Solar Winds to open Music at Messiah’s second season

Members of the Solar Winds, affiliated with the U.S. Army Materiel Command Band, are shown in this photograph from a previous season. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – The second season of “Music at Messiah” will open on Sept. 21 with Solar Winds, a woodwind quintet affiliated with the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) Band.

Music at Messiah features classical music concerts at Messiah Lutheran Church, 7740 U.S. 72 in Madison. All concerts are free and open to the public. Donations, sponsors and program advertisers are welcome.

Concert time is 4 to 5:30 p.m. A reception with performers will follow the concert. The ensemble’s name, Solar Winds, pays homage to Huntsville’s space and rocket contributions, past and present.

“We’re excited to offer this series to anyone who believes that beautiful music plays an essential role in their lives,” spokesperson John Shriver said. “Our first season was a huge success with performances by Gary Parks and Ingrid von Spakovsky, AMC Brass Quintet and Toot n’ Twang (Phil Weaver and Rosa Richardson).”

Solar Wind members are Megan Newman, oboe; Robert Lambert, flute; Eric Flores-Ortiz, clarinet; Stephan Fahrlander, horn; and Kathryn Beyer, bassoon. The group performs baroque, classical and popular Americana and ceremonial music.

For Music at Messiah, Solar Winds will present a European tour of lyrical music that composers from Germany, France, England and Hungary have written. The program will progress from early classical style to modern.

The tentative program includes “Passacaille,” Adrian Barthe; “Antiche Danze Ungheresi,” Ferenc Farkas; “Trio,” Gordon Jacob; “Blaserquartett,” Karl Stamitz; “Cinq Pieces en Trio,” Jacques Ibert; and “Quintet Op 71,” Ludwig van Beethoven.

“We hope the Solar Winds concert will appeal to anyone enjoying classical music, especially students playing woodwind instruments in local bands,” Shriver said.

Acoustics in Messiah Lutheran’s sanctuary “have proven to be ideal for small chamber ensembles and choirs, revealing a detail in sound and technique that is special for both performers and listeners,” Shriver said.

The AMC Band was constituted in 1944 as the 389th Army Band and then activated at Fort Monmouth, N.J. The band was relocated to Redstone Arsenal in 2010.

For more information, email to musicatmessiah@mlutheran.org or visit Facebook/Music at Messiah.