How does a musical seed blossom into a living work for wind quintet? WindSync and composers Viet Cuong and Nicky Sohn will share insights into the creative process between writers and performers of music.
In addition to the Houston premieres of wind quintet movements by Cuong and Sohn, audiences will hear live demos of score excerpts in context, with influences as wide ranging as minimalism, electric guitar pedals, and jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. Conversation between the artists to follow.
Audiences will be treated to an open beer and wine bar, as well as light bites, to celebrate WindSync's 15th Anniversary Season. VIP tickets include preferred seating and the newly released WindSync Signature Tote Bag.
About the Artists:
Versatile and vibrant, the musicians of WindSync “play many idioms authoritatively, elegantly, with adroit technique, and with great fun” (All About the Arts). WindSync launched an international touring career after winning the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The ensemble has since appeared on legendary stages including Ravinia, the Met Museum, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, the Library of Congress, and Carnegie Hall. In demand for their ability to embed in communities, WindSync has served in residencies with the Grand Teton Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, and the Lied Center. Winner of the 2022 Fischoff Ann Divine Educator Award, the ensemble regularly coaches at training programs nationwide, collaborates with youth orchestras, and performs for thousands of young people each year. The group also produces events year-round in their artistic home base of Houston, Texas.
Selected as one of the "Cool 100" by Houston CityBook Magazine, alongside icons like Simone Biles and Megan Thee Stallion, composer Nicky Sohn stands as a versatile and sought-after talent across the United States, Europe, and Asia. With a distinctive style characterized by jazz-inspired, rhythmically driven themes, Sohn's compositions have earned high praise, being compared to "John Adams' 'Short Ride in a Fast Machine' on steroids" (YourObserver), described as "dynamic and full of vitality" (The Korea Defense Daily), and celebrated for her "elegant wonder" (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). Recent highlights include performances by the St. Louis Symphony, National Orchestra Institute and Festival with Marin Alsop, Minnesota Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, National Theater of Korea, Sarasota Orchestra, and the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra. Sohn has received fellowships from The DACAMERA Young Artist Program, MUSIQA, UCross Foundation, Hambidge Center, and Banff Centre. Nicky Sohn is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Mannes College of Music.
Called “alluring” and “wildly inventive” by The New York Times, the music of American composer Viet Cuong has been performed on six continents by musicians and ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, So Percussion, Alarm Will Sound, and Atlanta Symphony, among many others. Cuong’s music has been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, and his works for wind ensemble have amassed several hundreds of performances worldwide. Passionate about bringing these different facets of the contemporary music community together, his recent projects include a concerto for Eighth Blackbird with the United States Navy Band. Cuong also enjoys exploring the unexpected and whimsical, and he is often drawn to projects where he can make peculiar combinations and sounds feel enchanting or oddly satisfying. His works thus include a snare drum solo, percussion quartet concerto, and double oboe concerto. He is currently the California Symphony’s Young American Composer-in-Residence, the Pacific Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence, and serves as Assistant Professor of Music Composition at The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Cuong holds degrees from Princeton University (MFA/PhD), the Curtis Institute of Music (AD), and Peabody Conservatory (BM/MM).
Friday, December 1 at 7:30 PM
Runtime: 90 minutes
TICKETS:
$75 VIP Ticket (preferred seating and WindSync Tote Bag)
$35 General Admission
$10 Student with valid ID
Recommended for those ages 10 and up.
*In-Person Sales
Please note that our online sales will end 2 hours prior to each performance time. Tickets may still be purchased but only at the box office.
