WindSync
Garrett Hudson, flute | Noah Kay, oboe | Graeme Steele Johnson, clarinet | Kara LaMoure, bassoon | Anni Hochhalter, horn
“...stood out for the excitement generated and the extraordinary synchronization between the five members.”
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Since winning the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, WindSync has toured extensively both nationally and internationally, eliciting great reviews and quickly becoming fan favorites due to its intimate performance style. Frequent guests at chamber music series around North America, the quintet eliminates the "fourth wall" between artist and audience by often performing from memory, creating an immediate and intense connection.
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In addition to performing wind quintet masterworks and adapting classics to its instrumentation, WindSync is well-known for championing new works by today's composers. Recent performances have featured works of leading living composers including Akshaya Avril Tucker, Marc Mellits, Ivan Trevino, Michael Gilbertson, and Paul Lanksy, with new commissions by composers such as Mason Bynes, Viet Cuong, and Nathalie Joachim planned for future seasons.
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Proponents of the unique ability of small chamber ensembles to explore the possibilities of creative placemaking through music, WindSync has developed projects and relationships with a number of organizations nationwide. In Houston, the ensemble has curated and performed in the Onstage Offstage Chamber Music Festival annually each April since 2017, even continuing the Festival remotely throughout the pandemic. The quintet was a pilot ensemble of Sound Places, a year-long project in Louisiana's Opelousas cultural district exploring the possibilities of creative placemaking led by Chamber Music America with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. WindSync is also developing an ongoing relationship with the Nevada Chamber Music Festival Summerfest (under the auspices of the Reno Chamber Orchestra), returning in 2022 after their debut in 2021 was enthusiastically received. By engaging audiences in the concert hall and beyond, WindSync aims to galvanize community involvement and address the needs of a particular place each at each performance.
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Reaching over 5,000 students per year through its concerts for young people, WindSync's educational work includes tour stops at public schools and ongoing collaborations with the Sistema Ravinia and Houston Youth Symphony Coda social music programs. The quintet offers a popular Peter and the Wolf school assembly program for elementary students, and also conduct clinics in middle and high schools. Its outreach activities at the college- and university-level has included masterclasses at New World Symphony and Northwestern University, to name just a few, and the ensemble has served as ensemble-in-residence for Adelphi University and the Grand Teton Music Festival, among many others.
The wind quintet WindSync embraces the classics and the growing contemporary repertoire with a fresh sensibility. Versatile and vibrant, the group plays “many idioms authoritatively, elegantly, with adroit technique, and with great fun” (All About the Arts). In the span of one performance, they can cover vast musical ground from revitalized standard repertoire to freshly inked works to folk and songbook, the common thread telling a compelling story about music history and our human selves.
WindSync frequently eliminates the “fourth wall” between musicians and audience by performing from memory, creating an extraordinary connection. That personal performance style, combined with the ensemble’s three-pronged mission of artistry, education, and community-building, lends WindSync its reputation as “a group of virtuosos who are also wonderful people, too” (Alison Young, Classical MPR).
Highlights of WindSync’s 2024-25 season include a weeklong residency at Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall series, Chicago; a weeklong residency at Shelter Island Friends of Music, New York; performances at Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society with pianist Jon Kimura Parker; Harvard Musical Association, Cambridge, MA; the University of Vermont Lane Series, Burlington; Chamber Music Kelowna, British Columbia; Chamber Music Raleigh, NC; and a return to Chamber Music Northwest and Emerald City Music, in Seattle and Portland, for community residencies. The group celebrated its 15th-anniversary season in 2023-24, with performances in New York City (Chelsea Music Festival), Houston, Miami, Portland, Phoenix, Charleston, Rochester, Syracuse, and Santa Rosa, among other cities.
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WindSync has enjoyed an international touring career since winning the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. They continued as prize winners at the 2018 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition. In its 16-year history, the group has regularly appeared on notable chamber music stages throughout the United States and abroad, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, Ravinia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Phoenix Chamber Music Society, Rockport Music, and Emerald City Music. The quintet has also shared the stage with such distinguished artists as David Shifrin, Jon Kimura Parker and Alessio Bax, among many others.
Building a new repertoire that is driven by purpose and growing from close collaboration, WindSync’s recent projects include Rise by Shawn Okpebholo, commissioned by a consortium of prominent American orchestras and wind quintets, Stumble, Fall, Fly by Nathalie Joachim, commissioned by Emerald City Music and Schneider Concerts, and A Night at Birdland by Nicky Sohn, commissioned with support from the Chelsea Music Festival. Other premieres include a concerto for wind quintet and orchestra by Pulitzer Prize finalist Michael Gilbertson, a Paul Lansky commission premiered at the Library of Congress with support from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and works by Ivan Trevino, Marc Mellits, and Viet Cuong.
