On Sunday Feb. 9 the campus community enjoyed the Geneseo Wind Quintet’s spring concert in Doty Recital Hall. This performance kicks off a series of concerts sponsored by the Geneseo Music Department this semester.
For those unfamiliar, the Wind Quintet has been a part of Geneseo for over 40 years, making it one of the oldest wind ensembles of its kind in the country. Its members consist of faculty who, in addition to training Geneseo students, are well regarded for lending their talents to such groups as the Rochester Philharmonic.
The Geneseo Wind Quintet consists of flute instructor Kathryn Scarbrough, oboe instructor Megan Kyle, clarinet and saxophone instructor Andrew Brown on clarinet, bassoon instructor Martha Sholl and French horn instructor Maura McCune-Corvington. For the concert’s final piece, the quintet was also joined by Geneseo Instrumental Collaborative Pianist Kurt Galvan.
The central theme tying all the pieces of the concert together was transcriptions of keyboard works for wind instruments. The concert began with adaptions of the works of Antonio Vivaldi, adapted by Bach and Beethoven respectively. For the concert’s finale, the quintet preformed “Sextuor” by Francis Poulenc. Poulenc composed “Sextuor” in 1931, and the piece had been subsequently revised during the post-war period.
In addition to the focus on pieces originally intended for the keyboard, the mix of classical compositions and more contemporary pieces set the stage for a highly varied yet phenomenally well-done concert. This varied setlist was paired with a varied audience, with seasoned student musicians, students with limited musical experiences and members of the local community joining together in Doty auditorium for the performance.
The quintet hit the ground running, performing their first two pieces without any spoken introduction. The pieces all sounded incredibly unique from one another and every performer got to shine throughout. Before the performance of “Sextuor,” Megan Kyle thanked Galavan for his collaboration with the quintet and commented on how enjoyable it was to perform the piece.
Playing as part of a quintet is a significantly different experience compared to performing in a larger ensemble. Every performer has a much larger role to play and, without a conductor, the group must work together to keep a piece flowing smoothly.
According to performer Andrew Brown, it is a challenge. “Find ways to take five incredibly different instruments and make them work together,” he said. The challenges of a quintet ultimately become their greatest strength, as Brown notes that, “the good personalities of each player shined through.”
Chemistry major senior Victoria Rivera, who plays the clarinet under Brown’s tutelage, found it very rewarding to watch the concert.
“All I hear [Brown] play are pieces I practice for my lessons,” Rivera said. “It was really rewarding to see him playing more advanced pieces with other professional musicians.”
After three days of unrelenting snow, the Geneseo Wind Quintet thawed the campus community’s cold sprits. The talent and passion of the performers was evident from start to finish.
For those unable to attend this concert, the Geneseo Music Department’s next sponsored concert is that of the Geneseo Symphony Orchestra on Sunday Feb. 16 in Wadsworth Auditorium.