$15 presale, $20 at the door, $5 students
Seated
Doors open at 3:30 pm
Left to Right: Cobus du Toit, Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, Rémy Taghavi, Joshua Michal, Romie de Guise-Langlois
Bandwidth is a wind chamber collective, founded by faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Bandwidth curates and expands its repertoire through diverse programming, commissioning, composer workshops, and audience engagement. The collective has commissioned and premiered works by Ingrid Arauco, Hendrik Hofmeyr, Salvatore Macchia, Annika Socolofsky, Gabriela Ortiz, and Anna Weesner. Bandwidth’s programming supports different sizes and combinations of instrumentation including standard and contemporary repertoire of composers such as Marcos Balter, György Ligeti, Charles Loeffler, Stacy Garrop, Jeff Scott, and Alvin Singleton. Bandwidth’s members have performed on prestigious venues internationally and nationally, notably at Carnegie Hall, New York, Wigmore Hall, London, Wiener Musikverein, Vienna and the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. They hold positions with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Chamber Music Society, and they have recorded on Naxos, Bridge Records, Innova Recordings and MSR Classics.
Cobus du Toit, flûte: As an international soloist, South African native Dr. Cobus du Toit has performed in Russia, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Australia, Norway, and France. Pretoria News declared: “du Toit makes you believe the impossible. With du Toit in flight, one is never aware of technique alone. He is driven by purely musical inspiration.” Concerto appearances include performances with the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic, Taurida International Symphony Orchestra St. Petersburg, Russia, Boulder Philharmonic, Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, and Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Cobus has also been the principal flute for the Boulder Chamber Orchestra since 2010. For the Naxos recording label, professional recordings include three albums of the complete flute oeuvre by Jacques Castérède. An advocate for new music, other creative projects include #WeBringFlowers, a set of 5 socially conscious commissions that deal with societal violence in a non-political manner.
Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, saxophone: Classical saxophonist Jonathan Hulting-Cohen’s performances as soloist and chamber musician have been considered “impressive” with “exceptional facility” (Schenectady Daily Gazette), and “fun to watch” (Oregon Arts Watch). Debuted as soloist with the Philadelphia Classical Symphony in 2011, Hulting-Cohen has since performed concerti with the Adrian Symphony Orchestra (MI), Stockton Symphony (CA), and Sequoia Symphony Orchestra (CA). In a duo with pianist Nadine Shank, Hulting-Cohen presented recital programs spanning classical, jazz, and folk traditions at the Virtuosi Concert Series in Winnipeg, Canada, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Hulting-Cohen’s solo album, Second Flight, features commissions from Tower, Socolofsky, Mahanthappa, and Wubbels, among others, and is available on Innova Recordings.
Rémy Taghavi, bassoon: Rémy Taghavi is a highly sought-after bassoonist and educator based in the Northeast, and has collaborated with numerous groups across North America, South America, and Asia. Praised for his “precise fingerwork...and impeccable breath support” (Washington Classical Review), Rémy is currently principal bassoon with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and Orchestra New England (ONE), among others. His playing can be heard on ONE’s upcoming album of the orchestral music of Charles Ives on the NAXOS label. Rémy has performed as a soloist with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble at Fukuoka Symphony Hall (Japan) and the United Nations (NY). As a chamber musician, Rémy has given performances at the Banff Centre, Bravo! Vail, the Atlantic Music Festival, Montréal/New Musics Festival, and the Annapolis Chamber Music Festival, of which he is co-director and founder.
The Amherst BID presents
Chamber at The Drake: a 5 part series of classical & chamber music
1/22 Bandwidth
2/5 Elizabeth Chang and Steven Beck
3/26 Jamie-Rose Guarrine
4/16 Rasa String Quartet
5/7 Ed Arron and Jeewon Park
Joshua Michal, horn: Dr. Joshua Michal is Associate Professor of Horn at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra. Dr. Michal has presented master-classes and recitals at the Hartt School of Music, University of Wisconsin, University of Georgia, The Ohio State University, Bowling Green State University, the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, and the International Horn Society Conference. In 2020, Dr. Michal released his debut solo album entitled “Ekphrasis: Music for Horn and Electronics” on the MSR label. Also released in 2020 on the Navonna label, Dr. Michal was featured on a CD of new music by Joseph Summer based on the Sonnets of Shakespeare titled “Summer’s Distillation”.
Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet: Praised as “extraordinary” and “a formidable clarinetist” by The New York Times, Romie de Guise-Langlois has appeared as soloist and chamber musician on major concert stages throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. She has performed as soloist with the Houston Symphony, the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Connect, and at Festival Mozaic, Sarasota Music Festival, and Banff Center for the Arts. Ms. de Guise-Langlois is a winner of the Astral Artists’ National Auditions and a recipient of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation award. She was also awarded First Prize in the Ima Hogg Competition, the Woolsey Hall Competition at Yale University, the McGill University Classical Concerto Competition and the Canadian Music Competition.
Special Guest, Kemp Jernigan
Guest Artist Kemp Jernigan, oboe: Kemp Jernigan performs extensively in and around New York City in ensembles varying in size and style. A graduate of the Yale School of Music, Kemp has been a guest artist at festivals such as Bridgehampton, White Mountains Music Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, Ocean Reef, Washington Friends of Music, Black Hills Chamber Music Society, Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival and Musical Bridges over San Antonio. He is a frequent guest performer with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Mark Morris Dance Group Ensemble, as well as a core member of the Exponential Ensemble and a founding member of the ensemble SoundMind. Kemp is on the faculties of the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, SUNY Purchase, and Longy School of Music of Bard College.