The School of Music and Theatre Arts at Washington State University will present the acclaimed Rainier Chamber Winds in a May 18 performance. The 3 p.m. event will be in Bryan Hall Theatre and is free and open to the public.
The program will feature a variety of pieces, including compositions by Carl Reinecke (1824-1910), Théodore Dubois (1837-1924) and Gustav Schreck (1849-1918). Works to be performed also include movements from Octet, Op. 21; Deuxiéme Suite; Sinfonietta, Op. 48; Nonett, Opt. 40; and more.
The Rainier Chamber Winds, founded in 1990 by conductor Kathleen Macferran, is the only professional ensemble of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. “Our purpose is to inspire listeners with impassioned, live and recorded performances that make chamber wind music come alive, Macferran said. “We provide children and adults with an opportunity to hear a rich but seldom performed repertoire compositions for chamber wind ensemble from the Baroque (1600-1750) through Modern periods (1900-present).”
Macferran is known in Seattle for her programming flair and performances of elegance and distinction. She was one of 19 conductors chosen from the United States and Germany to conduct in the Oregon Bach Festival under the direction of Helmut Rilling in 1989.
Other performers include Cheryl A. Fogg, flute; Susan Telford, flute/piccolo; Yuh-Pey Lin, oboe; Mary Kantor, clarinet; Gregg Miller, clarinet; Kristen Reitz-Green and Robert Rasmussen, french horn; and Keith Bowen and Ann Kosanovic-Brown, bassoon.
Rainier Chamber Winds has recorded a children’s CD, “Tales Told in the Winds,” which includes seven children’s stories set to music by Northwest composers Roupen Shakarian and Huntley Beyer. Other recordings include “Harmonie,” “Mozart Gran Partita” and “Out and Back Again,” the groups latest release.
For more information on the performance, contact the WSU School of Music and Theatre Arts at (509) 335-3898 or e-mail at music@wsu.edu.
