International hornist performs Strauss’ Concerto for Horn No. 1:
7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14;
Free concert; everyone welcome
TACOMA, Wash. – Gail Williams, internationally known hornist and recording artist, who has performed in concert halls from London to Beijing, will be the guest artist at a free spring concert at University of Puget Sound.
The principle horn of Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra and horn professor at Northwestern University will perform with Puget Sound’s Wind Ensemble, in a concert conducted by Gerard Morris. The university’s Concert Band also will take part in the evening of music by Richard Strauss and Steven Stucky.
Williams will be the featured soloist in Richard Strauss’ Concerto for Horn No. 1 in E-flat Major, Opus 11, one of the best-known pieces in horn literature and one that showcases the instrument’s lyrical and almost kaleidoscopic qualities. The concerto, composed when Strauss was just 18, was written for his father, a professional horn player. Legend has it that the elder Strauss struggled with the far-ranging piece, dismissing it as “totally unplayable.” Most likely, though, this was because the composition was technically far more suited to a valved horn than the natural horn that Strauss’ father preferred.
Williams also will perform in the Strauss Fanfare, as below, and, during her residency on campus, she will coach the student musicians for parts of the program. The full program will include:
Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare, by Richard Strauss
Funeral Music for Queen Mary, as adapted from Henry Purcell by Steven Stucky
Horn Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 11, by Richard Strauss
Gail Williams has presented concerts, master classes, recitals, and lectures throughout North America, as well as in Europe and Asia. Formerly associate principal horn with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she has been a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, and is currently principal horn for the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Williams has been featured horn soloist with numerous orchestras, and has performed as principal horn with the World Orchestra for Peace for concerts in London, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, Budapest, Rotterdam, Brussels, Jerusalem, Krakow, Stockholm, Salzburg, and Abu Dhabi. Dedicated to performing and promoting chamber music, Williams is a founding member of the Chicago Chamber Musicians, a critically acclaimed ensemble whose recording of Mozart works for winds and strings was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award. Williams has made eight recordings with the Summit Brass, as well as the solo albums 20th Century Settings, Deep Remembering, Goddess Trilogy, and Horn Muse.
University of Puget Sound’s 46-member Wind Ensemble, conducted by Gerard Morris, is one of the college’s top-performing student musical groups, combining woodwind, brass, and percussion. Many of its talented members major or minor in music at the School of Music. The Concert Band, also directed by Morris, has open auditions for all Puget Sound students, and performs works ranging from the traditional to classical masterpieces and modern compositions.
For directions and a map of the campus:pugetsound.edu/directions
For accessibility information please contact accessibility@pugetsound.edu or 253.879.3236, or visit pugetsound.edu/accessibility.
Press photos of Gail Williams can be downloaded from pugetsound.edu/pressphotos.
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