In 2008, five musicians with a shared love for chamber music came together in Denton, Texas to form the Madera Wind Quintet. Performing for diverse audiences across the United States, they have quickly become known as one of today’s most exciting wind quintets. Exploring the fringes of the quintet repertoire ­— new music, forgotten gems, original arrangements and music for children — Madera also engages audiences with the classic repertoire and beauty of the wind quintet sound.

Before turning their focus to the music of Don Gillis, Madera recorded six new works for wind quintet on their debut album Five at Play (Crescent Phase Records). The group premiered the International Joint Wind Quintet Commissioning Project’s winning composition at the 2012 International Double Reed Society and International Horn Society conferences, and was featured at the 2015 Texas Music Educators Association conference. The Madera Wind Quintet also works to educate the next generation of chamber musicians through workshops and clinics for students of all ages.

 

Albums

Five Piece Combo: The Complete Suites for Wind Quintet by Don Gillis

Release Date: November 13, 2015
Catalog Number: RR7920
21st Century
Chamber
Wind Ensemble
Although Don Gillis (1912 – 1978) is most known for his Symphony No. 5½, A Symphony for Fun (1945), premiered by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra in 1947, the American composer, conductor, and educator wrote prolifically in nearly all contemporary styles and genres, with a catalog of more than 150 works including ten symphonies and six string quartets. Near the beginning of his career, between 1938 and 1939, he composed three suites for wind quintet, which have never been recorded – until now.