Composers – The Quintet of the Americas

Enrique Ubieta

La Cubachiana (1993) Commemorating the centennial in 1986 of the birth of Heitor Villa-Lobos, La Cubachiana was inspired by Villa-lobos’ Bachiana Brasileira No. 5. Ubieta composed the original version for soprano and piano, and then made multiple vocal and instrumental transcriptions which were premiered in the USA and abroad. The American premiere of the work…
Ernesto Cordero

Two Songs for Quintet and Mezzo soprano (1991) New York composer Ernesto Cordero studied at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico and the Madrid Royal Conservatory where he earned a diploma in 1971. ZHe did post-graduate work in composition with Roberto Caggiano in Rome, Italy, and with Julian Orbón in New York,. He also…
Ernesto Oliva

Rondosation Sextet for wind quintet and piano (2022) Quintet of the Americas met Ernesto Oliva in Cuba in October 2019 while the Quintet was in Havana to perform for the International Contemporary Music Festival. Ernesto is an amazing pianist and composer who can move freely from classical to jazz. We asked him to write us…
Fernando Otero

Anemona (2020) Native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fernando Otero (b.1972) is a Grammy award-winning pianist, vocalist and composer now living in Queens, NY. Otero draws on the musical tradition of his Argentina homeland, blending it with classical and jazz forms to create a vibrant and original sound, which he describes as X Tango. We asked…
Francis Schwartz

The Night of the Fiery Angels (1987) View this historic performance conducted by the composer with an introduction explaining the genesis of the piece. Francis Schwartz was born in the United States in 1940 and grew up in Texas where he studied with the eminent pianist Patricio Gutierrez. He received both B.S. and M.S degrees…
G. Thiago de Mello

Pra dormir ne Rede Chant # 2 – Uirapurú do Amazonas (with guitar) O Canto da Yara Chants to the Chief #10 A Hug for Pixinga Canoa Furada Varre-Vento Choro Alegre August 20, 1933 – November 11, 2013 Gaudêncio Thiago de Mello, composer/percussionist who was born and raised in the Brazilian Amazon rain forest, has…
Gilbert Galindo

Voices of the Unseen (2020) I: Winding VoicesII: Dance of the SpiritsIII: Sacred HymnIV: Interlude: ChantV: Finale Commissioned with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature Premiere by Quintet of the Americas November 8, 2021 at the National…
Harold Gutiérrez

Dreamer’s March for quintet and youth orchestra (2015) Retrospectives (2015) Both works were commissioned by Quintet of the Americas with funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. About DREAMERS’ MARCH: An important part of the collaboration between the Quintet of the Americas and composer Harold Gutiérrez, since the beginning of the Memory Project,…
Ilan Rechtman

America (Suite Popular) for quintet & orchestra (1992) Quintet of the Americas commissioned this work for their Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium) debut in 1992. The work was recorded and released on the CD Discovering the New World MMC2018. In recognition of the Quintet’s devotion to music of the Western hemisphere, The Quintet asked Ilan Rechtman…
James Cohn

Arkansas Reel (1994) 3′ Dance of Praise (2008) 1’40” Fiesta Latina in five movements Klezmer Fantasy (2019) 9′ Manhattan premiere at National Opera Center, November 9, 2021 Mozart Fantasy, Op. 91 (2006) 3′ Polka Orientale Rockaway Suite (2016) 2′ Shenandoah Sourwood Mountain Variation (2018) NY premiere Scorca Hall, National Opera Center, NYC May 8, 2019 Strutting Butterflies…
Jeffrey Wood

Comedies (1988) Canto I: Storm and Counterstorm Canto II: Elegy Canto IIIL Flight commissioned by Quintet of the Americas This work was released on the Never Sing before Breakfast CD (Newport Classic) in 1991. Quintet of the Americas met Prof. Jeffrey Wood during a residency at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Comedies had…
Jorge Olaya-Munoz

A La Costa (porro) (1977) Amanecer Vallenato (paseo)(1977) Mujercita (bunde)(1977) Provincianita (banbuco)(1977) Semblanzas (pasillo) (1977) When the Viennese waltz reached Latin America in the late 19th century, there were few dance halls available with sufficient floor space for the sweeping steps of this graceful dance, so a version of it was adapted with smaller steps. Paso…