Quintet Of The Americas In Concert On May 8 At National Opera Center's Scorca Hall

Quintet of the Americas, Queens' renowned woodwind quintet, will present an evening of new music, including Mexican composer Arturo Marquez's Danza de mediodia, Brazilian-American composer Ricardo Romaneiro's minimalist piece Ventos, Xinyan Li's Mo Suo's Burial Ceremony, Valerie Coleman's Tzigane and Owl City's Fireflies.

Written in the fall of 2011, Valerie Coleman was inspired by two occurrences: Imani Winds' collaboration with Palestinian oud player Simon Shaheen, and her recent completion of Roma, a work for wind ensemble celebrating the culture of the Romani people (commonly referred to as 'gypsies'). The work itself represents the third installment within a series inspired by the combination of Romani and middle-eastern styles, the first two being a nonet for wind quintet and strings, and the previously mentioned wind ensemble. Visit the composer at https://www.vcolemanmusic.com/.

Mo Suo's Burial Ceremony was composed in 2006, and was inspired by the unique funeral customs in Mo Suo, a Chinese southwest minority. Visit Xinyan Li at http://www.xinyanli.org/.

Ricardo Romaneiro's Ventos was recorded by Quintet of the Americas for their Sounds of Brazil CD. Hear it at https://soundcloud.com/romaneiro/ventos?in=romaneiro/sets/selected-works.

Visit composer Adam Young and his Owl City project at https://www.owlcitymusic.com/.

Tickets for the May 8 concert are $20 adults, $10/ students and seniors, available at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4188925. For more information, call 516-586-3433 or visit http://www.quintet.org/concerts.html. This concert is ADA accessible. For MTA transportation information, visit http://tripplanner.mta.info/MyTrip/ui_web/customplanner/TripPlanner.aspx.

Founded in Bogota, Colombia in 1976, Quintet of the Americas has specialized in bringing music from the Western hemisphere to audiences in the United States since its arrival in New York in 1979. The group has enjoyed an international career that has taken them to concert halls throughout the Americas and Eastern Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, and the Library of Congress. Members are Karla Moe, flute, Matt Sullivan, oboe, Ben Baron, clarinet, Barbara Oldham, horn and Sasha Gee Enegren, bassoon. Visit their website at http://www.quintet.org and become their friend at http://www.facebook.com/groups/325982319921/. Quintet photos are available at http://quintet.org/press.html.

This program is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. Additional funding comes from The Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation and generous individuals. Special thanks to the Hon. Melinda Katz, Borough President of Queens, and the Queens Delegation to the New York City Council.