Our Spring 2023 performance was inspired by the theme of “Migration.” This concert was in partnership with the Mexican Repertoire Initiative featuring:
La Silla by Juan Pablo Contreras
Kauyumari by Gabriela Ortiz
Monarch Migration by Nubia Jaime Donjuan *world premiere*
Shores Unseen by local composer Greg Brown, featuring soloist Aaron Lakota *world premiere*
Vals Nostalgico by Carlos Chavez
Mariachitlán by Juan Pablo Contreras
We are very excited to be able to share this music with the community of Amherst College and Western Mass.
This February, we explored a program featuring music from all over the Americas in Northampton’s beautiful Smith College.
The program began with an arrangement from our very own Michael Brignolo. In 2022, Smith college held a Centennial Celebration of George Walker’s birth. The Valley Winds had planned on performing this piece last year, but our concert was cancelled due to covid. We were very thankful to have another chance to bring this work to the stage.
Next, Little Mexican Suite by Nubia Jaime Donjuan was brought to the stage once more. As a part of Dartmouth College’s Mexican repertoire initiative, this piece continues to be a favorite of many of our musicians. Dr. Brian Messier will be taking his wind ensemble at Dartmouth College on tour to Mexico March 2023, where they will perform various works from Mexican composers, including IV. Sahuaro by Nubia Jaime Donjuan.
Brancaleone by Jayme Vignoli was premiered back in November of 2021 as the second-place winner of our 2021 Composition Competition. For this piece, we were very excited to welcome Meghan MacFadden to the podium. Ms. MacFadden is not only the director of Smith College’s Wind Ensemble, but she is also an amazing member of our Valley Winds flute section.
The concert closed with the incredible Suite No. 2 by Vicoriano Valencia Rincón featuring a fiery solo from principal clarinetist, Janice Murphy, as well as Dr. Messier on the Venezuelan maracas.
Thank you so much to each and every person who continue to support us, and we hope to see you at the next concert on April 29th, 2023!
To kick off our 2022-2023 season, we began with a concert in Smith College’s beautiful Sweeney/Sage Hall with our program: Legends and Dances.
Kauyumari by Gabriela Ortiz arranged by Michael Brignolo
Cumbia Moderna by Rodrigo Martinez Torres
Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst
Fandangos by Roberto Sierra
This concert was the second performance of Cumbia Moderna, and the second performance Michael Brignolo’s wind band arrangement of Kauyumari.
After our concert, we held a recording session to provide reference recordings for both Kauyumari and Cumbia Moderna. It was very special to have Rodrigo Martinez Torres (the composer of Cumbia Moderna) join us for the concert and recording session!
Our Summer 2022 Concert series featuring the Valley Winds Chamber Ensemble.
This summer was our first collaboration with the new owners of Plum Brook farm. They welcomed us to the Orchard as well as Lemon Bakery, who sold delicious dessert at the intermission.
For the first two programs, we premiered Four Divine Trees for Solo Saxophone, double wind quintet, and percussion by Nubia Jaime Donjuan. This piece is dedicated to Dr. Brian MEssier, and was performed by our amazing saxophonist, Lynn Barszcz.
This is the program from the last two concerts:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arr. Wendt
Le nozze di Figaro
(1756 – 1791)
I. Overture
Samuel Zyman
Fantasía Sobre Un Tema Original de Erik Zyman
(b. 1956)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Serenade in E-Flat major, KV 375
I. Allegro maestoso
II. Menuetto/Trio
III. Adagio
IV. Menuetto/Trio
V. Finale/Allegro
The Valley Winds were invited to open at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA for the John Philip Sousa National High School Honors Band.
We were very excited to bring the music of Nubia Jaime Donjuan to Mechanics Hall for another performance of Little Mexican Suite.
A wonderful concert in the center of Amherst, MA where we performed works from composers such as Gustav Holst, Percy Grainger, Karl King, John Phillip Sousa, as well as the new composition by Nubia Jaime Donjuan; Little Mexican Suite.
Our Poor Poet Concert was performed in conjunction with the Northampton High School’s band. This was a special concert, as it included the premiere of the winner of our very first composition competition, Joshua Michal performing a solo on French Horn, and then a performance of Percy Grainger’s Irish Tune and Shephard’s Hey! with the high school students playing alongside us.
The Valley Winds performed an exciting and tasty concert of MUSICAL TAPAS. We performed many well known classics, but also featured the new work Brancaleone by Brazilian composer Jayme Vignoli, second-place winner of The Valley Winds 2021 International Composition Competition.
This was the first concert that we had performed since the COVID-19 pandemic had taken over the world. It was very special to get back together to make music once again as a full ensemble.
Our annual Orchestra in the Orchard chamber music series hosted at Small Ones Farm. Patrons enjoy local berry pie and ice cream during intermission.
Selections included works by Mozart, Schubert, Saint-Saëns, and many more!
