The music of Valerie Coleman and Alec Wilder are two new names that some listeners may not be familiar along with Gabrieli and Schubert as we kick off our Winter Chamber Series. Valerie Coleman is a performing artist and composer with the Imani Winds and has written many works for the wind quintet genre. American composer Alec Wilder’s Octets were written in the early 1940s while commuting from Philadelphia to New York city. These jazz inspired works have fanciful titles and are a unique ensemble of harpsichord, drumset, three clarinets, flute, oboe, and bassoon. Schubert’s String Quintet is on a grand scale: the first movement serving as a stand-alone piece. Finally, Giovanni Gabrieli’s Canzonas are plentiful in the brass repertoire and provide a fitting fanfare opening to the season.

Program:

Giovanni Gabrieli: Four Canzonas

Valerie Coleman: Tzigane for Wind Quintet

Franz Schubert: String Quintet in C major D956 (mvt I)

Alec Wilder: Four Octets