Non-Western Brass Ensembles

Interview With Danel Wood of Quadre

2008-05-11T23:28:00.006-05:00

As part of an assignment I had the opportunity to interview Daniel Wood from the horn quartet Quadre. I found the answers to be very informational and useful to anyone who is interested in starting a professional chamber group:

1. How do you book concerts? Do you have a management service or do it on your own and what
are the main difficulties?
QUADRE is a self-managed ensemble. Our strategy for booking concerts is two fold.
First, we have a series of home concerts we produce in the San Francisco Bay Area where we are
based. We usually present 3 to 4 home concert series a year. Venues for these series include
one or more of the following: performing art centers, community music schools, churches, and
private homes. These events give us a chance to regularly connect with our local supporters.
They also give us the opportunity to try new things out programmatically.
Second, we set up tours around the country. They usually last from 7-10 days although we were
once on the road for a whole month. We find presenters – those that book us for concerts –
through booking conferences and associations (Western Arts Alliance, Chamber Music America),
our online research of venues in different geographic areas, and our own personal contacts.
Both of these strategies take a great deal of work. We are a nonprofit organization with 4 artists,
one paid staff-person (myself), 4 volunteers, and a board of directors made up of 7 citizens from
the community. In regards to booking concerts, the volunteers and I construct the tours (contracts,
travel), manage the books, and handle the fundraising/development. The board helps ensure the
long-term health of the organization and maintain its financial stability. Administratively, the artists
organize and decide the programming, contribute potential leads and contacts, and help out as
needed (grants, artistic partnerships.)
Of the two strategies above, the first one is contingent on being open to potential partnerships and
collaborations. Most of this work is made possible due to revenue from contributed (grants and
personal appeals) and earned sources (ticket sales and performance fees.) For the second
strategy of tours, most of our revenue comes from performance fees with a little supplemental
income coming from merchandise sales (sheet music and CDs).
The main difficulty with both of these core activities is finding the partners and clients to make them
possible. After ten years in the business, it is easier although it is still a constant challenge.
2. What different players have you had in the quartet?
Here is the list of the primary horn players involved in the group since 1998. There have also been
substitutes, associate members, and extra horn artists (aka 5th and 6th horn players.) For the
purposes of not making this list too ridiculous, I have left them out. However, I do feel strongly that
everyone who has been involved in QUADRE has made it what it is today.
Daniel Wood 1998-Present
Harold Aschmann 1998-1999
Eric Thomas 1998-2000
Melissa Hendrickson 1998-2001
Armando Castellano 1999-2002
Carrie Campbell 2000-2005
Meredith Brown 2001-2006
Mathew Reynolds 2003-2005
Alex Camphouse 2005-2006
Nathan Pawelek 2005-Present (Subbed from 2003-2005)
Jessica Valeri 2006-2008
Lydia Van Dreel 2007-Present
Amy Jo Rhine 2008-Present
3. Do you have a member who is the leader/decision maker?
Being the only member that has been with the group since the beginning, I (Daniel Wood) act as
the leader and decision maker for most of the artistic and management decisions. However, no
artistic decision is made without all the artists in the group being informed and providing input.
4. How do you solve artistic differences during rehearsals?
Everyone in the group respects the talent and insight that we each bring to the ensemble. We
handle all issues professionally giving each idea a chance to be heard. When we have a
disagreement about which idea to do, we usually go with the consensus or the idea felt most
passionately. We have also tried out multiple ideas in several performances. Audience reaction
can be a great way to measure the success of an idea.
5. How many concerts do you perform a year?
This has varied considerable over the years. We have performed full-time during two seasons
(1999-2000; 2001-2002). Each of those seasons had over 250 performances. Other years have
had as few as 15 concerts. In the 2007-2008 season, we performed over 30 concerts with
approximately 100 services total (concerts, rehearsals, outreach, and lectures.)
6. What made you want to create a horn quartet and what do you like about chamber music?
The inspiration for starting QUADRE comes from the male vocal quartets of the 50s and 60s. I am
a huge fan of the Four Freshman, The Four Aces, The Four Lads, and in particular, the Hi-Los.
The sound that those groups got in their recordings was fascinating to me. I wondered whether it
would be possible to do something similar with a group of like instruments.
With chamber music being my favorite class in college, I helped put together a variety of
ensembles: brass quintets, woodwind quintets, and horn quartets. I really liked the sonic potential
of the horn quartet. After leaving college, I started a horn club so we could play new music for the
genre. After a few months, it became clear that four of us wanted to make a go of it as a quartet.
The rest is history.
As for why I like chamber music, I think the ability to make music in a small group is exhilarating.
The four of us get to make all of the artistic decisions. And you know that each of you account for
25% of what is happening on stage. It is also a medium where there is nowhere to hide when you
perform. I also really enjoy how we can connect so personally with our audience. They get to
know our personalities and we, to a degree, get to know them as well through after concert
discussions, home-stays, and communications (email and letters).
7. What rehearsal techniques do you find most useful when learning new music?
Individually, we study the scores, work a great deal with the metronome and, if available, listen to
live recordings / computer renditions. In the group setting, we find singing our parts very useful
and being sensitive to all the markings the composer has written (tempi, articulations, dynamics,
etc.)
8. What are the future goals of Quadre?
In the short term, we intend on recording two more albums in August. We have two recordings
currently: The Voice of Four Horns (2000) and Citrus (2005). We will build on the success of our
domestic touring and home concerts by continuing to collaborate with different musicians and
artists. We also plan on touring internationally more in the future.
9. What has been the most rewarding aspect of being part of Quadre?
For me, it is getting my music performed at such a high level by my fabulous colleagues. It is also
very rewarding to see the group continue to thrive after ten years.
10. I noticed you have a blog and myspace page. How important do you think using the latest
communication outlets is to being a viable quartet?
Connecting with our audience is a critical part of our organization. Our blog and myspace page is
a part of our overall marketing and communication strategy which includes: conferences,
advertisements, merchandise (CDs, Sheet Music, Posters, Apparel), newsletters (email & mailed),
our website, online networking (myspace, blog, afm.org, etc.) and so on. Having a strong online
presence is another way to get your message out about who you are and what you do.
11. Anything else you would want me to know/present about Quadre that is not on your website?
I consider and think of the other members in the quartet as family. I care deeply for each of them
and their well-being. We are all very interested in what each of our families are up to (especially
the kids) and talk to each other regularly about all sorts of things above and beyond the artistic and
management concerns of the quartet. Because we have a strong bond with each other, I think our
music is always very present and in the moment. We feel passionately about each other and bring
that same passion to our music.

