Tag: wind quintet

Cicadas at the Equinox

As creative director of Manitou Winds, I would have to say unconventional combinations are a specialty of our ensemble. Whether we’re combining seemingly unrelated instruments (e.g., clarinet, ukulele, and harp) or calling upon an instrument to play something most would consider “out of character,”… Continue Reading “Cicadas at the Equinox”

Colors Passing Through Us

Here is my bouquet, here is a singsong of all the things you makeme think of, here is obliquepraise for the height and depthof you and the width too.Here is my box of new crayons at your feet. from “Colors Passing Through Us”, (New… Continue Reading “Colors Passing Through Us”

Whoa!

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 café window, or even scribbled amid the pages of an old… Continue Reading “Whoa!”

A Celtic Summertide: The Art of Collaboration

If you’ve attended a Manitou Winds concert, recently, you’ve no doubt experienced the wonderful voice of Emily Curtin Culler. Whether singing an aria from a Baroque cantata, a classic German lieder, or a traditional Irish lullaby, Emily’s voice has tremendous dynamic range and is… Continue Reading “A Celtic Summertide: The Art of Collaboration”

Traveling Mercies

Traveling Mercies, written by Manitou Winds founder Jason McKinney, was completed in January 2018. Composing the work became both an adventure and a learning process. To tell you more, here’s Jason in his own words: The idea to write a chamber work for organ… Continue Reading “Traveling Mercies”

Variety: It’s the Spice!

Our concert on September 24th is going to be a celebration of musical variety — a daring departure from organization and the expected! Not only is everything on the program a secret, but even the musicians don’t know the order the concert will be… Continue Reading “Variety: It’s the Spice!”

A Bunch of Nonsense?

This post was written in preparation for our May 2017 concert, Music Speaks In our 2017 spring concert, Manitou Winds explores the meandering, mystical path connecting music and words. We’ve been discussing for the past few weeks how music can enliven poetry and prose… Continue Reading “A Bunch of Nonsense?”

What’s in a Title?

This post was written in preparation for our May 2017 concert, Music Speaks In our 2017 spring concert, Manitou Winds explores the meandering, mystical path connecting music and words. Music and words are often united through a composer’s use of poetry or prose (i.e.,… Continue Reading “What’s in a Title?”

Summer Fantasies: Three Reveries

Within our Summer Fantasies concert program, there are three pieces I’ve dubbed “reveries”. I refer to them this way primarily as an intentional nod to their French origins, but also because each was inspired by or intended to evoke a dream-like fantasy.

Händel’s Fireworks

In our modern era, it’s almost inconceivable for us to envision music being written and performed expressly for a single occasion. However, it was exactly that sort of one-time occasion that prompted King George II to commission Händel in 1749 to write “Music for the Royal Fireworks”.