WindSync will perform Friday at The Warehouse at Alley Station,130 Commerce Street, Montgomery. (Photo11: Kristina Jacinth)

Wind down in downtown Montgomery with WindSync, a dynamic wind quintet visiting for a fun, vibrant, concert in The Warehouse at Alley Station,130 Commerce Street.

They perform Friday, Feb. 22, from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students, $15 military and $25 for general admission. They’re available online at https://clefworks-inc.networkforgood.com/events/10448-wind-down-downtown-with-windsync

Call 334-603-2533 for more information.

About WindSync

WindSync is a collective of five outstanding North American wind musicians who come together as performers, educators, and community-builders. WindSync concerts are intimate, joyful, and thoughtfully programmed with people and places in mind. The quintet eliminates the “fourth wall” by performing from memory, connecting quickly and memorably with audiences. Recent winners of the Concert Artists Guild and Fischoff competitions, they approach their mixed repertory of wind quintets and arrangements with the highest level of artistic dedication.

WindSync has appeared in recital at the Met Museum, Schubert Club, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. In 2015, WindSync was invited by the Library of Congress to perform the world premiere of Paul Lansky’s “The Long and the Short of it”, commissioned by the Carolyn Royall Just Fund and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Their 2018-2019 season includes performances at the New School, Ravinia, and the Hobby Center, and premieres by composers Ivan Trevino, John Steinmetz, and Marc Mellits.

WindSync takes a special interest in reaching children, families, and underserved audiences. Part of the burgeoning creative placemaking movement, the ensemble has recently focused on performance in public spaces in Houston and in Opelousas, LA. They have been featured in educational concerts presented by the Seattle Symphony, Midland Symphony, and Orli Shaham’s “Baby Got Bach”, and their concerts for young people reach over 10,000 students per year.

Advocates of 21st century musicianship models, the members of WindSync have led master classes at New World Symphony, Texas Music Festival, and the University of Maryland Renegade Series, among others. WindSync has also served as ensemble-in-residence for Adelphi University, the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington (KY), and the Grand Teton Music Festival.

Garrett Hudson, flute

Recognized by the Winnipeg Free Press for “shaking up the classical music world”, Garrett Hudson is known for his charismatic stage presence and highly personal voice on the flute.  The young Canadian’s roots lie in Winnipeg, Manitoba where he emerged at the age of 16 in a solo debut with the Winnipeg Symphony. Before embarking upon a dynamic career as an international soloist, instructor, orchestral and chamber musician, Garrett held positions in some of North America’s leading professional training orchestras including the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and l’Orchestre de la Francophonie in Montreal, Quebec and participated in other world-class training programs such as the Young Artists Program through Ottawa’s National Arts Center. Garrett completed a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of British Columbia, studying under Scottish flutist Lorna McGhee and earned his Masters of Music degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music under the tutelage of renowned flute pedagogue Leone Buyse.  Since 2009 Garrett has served as flutist with WindSync, an ensemble considered to be one of North America’s foremost emerging chamber forces and a recent Gold Medalist in the National Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and winner of the Concert Artists Guild international competition for artist management.

Anni Hochhalter, horn

Born in California and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Anni is an active musician and innovator in the arts field.  Specializing in chamber music, she joined WindSync in 2010 and has launched an exciting career as a recitalist, instructor, and social entrepreneur. Anni graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Music degree in French horn performance studying with leading studio and orchestral musicians, Rick Todd, James Thatcher and Kristy Morrell along with summers under Roger Kaza as a fellow at the Chautauqua Music Festival and Texas Music Festival.  In 2009, Anni won first prize in the Yen Liang Young Artist Competition and performed Richard Strauss’ First Horn Concerto in E-flat Major with the Diablo Symphony.  As a touring musician, she has performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles across North America, Europe and Asia and was recently named a Gold Medalist at the National Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Anni is based in Washington, DC and currently serves as Executive Director and musician chair of WindSync.

Emily Tsai, oboe

Quoted by DMV Classical as having “a consistently lovely tone and [taking] her melodic twists and turns with stylish assurance,” Emily Tsai began her musical studies at the age of four on the violin and started the oboe when she was ten. She won 2nd place in the Eastman Oboe and University of Maryland Concerto Competitions where she performed with the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra with added dance choreography.  Based in the Washington, DC area, she is the Principal English Horn in the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and is an active freelancer performing with the National Philharmonic, Amadeus Orchestra, Alexandria Symphony, Arlington Symphony and the McLean Symphony Orchestra.  In past summers, Emily has attended the AIMs Festival in Austria, Mortizburg Music Festival in Germany, Alba Music Festival in Italy, Sarasota Music Festival, and many others, where she studied under such prominent oboists as Neil Black, Allan Vogel, Richard Killmer, Werner Herbers, Randall Ellis, John Ferillo, and Robert Sheena. Her main teachers include Mark Hill, Richard Killmer, and Malcolm Smith. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance from the Eastman School of Music with a Performer’s Certificate and the Chamber Music Award, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Rochester graduating Magna Cum Laude.  She received her Master of Music from the University of Maryland where she was part of the Graduate Fellowship Quintet, SIREN.

Kara LaMoure, bassoon

Kara LaMoure joins WindSync in 2016 in addition to her work as a freelance bassoonist, teacher, and member of the Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet. A chamber music addict, Kara has recently been on the roster of the Missouri Quintet, Odyssey Chamber Music Series (Columbia MO), and Chamber Project St. Louis. She also takes great interest in global youth orchestra movements and has served as a coach for the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra (Switzerland), YOA Honduras, Esperanza Azteca (Mexico), and Bahia Orchestra Project (Brazil). As an orchestral musician, Kara previously performed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and she can be heard on the original soundtrack to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Between performances, she can probably be found working on new creative projects, tasting beers, or listening to podcasts.

Julian Hernandez, clarinet

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Julian began his musical studies at the age of 9. He earned his undergraduate degree in music education from Baylor University and completed his master’s degree in music performance at the University of Michigan under Dan Gilbert. Julian has performed with the Waco Symphony, Mid-Texas Symphony, Lansing Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Akropolis Reed Quintet, and can be heard on multiple CD recordings as principal of the Baylor Wind Ensemble and the University of Michigan Symphony Band. Recent summer festival engagements include the Brevard Summer Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, Marrowstone Music Festival, and Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA). In addition, Julian was a two-time orchestral fellow at the Texas Music Festival where he won second prize at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Concerto Competition and participated twice as a member of the New York Orchestra Seminar. A strong advocate for music as a vehicle for social change, he is a graduate of the Global Leaders Training Program through YOA that aims to start social music programs around the world and has presented masterclasses in the U.S., Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Suriname. He is currently in his first year of his DMA at the Eastman School of Music.

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