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"A polished, elegantly turned performance... lively, communicative readings... the performance was a scintillating one."
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Katherine Fink, flute 
Tamar Beach Wells, oboe
Kathryn Taylor, clarinet
Wayne Hileman, bassoon
Dan Culpepper, horn
The Borealis Wind Quintet has received accolades for their finesse and style.
Their remarkable ensemble playing is a result of a long musical collaboration
focused not only on detail and precision, but also on carefully conceived musical
interpretations. Their goal is to blend sparkling virtuosity with musical integrity
in programs that are appealing and richly rewarding to the audience.The Borealis has won numerous awards and prizes, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Chamber Music America. They have toured throughout the United States with notable performances at Carnegie Hall's Weill Concert Hall, the Frick Museums in New York City and Pittsburgh, and Wolf Trap in Virginia. They have also performed on prestigious series such as the Four Seasons in Berkeley, Strathmore in Baltimore, the Corning Glass Museum in NY and Sun City in Arizona. Princeton, Yale, Notre Dame, Brown, the Universities of Missouri, Maine, North Texas, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are just a few of the schools at which Borealis has played. Their well received performances have resulted in numerous re engagements across the country.
The Borealis Wind Quintet is dedicated to presenting educational programs in conjunction with their performances. They have been in residence at the Newport Music Festival, Bucknell and in Ellsworth, Maine and have ongoing programs for the Connecticut public school system. They have presented workshops and masterclasses at preschools through universities and have provided community educational programs in conjunction with concert performances.
Borealis has recorded four CD's. "Discoveries" (on the Helicon label) presents three new tonal works, featuring "The Roaring Fork Wind Quintet" by Eric Ewazen, commissioned by the Borealis. "Borealis:Live" is an unedited concert performance at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and has been praised by the American Record Guide as "stellar, warm, vivacious and richly vibrant". "Arias for Winds", an instrumental adaptation of opera's finest vocal arias, is called "the stuff dreams are made of" by the Musical Heritage Review. "A la Carte", is a melange of audience favorites including the little known work, "Pastorale", by Mrs. H.H.A. Beach to the dazzling "Potpourris Fantastico sul Barbieri di Siviglia" by Guilio Briccialdi,and is a 2006 Grammy nominee.
In Arizona |
Have you ever wondered what it is like to travel all over the country with five musicians?
As a touring chamber group, we have accumulated quite a few interesting and perhaps unique experiences in our travels. We have also developed some unusual survival skills, which definitely make touring more fun.
The Borealis Wind Quintet and pianist Leon Bates celebrate a fabulous collaboration. |
Renting a van wasn't possible, so five musicians had to squish into a Lincoln Town Car with all of their instruments, plus luggage for a two week tour that spanned five climate zones? Was the trunk really that much bigger? We did lose a couple of hubcaps along the way.
Dan's horn came cascading onto the pavement with suitcases not far behind? Kathy Fink remembers that all too well and now insists on someone else opening the back door!
3/5ths of Borealis had to charter a flight to fly over the mountains in a very tiny plane, with a very young pilot, when their flight from Ashville was cancelled for mechanical reasons. Fear of flying was NOT an option.
Then there was the case of mistaken identity as Wayne and Dan, in tails, white bow ties and cummerbunds walked into a Subway Sandwich shop in Oklahoma City and were applauded by the young waitresses as "Chippendale Dancers." All dressed up with no place to go-go?
Clothing tribulations abound. There are the usual safety pin and paper clips-as-cuff links.
Tamar found that the creative use of a scarf covered the ink tag that a sales clerk left on her new silk jacket (no clothing stores within miles to remove the tag).
Dan supports the local haberdasheries, arriving at the performance several times without his tux pants. "Did they really slip off the hangar in the closet?" "They are where?" "At Radio City Music Hall, of course!" Thank goodness for national 24 hour discount chains!
Kathy & Kathy preparing a feast. |
What do we do on tour, besides bowling, when we are not performing?
Well, basically our off-stage life is centered on eating and shopping. We carefully research the area to determine what the regional cuisine might be. After a little practicing at the hotel, we support the local retail economy, especially if there is a Dillards department store nearby! Of course this works up a fierce appetite, which requires a visit to the best local eaterie. Whether it be ribs in Memphis, ettouffe in Louisiana, or beef in Kansas City, we are not picky. We will try anything - be it mutton barbeque, ostrich steak or a bucket-o-crawfish!
Our vivid memories of tour meals are a constant joy! Our favorite traveler's dining guides are the books of Jane and Michael Stern, especially "Eat Your Way Across the USA."
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