Shofar

2008-04-22T16:59:00.003-05:00

What blog on non-western instruments can be complete without discussion of the Hebrew shofar? The shofar, similar to the previously mentioned Kudu, is made from the horn of the Ibex it is still in use as part of Jewish ceremonies. Although it is on the fringe of Western culture, it is still exotic religious enough to most Americans that I thought it should have some mention here. There are many versions of the instrument of different sizes and designs is use today(many now have finger holes), but the original instrument was the unaltered horn of the Ibex. You can read more about them here.

www.asza.com

2008-04-22T16:51:00.002-05:00

This website has a lot of resources for people interested in world music. I have used it to find pictures and information for a few of my posts. ASZA is a performing chamber group that specializes in learning world music from many different cultures. Their website has profiles of major world music groups, recording for purchase, instruments for purchase, a calendar of major world music events, instrument picture gallery, and much more. You can visit their site here.

Kudu Horns

2008-04-22T16:35:00.005-05:00

I can't believe I forgot about Jeff Agrell's kudu horns. Pictured is a Kudu, a type of Gazelle, and the instruments made from their horns. The set Jeff has is pitched in E pentatonic (each horn plays one note). The highest pitched horn has a finger hole so that it will play two notes. These horns are played all over Africa and are usually used in a rhythmic hocket texture often accompanying a marimba. You can read more about them as well as some other African instruments here.

National Music Museum

2008-04-17T13:19:00.003-05:00

The University of South Dakota houses the National Music Museum. Their website is home to more information on instruments than you would ever want or need to know including an index by location and manufacturer. I highly recommend taking a look.

