The Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet was an American
wind quintet
A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon).
Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the in ...
that was officially founded in 1962 when
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals, asked its members to become the woodwind faculty of his newly founded
Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.
It is known worldwide for its many international tours sponsored by the United States Department of State including three tours of South America
and three of Europe. Over 25 original chamber works for winds have been written for the members of Soni Ventorum including compositions by
Claude Arrieu
Louise-Marie Simon (30 November 1903 – 7 March 1990), pen name Claude Arrieu, was a prolific French composer. She wrote hundreds of works in varying formats, including stage works, concert works, and movie scores. She was also a teacher, and w ...
,
,
Jean Francaix,
Gerald Kechley, Joseph Goodman,
John Verrall
John Weedon Verrall (June 17, 1908April 15, 2001) was an American composer of contemporary classical music.
Life
Prior to his University studies, Verrall studied composition with Donald Ferguson, followed by studies with R. O. Morris in London ...
, and
William O. Smith.
In 1972 the quintet won the silver medal at the International Instrumental Ensembles Competition (Festival Villa-Lobos) in Rio de Janeiro.
The group had a long and stable history. Through its concerts,
tours, and recordings, the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet established an international reputation. For many years (beginning in 1968)
Soni Ventorum was also the wind quintet-in-residence at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...
School of Music.
[Lyden, M. C. (2000). The story of the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet.]
History
The quintet was founded in 1962 by
Felix Skowronek
Felix Skowronek (August 21, 1935 – April 17, 2006) was an American flutist and professor of music.
Education
Skowronek studied in Seattle with Fred H. Wing and Frank Horsfall, and for a few summers with Donald Peck. He later studied with Wi ...
,
William McColl,
Arthur Grossman, James Caldwell, and Christopher Leuba. Members of the ensemble were on faculty at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, members of the Puerto Rico Symphony, and participants in the annual Casals Festival. During its years in Puerto Rico, the quintet went on several concert tours to the US mainland,
which led to recording opportunities with the Lyrichord label.
In 1968 Soni Ventorum was hired by the University of Washington School of Music as the resident Woodwind Quintet.
The group was active through June 2001.
Discography
References
External links
The Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet*
*
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American classical music groups
Wind quintets