WindSync regularly coaches at universities and conservatories, including New World Symphony, Eastman School of Music, Frost School of Music, and the University of Texas. Winner of the 2022 Fischoff Ann Divine Educator Award, WindSync collaborates with youth orchestras, coaches at pre-college music programs, and performs for thousands of young people each year. The group has performed educational programs presented by the Seattle Symphony and by pianist Orli Shaham.
Also in demand for its ability to embed itself in the community, WindSync has served in residencies with the Grand Teton Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and the Lied Center. WindSync is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, presenting programming in its artistic hometown of Houston, Texas. WindSync’s Onstage Offstage Chamber Music Festival has been connecting Houston’s people and places through music since its inception in 2017. Festival partners include the Houston Youth Symphony and the Center for Performing Arts Medicine.
On the heels of “All Worlds, All Times,” WindSync’s 2022 release that “will make you want to get up and dance” (The WholeNote), the quintet released its second commercial album, featuring the works of Miguel Del Aguila and recorded in Studio Two at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, to a number 1 debut on the Billboard Traditional Classical chart in 2024.
August 2024 - Please do not edit without permission.
Videos
Programs & Repertoire
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PROGRAM I - TAXONOMIES
2024 main stage programViet Cuong’s desert garden served as the inspiration for his wind quintet Flora, written in 2023 for WindSync. This program branches into works filled with loops and variations, reflecting patterns in music and nature.
Dieterich Buxtehude/arr. LaMoure: Passacaglia in D Minor, BuxWV 161
W. A. Mozart/arr. Rechtman: Serenade in C Minor, K. 388
Miguel del Aguila: Blindfold Music
Viet Cuong: Flora
Leonard Bernstein/arr. LaMoure: Make Our Garden Grow from CandidePROGRAM II - GAME OF THIEVES
2025 main stage programGame of Thieves celebrates musical thievery like quotes and remixing while also exploring larger questions of morality. The program title is itself stolen from Juego de Ladrones by Spanish composer Oscar Navarro, based on a story by Miguel de Cervantes that satirized the harsh truths of society.
Antonio Vivaldi/arr. LaMoure: La Follia
W. A. Mozart/arr. Rechtman: Serenade in C Minor, K. 388
Nicky Sohn: A Night at Birdland
Oscar Navarro: Juego de Ladrones
ABOUT THE NEW WORKS
Viet Cuong: Flora
Written for WindSync in 2023, this 3-movement work combines influences of early counterpoint writing with mimicry of electronic effects.Miguel del Aguila: Blindfold Music
Featured on WindSync’s 2024 album WindSync Plays Miguel Del Aguila. A musical drama with influences of Stravinsky and Latin jazz.Oscar Navarro: Juego de Ladrones
A programmatic work depicting scenes from the Cervantes novella Rinconete y Cortadillo in classic Spanish style.Nicky Sohn: A Night at Birdland
Written for WindSync in 2024, each movement of this work is based on a quote by saxophonist Charlie Parker, written in a colorful style reminiscent of the quintets by Jean Francaix.COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS
TURNING POINTS: WINDSYNC + PIANO
WindSync offers a wind sextet program connecting George Gershwin and W. A. Mozart, two composers whose experiments in pairing piano with winds indelibly changed their careers. Also featured are a new arrangement of Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams and the heartfelt Summer Hours by American composer and violist Kenji Bunch.John Adams/arr. Antonsen: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Kenji Bunch: Summer Hours
George Gershwin/arr. Gutschy: Rhapsody in Blue
W. A. Mozart: Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano and Winds, K. 452 -
PROGRAM I - BOULANGER’S AMERICAN LEGACY – VERSION 1 MADEMOISELLE & HER STUDENTS
In this program, WindSync spotlights music in the United States growing out of the 20th century, an era when European art music took on a distinctly American accent, and the remarkable teacher who guided the shift: Nadia Boulanger. Music by Elliott Carter, Philip Glass, and Quincy Jones highlights the wide range of musicians who were drawn to study with Boulanger and the unique styles she supported. The second half of the program features the revival of the wind quintet by Marion Bauer, Boulanger’s first American pupil and an important teacher, composer, and writer in 20th century New York.
