The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra chamber ensembles perform concerts in more intimate settings. These ensemble performances highlight sections of the Orchestra, demonstrate the Orchestra's diversity, and expand upon and complement other Philharmonic programming.
Buffalo Philharmonic Brass Quintet
Alex Jokipii, Phil Christner, trumpeters
Dan Sweeley, French horn player
Jonathan Lombardo, trombonist
Stefan Sanders, bass trombonist
Five Centuries of Music Five Centuries of Music takes students on a musical journey through time an all the major developmental periods in musical history. Repertoire includes music from the 1400's to the present. This program is recommended for students in grades nine through twelve.
Music in Our Lives
exposes students to different uses of music. They will see how music is used as a form of communication, in all areas of our lives. This program is recommended for students in grades four through eight.
Brass Around the World takes students on a musical trip across Europe and the United States as they experience how different composers and arrangers write for a brass quintet and feature the various instruments in the group. This program is recommended for grades seven through twelve.
Introduction to the Brass Family features each instrument in a brass quintet. Students will hear a brief history of the instruments, individual and group demonstrations along with learning how tones are produced and changed according to the style of the music. This program is recommended for students in kindergarten through grade three.
Buffalo Philharmonic String Quartet
Diana Sachs, Alan Ross, violin
Natasha Piskorski, viola
Feng Hew, cello
Traveling Down the River with Huck and Jim sets the scene for Mark Twain's famous novel Huck Finn. The program begins with a popular Scott Joplin Rag and continues with an eventful ride down the Mississippi River. Highlights of the story are told and depicted with musical selections including Gershwin's Lullabye, Copland's HoeDown, Morton Gould's Old Time Religion, and excerpts from Dvorak's American Quartet. This program is adaptable for all ages.
Strings and Things is a wonderful introduction to the string instruments of the orchestra. After playing the familiar Pachelbel's Canon in D, the quartet demonstrates the differences between the violin, viola, and cello. The ensemble plays music by Bach, Vivaldi, Bartók, and Beethoven while building the group back to a quartet to conclude the concert with a selection from the beautiful Mendelssohn D Major Quartet. This program is recommended for preschool through grade three students.
The acclaimed Brush Strokes & Bow Strokes is a multi-media concert collaborating Power Point slides of famous 20th century paintings with musical selections from the 20th century. This extraordinary music/art event depicts the close relationship between the visual and aural. First premiered in conjunction with the Albright Knox's Masterworks from the Phillips Collection, this program features music by Turina, Ravel, Debussy, Shostakovich and ends with the popular Spanish song "La Comparsita." Each musical selection is carefully paired with a painting, such as Picasso's "Bull Fight," Monet's "The Road to Vetheuil", Braque's "Round Table", Kandinski's "Autumn II" and others. The performance is enhanced by commentary on this string music and its relation to these great works of art. This program is recommended for students in grades six through high school.
Clara String Quartet
Amy Glidden, Jacqueline Galluzzo, violinists
Kate Holzemer, violist
Amelie Fradette, cellist
Mozart Mania
explores life in the 18th century through the musical legacy of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This program will help students learn about Mozart's remarkable life and music. By performing works composed in his youth, we compare Mozart's experiences as a young person to those of the students. This program is recommended for students in grades one through six.
Buffalo Philharmonic Chamber Players
Antoine Lefebvre, Shieh-Jian Tsai, violinists
Janz Castelo, violist
Feng Hew, cellist
Cultural Identity presents music from around the world, with a strong emphasis on composers who drew inspiration from their specific cultural backgrounds, native music and art. Hailing from very diverse backgrounds, the musicians in this ensemble relate the instrumental role of cultural uniqueness in their profession. This program is recommended for students in grades five and above.
Clarinet/Violin Duo
Volinist Deborah Greitzer and Clarinetist John Fullam have amassed a considerable library of great and easily accessible music for clarinet and violin:
Adolf Busch: Duett Nr.1 Henri Wieniawski:
Etude-Caprices Duett Nr.2
William O. Smith: Suite Darius Milhaud:
Jeu dt Vif Hector Villa-Lobos:
Choros No.2
Clarinet/Violin/Cello Trio
Earlier this month, Duo invited BPO assistant principal cellist, Feng Hew to join us and are in a position to offer the following additional repertoire for clarinet, violin, and cello:
Ingolf Dahl: Concerto a Tre Intermede Oliver Messaien:
(from Quartet forEnd of Time)
German Dances, op.26, Nr.3 Adolf Busch:
