Cal State Fullerton Woodwind Quintet back for second time at CMI

calendar icon08 Jun 2018    user iconBy Brian G Reetz

When the Cal State Fullerton Woodwind Quintet applied to the Chamber Music Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music last year, they didn’t think they would get accepted. But they did. And when they applied again this year, they were excited to come back for a return trip.

“Why not return to CMI?,” said member Otto Sit. “We actually didn’t think we would get accepted last year initially so being accepted a second year is a great honor and we wouldn’t skip a beat to come back again.”

The group has been together as a Wind Quintet for two and a half years with the same exact members. Nothing has changed since they started.

“This is very unusual for collegiate ensembles,” Sit added.

The quintet includes Clivia Ngan, flute; Daniel Moore, oboe; Matthew Collantes, clarinet; Austin Dinh, horn and Otto Sit, bassoon.

“We are all undergraduates at Cal State Fullerton in California. Me (bassoon) and Clivia (flute) have just recently graduated this past semester,” Sit said. “I have finished with a bachelor of arts in music education; Clivia with a bachelor’s of music in flute performance. The rest of the group is finishing up their degrees in instrumental performance for their respective instruments.”

Sit added that last year was a fantastic experience at CMI. They are being coached by the GKSOM’s William McMullen.

“I have done my research on summer chamber music programs and by far this one is the best in their accommodations and in the variety of opportunities/lectures that help musicians pursue a fulfilling career,” Sit said. “It is a very diverse program with us performing and working with composers in an expedited rate that could be compared to a semester’s music workload in only a week. We have all improved so much last year and can feel the same thing happening this year. This institute is an experience that all of us will remember forever and this second opportunity for us makes us even more appreciative of what we've received from this program.”

The quintet will perform as part of an in-house performance tonight and then on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Kimball Recital Hall for the public.

They will perform From Aires Tropicales by Paquito D’Rivera and Opus Number Zoo by Luciano Berio.

“Our favorite part about performing together is the intimacy that comes with chamber music,” Sit said. “There is a lot of interaction between each of us that not only has brought us closer together as a music ensemble but as friends. We have a lot of good memories and highlights from these past 2 ½ years. Playing in a chamber ensemble is on a much more personal level due to the lack of conductor and players and also more challenging for each of us as we have to hold our part by ourselves. But that's what makes it fun and a challenge for all of us!”