark Custom labels.
Natalie Lorch, oboe
Natalie Lorch is currently a Master of Music student at the University of North Texas, where she studies oboe with James Ryon and Dr. Charles Veazey. In her capacity as a chamber music teaching assistant at UNT, she coaches a wide variety of undergraduate chamber music groups, from flute and clarinet quartets to woodwind quintets.
Natalie currently plays solo English horn in the Monroe Symphony Orchestra and principal oboe in the UNT Symphony Orchestra. She has held positions in the Sinfonia da Camera (of Urbana, IL,) the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, and the Wheaton Municipal Band. She has performed in orchestras collaborating with Frederica von Stade, Monica Mancini, Tim McGraw, and the Mark Morris Dance Group.
Having an insatiable thirst for oboe knowledge, Natalie has participated in over a dozen master classes across the continent. She has spent summers at Domaine Forget, Lucarelli Oboe Master Class, Carolyn Hove English Horn Master Class, and Rocky Ridge. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied with John Dee and graduated with highest honors.
Angela Winter, horn
Angela Winter is originally from Memphis, Tennessee where she began here musical studies and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Memphis. She first came to the DFW area in 2000 to attend the University of North Texas in Denton where she received her Master’s degree in Horn Performance. During this time, Angela played in an award winning brass quintet and participated in many prestigious summer music festivals. Upon completion of this degree, Angela won a position in the Orchestra Symphonica de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico. She performed with the orchestra for four seasons and was an active freelancer in the Monterrey area. Angela is currently professor of horn at Texas Woman’s University, and is working on a DMA in horn performance from the University of North Texas. She has a large private horn studio and has become an active freelance musician in the DFW area.
Rachel Yoder, clarinet
Rachel Yoder is professor of clarinet at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, OK, and works as a private instructor and clarinetist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She has also taught as a Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas, where she earned a doctorate in clarinet performance. She also holds degrees from Michigan State University and Ball State University, and has studied with James Gillespie, Caroline Hartig, Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, and Gary Whitman.
A winner of the 2009 UNT Concerto Competition, Rachel has performed with the UNT Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, and NOVA new music ensemble, and the symphonies of Irving and Sherman, TX. Rachel performs regularly as clarinetist in the Madera Wind Quintet and bass clarinetist in the Chameleon Chamber Group.
Rachel has performed works for clarinet and electronics at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest in Austin, TX; Pixilerations New Media Festival at Brown University in Providence, RI; and at LaTex electroacoustic festivals in Denton and Houston, TX. She co-authors the “Clarinet Cache” column in The Clarinet and the accompanying Clarinet Cache blog.
Past members:
Patricia Surman, flute (2008)
Keith Bjorklund, oboe (2008 – 2009)
Stephan Friel, oboe (2010)