Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stone Fort Wind Quintet at Stephen F. Austin State University will present its fall recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
The quintet is comprised of SFA School of Music faculty members Christina Guenther, flute; Graham Mackenzie, oboe; Christopher Ayer, clarinet; Andrea Denis, horn; and Margaret Fay, bassoon.
This concert of the Stone Fort Wind Quintet is the premiere performance for three new faculty members – Mackenzie, Denis and Fay.
“Dr. Ayer and I are happy to welcome them to this long-standing faculty ensemble, and the entire quintet hopes the audience enjoys our fall concert,” Guenther said.
The program features Charles Delaney’s Suite for Woodwind Quintet, “Petite Offrande Musicale” (Petite Musical Offering) by Nino Rota, Karl Jenkins’ “Chums!,” and The Suite for Wind Quintet by Amanda Harberg.
Guenther describes Delaney’s Suite for Woodwind Quintet as “a charming piece in six movements.” After the introduction, each movement features a different instrument in the quintet: March features horn; Waltz features flute; Gavotte features bassoon; Sarabande features oboe; and Gigue features clarinet. “Delaney intended this work for children’s concerts, as it displays characteristics of the various instruments,” she said. Delaney was the longtime flute professor at the Florida State University and a teacher of Dr. Guenther.
“Petite Offrande Musicale” (Petite Musical Offering) by Nino Rota is a short work alternating a contemplative slower theme and a cheerful, energetic second theme. Rota was an Italian composer, conductor and pianist.
Jenkins is a Welch multi-instrumentalist and composer. His work, “Chums!,” is a high-energy showpiece with quirky twists and turns throughout presented through meter changes, sudden key changes, and unexpected interjections of new themes, according to Guenther. “Listen for the surprise added effect performed by all quintet members at the end of this fun piece,” she said.
The Suite for Wind Quintet by Amanda Harberg is “an exquisitely-written work that requires ultimate focus from the performers,” Guenther said. Composed in four movements – Cantus, Furlana, Fantasia and Cabaletta – it features “beautiful melodies, virtuosic technical passages, and an incredible amount of mixed meter.”
“This piece requires excellent ensemble communication, presents individual and ensemble challenges, and has become a favorite of the Stone Fort Wind Quintet,” Guenther said. Harberg is an actively-performing pianist/composer and teaches at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
Admission is free. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.