Gangbe` Brass Ensemble

2008-04-16T22:24:00.002-05:00

The Gangbe` Brass Ensemble is a fusion brass ensemble that combines jazz with the traditional folk music of Benin (a small country in Africa in between Nigeria and Togo). It was founded in 1994 by 8 jazz musicians who wanted to experiment was traditional folk music. The music incorporates brass, vocals, and percussion. They have released 3 albums and have toured worldwide. You can read more about them here and here.

Guca: Serbian Brass Band Festival

2008-04-16T18:34:00.002-05:00

Every year a small villiage in Serbia holds a brass festival. You can read more about it here. The music on the website is quite amazing. This year the festival is August 6 through the 10th. This is a video of some of the festivities from the festival in 2007.

Mangione

2008-04-14T18:08:00.002-05:00

I think this is more of Peter's realm, but I found it amusing. I was watching fox's King of the Hill, and had another Mangione sighting. There was a portrait of him on the wall of a marriage counselor's office. He discusses it in an interview here.

Strange instrument for a land locked region.

2008-04-09T10:22:00.003-05:00

When I was originally researching Tibetan m montanous usic for my historical perspectives paper, I came across some other instruments that were not involved in the Tantric ceremonies I was interested in. this brass conch shell, or Dung, is one such example. What I find very interesting about this instrument is that it meant to resemble a conch shell......and tibet is a land locked mountainous region.

Vietnamese Jaw Harp

2008-04-09T09:49:00.002-05:00

This is a Vietnamese Dan Moi. It is made of very thin brass and carried in the small bag shown. It is a very popular instrument even today in Vietnam and is now commercially produced. Read more about them here.

Thank you discovery channel!

2008-04-07T00:55:00.002-05:00

New York Death + Discovery Channel=Fun Fact: The first know professional musician was employed in egypt 5000 years ago.

Recital Venues

2008-03-31T00:49:00.007-05:00

This weekend my quartet (Phil, Mike Wall, Michael Ozment, and myself) had the opportunity of playing two recitals. One in a church in Spencer, Iowa and one the next evening in Harper. Originally we were treating the recital in Spencer as a dress rehearsal for the concert on Saturday, but when we got there we realized that it was the more important concert. We played for about 120 people in a church (mostly older people) and were received very warmly. Although they were not the most well-trained audience (they clapped not only between movements, but also in the middle of them), but the energy they gave us made our performance even better. It was the most fun I have ever had performing.

On Saturday we played the same concert at UI. The audience was much less enthusiastic and interested in our playing, and although we didn't necessarily play any better or worse than the previous evening, the concert felt like a failure and was one of the worst experiences I have had as a performer. The audience was very well behaved, but the negative vibe sucked all the energy out of the room. Most of the audience was only interested in receiving recital attendance and figuring out how to stay awake. I was tempted to collect their cards at intermission and not play the second half of the concert.

Don't get me wrong: I think that rectal attendance is important, but I never realized how a well behaved audience can have a negative effect on performance. The question is how to combat this negative vibe. I think that increased support from colleges could help. There were only 3 music major in a crowd of 38, and those were also there for recital attendance. (I am not trying to call anyone out for not coming, I know people are busy). Some simple publicity could have gone a long way. We put posters up and told our friends, but this seemed ineffective. We didn't make a facebook event just out of spite for having to make facebook crap for everything. The University does have an events calendar but it I think the department could take a more active role in advertising both student and faculty recitals. I am definitely guilty on not attending recitals I probably should have, but some of that is just out of ignorance. A weekly email of events (I know we already get too many emails) and a little more dedication to each other could go a long way into making performing a lot better at the University.

