Two Spaeth Quintets, and Some Composer Insights!
Hot off the premiere of my Quintet No. 2 for Winds (2018) in July, Fünf, the Capital region's professional woodwind quintet, is gearing up for a second performance of this piece! They will be presenting it in tandem with my first Quintet for Winds (2015), along with a performance of Carl Nielsen's Woodwind Quintet, Op. 43, on Monday, August 12th at 7:00pm at Mayfield Presbyterian Church, 22 N Main Street, Mayfield, NY 12117. (You will remember that this is where my Adirondack Sketches premiered.) I will be giving a pre-performance talk about my two quintets, beginning at 7, with Fünf's performance to follow. This is a great opportunity for folks to hear both quintets that I have composed for Fünf and to gain insights as to how music like this comes together. Fünf has been wanting to perform both of these pieces on one concert, and this opportunity seems to have come together at just the right time! I, for one, am also excited to hear them perform the Nielsen quintet, as that is a very cool piece of music and a standard part of the quintet repertoire.
This concert is being presented by the Sacandaga Valley Arts Network (SVAN) as part of their 2019 Arts Festival. The festival spans from August 9-12, a weekend including presentations by author Robin Gaiser and artist Robert Porter, Irish music by "Little Jack", a Shakespeare-in-the-Park performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and this concert by Fünf, all in the Northville-Mayfield area of the Sacandaga Valley. I am excited to be part of such a wonderful and eclectic group of performances and presentations representing the Arts in so many genres, and much of it "locally-sourced"!
In addition to going deep on the composition of the two quintets during my talk, I will also provide an opportunity for a few questions from the audience, so come prepared if you have any burning inquiries for a composer. There will also be an opportunity for meets and greets during the reception that will follow the concert.
As for Fünf (in case you have not read my previous post about the premiere), they are a wonderful group of musicians that I have had the great pleasure of working with for a number of years. They perform a variety of repertoire which includes traditional and contemporary wind literature as well as newly commissioned works. Part of their mission is to make chamber music fun and accessible to all audiences... so bring the kids! They love performing, educating listeners, and, of course, premiering new music. Their members are Norman Thibodeau (flute), Susan Kokernak (oboe), Christine Barron (clarinet), Patrice Malatestinic (horn), and Gerald Lanoue (bassoon), all freelance musicians playing with a wide array of regional orchestras, operas, and chamber groups, as well as faculty members at SCCC, Niskayuna Schools, CSR, Skidmore College, UVM, and Bennington College, respectively.
I hope you all will come and join us for a fun evening of music and musical insights!
Admission: $12 ($10 for SVAN members)
