Founded in 1976 in Bogota, Colombia, but now based in New York, the Quintet of the Americas specializes in folk and contemporary music of the Western Hemisphere arranged for woodwinds. The group has established a reputation for commissioning work by Latin American composers and often including the music of displaced people, from Sephardic Jews to Native Americans. The program for this recital–the first in a series while the quintet is in residence at Northwestern University this season–is indicative of its eclectic taste. Among the North Americans represented are Leonard Bernstein (the overture from Candide), Samuel Barber (Summer Music), George Gershwin (an arrangement of “Summertime”), Gunther Schuller (Blues), and the eccentric Louis Moreau Gottschalk (Tournament Galop). From the south are such stalwarts as Uruguay native G.H. Malos Rodriguez, Brazilians Ernesto Nazareth and Heitor Villa-Lobos, Venezuelan Heraclio Fernandez, and the incomparable Argentinean tango tunesmith Astor Piazzolla. The quintet includes bassoonist Thomas Novak (a Northwestern alum), flutist Marco Granados, oboist Mary Watt, clarinetist Daniel Gilbert, and horn player Barbara Oldham. They’ll discuss their work prior to the concert, at 6:45 PM. Thursday, November 10, 7:30 PM, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University, 1977 South Campus Dr., Evanston; 708-467-4000.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Paula Court.