Since their debut in 1996, The Prairie Winds have captivated audiences throughout the United States with performances that present the finest wind quintet literature in concert programs that entertain as well as enlighten.  These musicians blend powerful musical technique with humor and intriguing background information to create what one critic called "a unique approach to the shaping of the concert experience (that) is sure to keep them in demand." (Tryon Daily Bulletin)  

 

The Prairie Winds have performed at a number of celebrated music festivals, including the Ravinia Festival, the Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival, Chamber Music America's Education and Residency Institute, and the Britt Festival in Oregon, where the group served as quintet-in-residence for four years.  In 2003, they began an annual residency at the Madeline Island Music Festival in Wisconsin, which offers a chamber music program for collegiate wind players.  In addition to their busy touring schedule, the quintet also has an active radio presence:  recent broadcasts include full-length concerts for Chicago's WFMT-FM "Live from Studio One" program and for listeners of Minnesota Public Radio.  

 

In 2000, The Prairie Winds teamed with Albany Records to release "Gale Force," a critically acclaimed recording of 20th century wind quintet music by North American composers.  The group also has collaborated several times with pianist Ralph Votapek, a Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold medalist and winner of the Naumburg Award, with whom they performed works for winds and piano by Mozart, Beethoven, and Poulenc.

 

The members of the quintet pursue active musical careers outside the group, as teachers, touring artists, or members of world-renowned performing ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra.  Each musician is dedicated to musical education, and the Prairie Winds encourage a love of music in tomorrow's audiences with workshops that enhance the traditional concert experience through theater improvisation, movement, and composition.

 

 

 

 

 

    Jelena Dirks, oboe

    Susan Warner, clarinet

    David Griffin, horn

    Timothy McGovern, bassoon