What happens when a flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon come together?

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The wind quintet is one of chamber music’s most fascinating combinations: five instruments with wildly different voices, ranges, colors, and ways of producing sound. The Boston Festival Orchestra presents Breathing Room, a deep dive into that unique musical chemistry. 

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From the blues-inflected energy of Valerie Coleman’s Red Clay & Mississippi Delta to the pastoral warmth of Amy Beach’s Pastorale, each piece reveals a different side of the ensemble—and a different way these five instruments can interact. Gunther Schuller’s Suite for Wind Quintet crosses over into the jazz world, while György Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles is considered one of the most masterful wind quintet compositions of all time. The program also shines a light on local composer Matthew Tirona, with his sea-inspired Cargo, uniting music by three generations of Boston composers.

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Breathe deeply, open your ears, and get ready to discover everything a wind quintet has to offer! 

 

Join BFO Artistic Director Alyssa Wang, BFO musicians, and guest artists for an immersive chamber music experience that blends performance with thoughtful discussion, inviting audiences to engage with the music’s historical, cultural, and emotional context.