Nadia Boulanger/arr. LaMoure: Three Pieces
I. Modéré
II. Sans vitesse et à l'aise
III. Vite et nerveusement rhythmé
Elliott Carter: Quintet (1948)
Allegretto
Giocoso
Quincy Jones: The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
Marion Bauer: Quintet for Woodwinds, Op. 48
Philip Glass/arr. LaMoure: Selected etudes
PROGRAM II – BOULANGER’S AMERICAN LEGACY – VERSION 2 PAST & PRESENTIn this program, WindSync spotlights music in the United States growing out of the 20th century, an era when European art music took on a distinctly American accent, and the remarkable teacher who guided the shift: Nadia Boulanger. Music by Elliott Carter, Philip Glass, and Quincy Jones highlights the wide range of musicians who were drawn to study with Boulanger and the unique styles she supported. Showcasing Boulanger’s lasting legacy, the second half of the program features works written for WindSync by women.
Nadia Boulanger/arr. LaMoure: Three Pieces
I. Modéré
II. Sans vitesse et à l'aise
III. Vite et nerveusement rhythmé
Elliott Carter: Quintet (1948)
Allegretto
Giocoso
Quincy Jones: The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
Philip Glass/arr. LaMoure: Selected etudes
Akshaya Avril Tucker: Hold Sacred*
Nicky Sohn: A Night at Birdland*** Written for WindSync in 2020-2025, Hold Sacred explores meditative, gestural, and effervescent soundscapes, informed by Tucker’s training in Hindustani music and as an Odissi dancer
** Written for WindSync in 2023-2024, each movement of this work is based on a quote by saxophonist Charlie Parker, composed in a colorful style reminiscent of the quintets by Jean Francaix.
COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS
TURNING POINTS: WINDSYNC + PIANO
WindSync offers a wind sextet program connecting George Gershwin and W. A. Mozart, two composers whose experiments in pairing piano with winds indelibly changed their careers. Also featured are a new arrangement of Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams and the heartfelt Summer Hours by American composer and violist Kenji Bunch.John Adams/arr. Antonsen: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Kenji Bunch: Summer Hours
George Gershwin/arr. Gutschy: Rhapsody in Blue
W. A. Mozart: Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano and Winds, K. 452
ALTERNATIVE REPERTOIREBy American composers:
Omar Thomas: Shenandoah
A setting of the folk song
Viet Cuong: Flora
Movements depicting the life cycles and survival of desert plants that combine early music influences with mimicry of electronic effects
George Gershwin/arr. WindSync: SummertimeEarlier repertoire:
Antonio Vivaldi/arr. LaMoure: La Follia
W. A. Mozart/arr. Rechtman: Serenade in C minor, K. 388 -
LIGHT AND LIVELY
An option for audiences who prefer to hear popular styles and well-known works with an introduction to quintet repertoire.Miguel del Aguila: Sambeada (4’)
Oscar Navarro: Juego de Ladrones (20’)
Maurice Ravel/arr. WindSync: Bolero (7’)
George Gershwin/arr. WindSync: Summertime (2’)
W. A. Mozart/arr. Rechtman: Serenade in C minor, K. 388 (25’)MASTERWORKS
An option including standard repertoire for chamber winds.Gyorgy Ligeti: Six Bagatelles (11’)
W. A. Mozart/arr. Rechtman: Serenade in C minor, K. 388 (25’)
Oscar Navarro: Juego de Ladrones (20’)WINTER MUSIC
WindSync shares music from the 16th century to today in this cozy program exploring winter as depicted in art and dance.Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Exultate Deo (2’)
Ottorino Respighi/arr. Marquardt: L’adorazione dei Magi from Trittico Botticelliano (9’)
Arcangelo Corelli/arr. LaMoure: Concerto grosso in G minor “Fatto per la Notte di Natale,” Op. 6 No. 8 (15’)
Valerie Coleman: Umoja (3’)
Jacques Offenbach/arr. LaMoure: Ballet of the Snowflakes from A Trip to the Moon (9‘)
Leroy Anderson/arr. Schweitzer: Sleigh Ride (2’)SONG BOOK: WINDSYNC + PERCUSSION
In this collaboration with percussionist Ivan Trevino, WindSync shows a heartfelt side inspired by songwriters and poets. After trading individual sets, WindSync and Trevino join forces for a suite of instrumental songs.WindSync
Marc Mellits: Apollo (17’)
Jimmie Davis/arr. Ziemba: You Are My Sunshine (2’)Ivan Trevino, marimba (all works composed by the performer)
Anthem from Song Book, Vol. 1 (3.5’)
Vessels from Song Book, Vol. 1 (3’)
Baila from Song Book, Vol. 2 (3.5’)
Ghost Arms from Song Book, Vol. 2 (3.5’)
Strive to be Happy (5’)WindSync and Ivan Trevino
Radiohead/arr. WindSync: Exit Music (For a Film) (5’)
Ivan Trevino: Song Book, Vol. 3 (13’)
Son Lux/arr. WindSync: Lost it to Trying (4’)
Projects
