Graduate Woodwind Quintet

The Tonic Winds, the graduate woodwind quintet-in-residence at the CU Boulder Boulder College of Music, is united by commitments to education, artistry and musical outreach. The ensemble features musicians from South America, Alaska and a few of the lower 48 states. The quintet members serve as teaching assistants and mentors to the CU Boulder College of Music's vibrant applied studios and perform two recitals each year, as well as outreach programs in the Boulder community and beyond—including an educational residency with the Aspen Music Festival and School. Tonic Winds—comprising flutist Alex Westervelt, oboist Lauren Breen, clarinetist Harold Gómez-Montoya, hornist Sophie Steger and bassoonist Ben Mangonon—are coached this semester by Professor of Flute Christina Jennings and other woodwind faculty.

The Tonic Winds hold a shared value in celebration of voices, community and connection. The program chosen for tonight’s concert imparts a similar celebration: Julio Medaglia fuses tango, bossa nova and samba within a neoclassical frame, celebrating the elegance of the “Belle Époque" (beautiful era) of South America. Reena Esmail integrates Hindustani and Western classical idioms, often finding spiritual common ground between them. “The Light is the Same” references poet Jalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī’s quote, “the lamps are different, but the light is the same,” expressing that while people appear different on the surface, the essence within them is the same. Eugène Bozza draws from the harmonic language of French Impressionism, but incorporates rhythmic and modal ideas that reflect his interest in folk traditions to create feelings of atmosphere and movement. Lastly, Jean Françaix mixes French neoclassicism with jazz-like wit and layered dialogue and exchange between instruments—a reflection of postwar cosmopolitanism.

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