Posted on April 14, 2026 by Jason
Laura composed “First Flight” to honor her friend Rebecca Lessard, founder of Wings of Wonder, a raptor rehabilitation center and sanctuary based in Empire, MI.
Category: Musical Musings, New Voices, PerformancesTags: Anne Bara, Benzie County, Benzie Wild Rose Society, chamber group, Chamber Music, clarinet, Classical Music, composers, Empire, flute, guitar, harp, Jason McKinney, Laura Hood, Leelanau County, manitou winds, modern music, New Voices, Northern Michigan, performance, quartet, Rebecca Lessard, Sam Clark, Wings of Wonder, woodwind
Posted on April 14, 2026 by Jason
This post was written in preparation for our May 2019 concert, Found Objects. What is a bagatelle? Is it a fancy pasta shape traditionally served in a light bĂ©arnaise sauce? A hearty Italian bread served alongside a cheeseboard? Actually, it’s neither of those things,… Continue Reading “Spinning Tales from Seven Bagatelles”
Category: Found Objects, PerformancesTags: Anne Bara, Bagatelle, bassoon, Christina Duperron, clarinet, creative writing, featured summer, fiction, flute, Found Objects, Jan Ross, Jason McKinney, jt mckinney, jtmckinney, oboe, PDQ Bach, peter schickele, reading, Sam Clark, Seven Bagatelles, Seven Unfinished Stories, short stories, Woodwind Quartet
Posted on April 14, 2026 by Jason
Inspiration can turn up anyplace, whether or not you’re searching for it. It can be found trailside on a walk through a familiar nature preserve, casually absorbed while people watching from your favorite cafĂ© window, or even scribbled amid the pages of an old… Continue Reading “Whoa!”
Posted on April 14, 2026 by Jason
This post was written in preparation for our 2019 concert: A Celtic Summertide Another original piece premiering at our 2019 A Celtic Summertide concert is a colorful quartet for flute, clarinet, guitar, & harp by our own Laura Hood! Entitled Happy Feet, it’s an… Continue Reading “The Pitter-Patter”
Posted on April 14, 2026 by Jason
On Friday, August 25, we presented Sail Away Summer, a special program combining music, poetry and storytelling at the Old Art Building in Leland, MI. On Saturday, September 16, we’re performing an encore presentation of this program at the Oliver Art Center in Frankfort,… Continue Reading “Sail Away Summer”
Category: PerformancesTags: bassoon, Cape Breton, Celtic Music, Chamber Music, clarinet, featured summer, First Flight, Fishtown, flute, french horn, guitar, harp, horn, Irish Tunes, J.T. McKinney, Jason McKinney, Jeanmarie Riccobono, Laura Hood, Lauren Murphy, Leland, lever harp, Northern Michigan, oboe, Old Art Building, peter schickele, poetry, Sam Clark, shetland islands, short stories
Posted on March 13, 2019 by Jason
On Saturday, March 9, 2019, we invited everyone to Rove Estate Vineyard & Winery in Leelanau County to celebrate with us in the release of our debut album, First Flight. An afternoon of excellent local wine and beautiful local music, it was great to… Continue Reading “Album Release Party!”
Category: PerformancesTags: Anne Bara, bassoon, CD release party, Celtic Music, Christina Duperron, clarinet, composer, First Flight, flute, french horn, guitar, harp, horn, Jason McKinney, Laura Hood, Leelanau County, lever harp, oboe, Rove Estate Vineyard & Winery, Sam Clark, soprano saxophone, Traverse City
Posted on August 18, 2018 by Jason
Thank You to everyone who came out to experience “A Celtic Summertide” with us at the Oliver Art Center in Frankfort! It was a lovely evening of music and art made all the lovelier by the warmth of your company. The gallery became filled… Continue Reading “A Celtic Summertide: Thank You!”
Category: A Celtic Summertide, PerformancesTags: A Celtic Summertide, Anne Bara, bassoon, Cape Breton, Celtic Music, Chamber Music, Christina Duperron, clarinet, composition, concert, Ellie Harold, Emily Curtin Culler, english horn, flute, Frankfort, french horn, guitar, harp, horn, In Studio A, Interlochen Public Radio, IPR, Ireland, Jason McKinney, Laura Hood, manitou winds, Northern Michigan, Nova Scotia, O'Carolan, O'Carolan's Symphony, oboe, Oliver Art Center, Sam Clark, Scotland, soprano
Posted on July 26, 2018 by Jason
Picture the scene: The year, 1880-ish. Ballysadare (Irish: Baile Easa Dara) – a tranquil bayside village in County Sligo. The poet William Butler Yeats, who had spent many summers here as a child, returns for another sojourn. In his wanderings about the village, he… Continue Reading “A Story that Lingers, a Tune that Wanders”
Category: A Celtic Summertide, PerformancesTags: A Celtic Summertide, Benzie County, Celtic Music, Down By the Salley Gardens, Emily Curtin Culler, featured anytime, featured celtic, flute, folk music, Frankfort, Gaeilge, harp, Ireland, Jason McKinney, Northern Michigan, Oliver Art Center, poetry, Sam Clark, soprano, The Mourlough Shore, W.B. Yeats, William Butler Yeats, Ye Rambling Boys of Pleasure
Posted on September 25, 2017 by Jason
Our September 24th concert was an experiment: a test to see just how much variety could be crammed into a single concert program performed by a single ensemble. To up the ante, we also added an element of chance; allowing the audience to play… Continue Reading “Variety: It’s the Spice!”
Category: Performances, Variety: It's the SpiceTags: art, artist, bassoon, Benzie County, Beulah, chamber group, Chamber Music, Christina Duperron, concert, english horn, eric olson, flute, Frankfort, guitar, harp, horn, Jason McKinney, Laura Hood, Leelanau County, lever harp, lori feldpausch, manitou winds, oboe, piano, piccolo, Sam Clark, saxophone, st. andrews presbyterian church, Variety: It's the Spice
Posted on November 16, 2016 by Jason
In our annual winter concert, Manitou Winds presents a program of music, poetry, and prose inspiring you to embrace winter. As creative director of Manitou Winds, I spend a lot of time searching through titles and listening to music, curating the individual pieces that… Continue Reading “A Manitou Christmas Medley”
Category: Musical Musings, Performances, Winter Songs & Carols, WS&C 2016Tags: Alfred Burt, Anne Bara, bassoon, chamber group, Chamber Music, Christina Duperron, Christmas Carols, clarinet, composers, composition, concert, Ellie Harold, featured winter, flute, french horn, Glen Arbor, Grace Episcopal Church, Grand Traverse County, guitar, harp, horn, Jason McKinney, Laura Hood, Leelanau County, manitou winds, oboe, oil on canvas, piano, Sam Clark, The Leelanau School, Traverse City, Winter, Winter Songs & Carols, Winter Songs and Carols, Winter Sunset, wintertime, woodwind
