Madera Wind Quintet

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 2012 International Double Reed Society and International Horn Society conferences, Dolce Chamber Music Players 2012 concert series in Dallas, TX, 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 to record on their album Madera Wind Quintet: Five at Play, released in November 2012 on Crescent Phase Records. Also committed to educating students about chamber music, the Madera Wind Quintet has performed and taught master classes in area schools. 

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 in the summer of 2011. 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.

Andrew Gresham, oboe

Andrew Gresham has been playing oboe for 11 years and teaching for 7 years to students of all ages. He is currently pursuing the Master of Music at the University of North Texas with a concentration in Instrumental Performance.

Andrew has performed with the California State University, Fullerton Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra as principal player for three years. In the summer of 2011 he toured in Lisbon, Portugal with the CSUF Wind Symphony. He was also second chair in the Corona Symphony Orchestra and played in several community events on a regular basis.

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 director of communications at the University of North Texas College of Music, and works as a private instructor and clarinetist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She has taught clarinet and woodwind pedagogy at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, OK, and taught clarinet as a teaching fellow at the University of North Texas, where she recently completed her DMA in clarinet performance. She 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, Plano 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, Austin and Houston, TX.  She co-authors the “Clarinet Cache” column in The Clarinet and the accompanying Clarinet Cache blog.

Past members:

Natalie Lorch, oboe (2010-2012)
Patricia Surman, flute (2008)

Keith Bjorklund, oboe (2008 – 2009)

Stephan Friel, oboe (2010)