National Geographic

2008-03-26T09:26:00.001-05:00

National Geographic has a part of their website dedicated to world music. There is a lot of intersting information there. http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/home

Philharmonic Brass

2008-03-12T00:38:00.003-05:00

The Philharmonic Brass features the LA Phil brass sections and friends. It was originally recorded in 1978 and was re-released on CD in 2003. We listened to some of the Rayner Brown, Five Pieces for Organ Harp (Ladd Thomas, Organ), Brass, and Percussion, and the Fisher Tull Liturgical Symphony. While the Fisher Tull Liturgical Symphony, and Variations of and Advent Hymn are important pieces, I really enjoyed the Rayner Brown Organ piece. The organ playing is fantastic. There are also 8 fanfares by various composers(some are by the players) and and a Rayner Brown Fantasy-Fugue. This recording is available on Amazon.com

"UP TO YOUR ASS IN BRASS"

2008-03-11T23:46:00.003-05:00

I did not get to this CD on my talk about symphony brass section recordings on Wednesday. The Antiphonal Music Of Gabrieli recorded and released on LP in 1969. The brass sections include members of the Philadelphia Symphony, The Cleveland Symphony, and The Chicago Symphony with E. Power Briggs on organ. There are 25 tracks of Gabrielli and 7 tracks of Frescobaldi. This is definitely on the must own list of brass recordings. The musicianship is fantastic, but sometimes style and blend in not quite consistent (there is some extreme vibrato in the trumpets that is sometimes a bit concerning), but overall is fun to listen to. The CD has a very informative insert. It explains some of the church modes and has a seating chart so that you can try to figure out which ensemble is playing on the stereo recording. You can purchase this CD from Amazon.com

Music Survey

2008-03-06T16:44:00.002-06:00

This survey is being conducted by Emmanuel Angel ant the University of Pennsylvania and is supported by the Philadelphia AFM. It is designed to be a comprehensive study of people in all regions and facets of musical activity. Please take this opportunity to weigh in, It is all confidential.

Survey

Ronak Mela Baja

2008-03-03T10:36:00.000-06:00

Brass music is a very important part of Indian weddings. This group plays both wedding music and Bollywood style music in the UK you can read about them here.

Chinese Youth Trombone Quartet

2008-03-03T10:21:00.000-06:00

The is a video of the 2007 Trombone Festival in Beijing,China. The China Youth Trombone quartet in playing. This is a fine example of the budding brass tradition that is beginning to take hold in Asia.

Vienna Horns Update

2008-03-03T10:15:00.001-06:00

I found a video of the Vienna Horns playing Haydn String Quartets Hob.Ⅲ 38 "The Joke"

Vienna Brass

2008-03-03T10:06:00.000-06:00

We listened to the Vienna Horns second CD on Wednesday. If you are interested in purchasing, it is available on Kep Pope's website www.poperepair.com

Real Tibetan Horn Playing

2008-03-03T09:58:00.000-06:00

I found a recording of the Gyuto Tantric Choir playing traditional Tibetan music .

I think you will need Real Player to open this file. This is from the puremusic.com website.

Guy Playing "Piccolo Horn"

2008-02-28T20:17:00.000-06:00

I found this guy while looking at horns on ebay. He is selling this instrument as a "piccolo horn" and says that in person it sounds similar to his real horn (although his website says he is a trumpet player). He also has some video of him playing natural turmpet as well as Brandenburg 2. http://www.horienko.com/

New Age Tibetan Horn Music

2008-02-21T00:20:00.000-06:00

Fusion of old and new music genres has become very popular in the 21st Century. Phil Thornton has recorded two Albums based on traditional Buddhist Tantric chants. Although I expected a little more horn from an album labeled "Tibetan Horn," the combination of traditional motifs and instruments combined with electronic instruments and other New Age medium create a unique experience. It has become a popular CD for meditation studios. (Smoking drugs may enhance the experience although I do not endorse this). Available at Amazon.com for pucase and download.

http://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Horn-Phil-Thornton/dp/7715024325/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1203574893&sr=8-1

The effect of imported culture

2008-02-20T19:11:00.000-06:00

Uk Best Asian Brass Band. Part of Asian British Music

This is an example of the effect the 400 years of British rule has had in India. The mixing of traditional Indian music and instruments clashes with the British brass band tradition. This idea is very present in Indian pop music (Baliwood).

Asian Brass Band

2008-01-29T19:43:00.000-06:00

Recording session at Thailand Cultural Center, Bangkok, during 27-28 November 2006.e.