by Mike Telin
Since 1997, the Imani Winds have been at the forefront of expanding the wind quintet repertoire through their commissioning projects, adventurous programming, and unique collaborations, which have attracted audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Since 1986, Boston Brass have been delighting audiences with one-of-a-kind musical experiences that feature imaginative classical arrangements, jazz standards, and the best of original brass repertoire.
On Tuesday, February 10 at 7:30 pm, these two venerable ensembles will join forces at Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall. Presented by Tuesday Musical, their program will include original works and arrangements of pieces by Dmitri Shostakovich, Paul Hindemith, Stevie Wonder, Astor Piazzolla, and Lalo Schifrin as well as a commissioned piece by trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval. Tickets are available online.
How did Boston Brass — José Sibaja and Jeff Conner (trumpets), Chris Castellanos (horn), Domingo Pagliuca (trombone), and William Russell (tuba) — and Imani Winds — Brandon Patrick George (flute), Mekhi Gladden (oboe), Mark Dover (clarinet), Kevin Newton (horn), and Monica Ellis (bassoon) — come together?
Performing a work as ubiquitous as Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons requires a delicate balance. At its best, the musicality and intention must be crystal clear, so that the end result feels as fresh as it does familiar. It’s a high bar, but one that Les Arts Florissants cleared with the utmost ease.
On Tuesday evening, October 21, pianist Marc-André Hamelin opened Tuesday Musical’s 2025–26 season in Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall with a program of unusual range and scale. He mapped the human mind and heart across an often-epic landscape — Beethoven’s granite Hammerklavier, Robert Schumann’s not merely scenic Waldszenen, and Ravel’s hallucinatory Gaspard de la nuit.
There are very few American cities who can count themselves as having an official fanfare. But now, Akron is one of them.
Composer and conductor Peter Boyer has a lot on his plate. But when recording producer Elaine Martone called him two years ago with an offer from Tuesday Musical, he just couldn’t say no.
