Composers – The Quintet of the Americas

Adam Schoenberg

Winter Music (2015) Adam Schoenberg writes: Winter Music was commissioned by Quintet of the Americas, and is approximately 6 minutes in duration. Barber’s Summer Music proved to be the main source of inspiration, as I have always considered his woodwind quintet to be one of the best ever written for the medium. He was a…
Amy Rubin

La Loba for woodwind quintet with piano (1994) I. Cantadora I II. La Loba III. Hambre del Alma IV. Llamar o Tocar V. Descansos/Wise Woman VI Cantadora II/ La Loba Commissioned by Quintet of the Americas with support from the New York State Council on the Arts This work was recorded by Quintet of the…
Ann McMillan

Cloud Forest (1994) for woodwind quintet and tape Ann McMillan was a good friend of the Quintet’s, attending many concerts and connecting us to other composers. She was a fascinating resident of Greenwich Village who was Edgard Varèse’s friend and assistant, collaborating with him on producing some of his compositions, including the tape portions in…
Anthony Coleman

…lost consciousness…for woodwind quintet (1985) Quintet oboist introduced the Quintet to Anthony Coleman, a well-known member of the Downtown Music scene of the 1980’s and 90’s. Native New Yorker and graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, Anthony Coleman is a composer, jazz pianist and teacher. His ensembles have included the trio Sephardic Tinge…
B. Allen Schulz

Begin Again (2021) Allen writes “I completed Begin Again on April 29, the 7th year anniversary of my emergence from a 29 day-long coma. The coma was caused by a cardiac arrest (my heart stopped beating, and when I regained consciousness, I was blind and could not stand or move easily. For many years, most…
Bruce Odland

World Winds (2017) Quintet flutist, Karla Moe, knew Bruce Odland when they were students in Minnesota and she suggested we commission him for an environmental program we had coming up. In 2017, Bruce Odland, created a new work for the Quintet “World Winds”. This “sonification” uses data in real time on the earth’s air currents (http://earth.nullschool.net/)…
C. Bryan Rulon

Anti-Silence for Woodwind Quintet and Computer Playback (2003-2004) AntiSilence was commissioned by Quintet of the Americas with funding provided by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. It was premiered April 21, 2004 at Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center in NYC. Bryan Rulon wrote: “AntiSilence is broadly a comment on emotional silence. The wind…
Carl MaultsBy

Abuelas, Nanas and Grandmamas Unsung (2013) One of the first works commissioned by Quintet of the Americas for its Memory Project, the inspiration for this work was a series of interviews with the seniors of the Elmcor Senior Center, East Elmhurst, NY. To the composer and members of Quintet of the Americas, the seniors told…
Carlos Franzetti

Serenata (1998) 3’ Carlos Franzetti has written many versions of Serenata, one of his most popular works, performed frequently around the world. Quintet of the Americas is happy to have this version which he wrote for the Quintet in 1998. A citizen of the United States for many years, Carlos Franzetti was born in Buenos…
César Vuksic

Diálogos for wind quintet and piano Quintet of the Americas met César Vuksic through his wife, Nelly Vuksic, Director of the Americas Vocal Ensemble when both groups were in residence at the Americas Society on Park Avenue in New York City. Diálogos is programmatic music. The clarinet line is a musical portrait of a friend…
Chartwell Dutiro

Chinyan’anya Chartwell Dutiro, arr. Rima Fand Bukatiende Chartwell Dutiro, arr. Rima Fand Through our oboist Matt Sullivan’s friendship with NY mbira player Nora Balaban, we met Chartwell Dutiro and had the privilege of performing his works with him on concerts at White Box, Broome Street, Manhattan on September 16, 2016 and at National Sawdust, Williamsburg, Brooklyn,…
Christopher Kaufman

Hudson Valley Quintet (2010) revised as Hudson Valley Music (2023) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avBREvSESBA Hudson Valley Quintet is a multi-media piece for live acoustic woodwind quintet, a CDTape of sound design and music including natural sounds from the ocean, NY Harbor and Hudson River Valley environment. Mr. Kaufman also created the visual images: scenes from both natural images…