The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet will perform a free public concert at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music Feb. 3 as part of its continuing collaborative relationship. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. in Ingram Hall.
“We are delighted to welcome back these beloved artists for a public performance as well as intensive master classes and private instruction with our students,” said Mark Wait, the Martha Rivers Ingram Dean of the Blair School. “For many years, these artists have been at the summit of the orchestral and chamber music worlds. They represent the summit of collaborative musicianship.”
In 2010, Wait and Thomas Verrier, associate professor and director of wind studies, were instrumental in creating a collaborative agreement in which the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet serves as an ensemble-in-residence at Blair once a year. During summers, the quintet’s members also have worked with Blair students at the Vanderbilt Music Académie in Aix-en-Provence, France.
The quintet consists of Michael Hasel, flute; Andreas Wittmann, oboe; Walter Seyfarth, clarinet; Fergus McWilliam, horn; and Marion Reinhard, bassoon. All are devoted teachers as well as artists. Hasel, Wittmann, Seyfarth and McWilliam were founding members in 1988, while Reinhard succeeded Henning Trog in 2010.
The program at Blair will include three fantasies for mechanical organ by Mozart that were arranged by Hasel for wind quintet, as well as works by Pavel Hass and Henri Tomasi. The concert is presented with gratitude to Mark Dalton, Vanderbilt emeritus trustee, for his generous support of the Blair School.
Free parking for this event is available in the West Garage, 2500 Children’s Way, through the Children’s Way entrance.