The double reed music faculty at Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music perform the “Wildflower Trio”, by Jenni Brandon. They present a recital program “Dreaming in Color” at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 10, 2022, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
The performance features Dr. Margaret P. Fay, visiting assistant professor of bassoon, and Graham Mackenzie, adjunct instructor of oboe, accompanied by Dr. Thomas Nixon, SFA collaborative pianist. This is a concert of “whimsical works” of living composers. All works on the program were influenced by the rich and colorful palettes that can be created by moods, personalities, or wildflower gardens. The program is:
HyeKung Lee — “Dreaming in Colours” (bassoon and piano)
Alyssa Morris — “Four Personalities” (oboe and piano)
Jenni Brandon – “The Wildflower Trio” (oboe, bassoon, and piano)
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.
The Wildflower Trio, for oboe, bassoon, and piano, was commissioned in 2004 by the College of Fine Arts of the University of Texas at Austin to honor and celebrate the life and environmental work of Lady Bird Johnson. The inspiration for the piece came from a poetry book written by one of Mrs. Johnson’s friends, Bette Woolsey Castro. Her book, The Wildflower, was inspired by the opening of Lady Bird’s Wildflower Research Center in Austin, Texas, and contains a collection of poems about wildflowers and nature.
The five movements of The Wildflower Trio for oboe, bassoon, and piano (oboe, bassoon, piano sheet music) are based on the imagery from several of these poems. The beautiful combination of the oboe, bassoon, and piano lend themselves to creating distinct colors and sounds that represent the wildflowers, hummingbirds, and summer afternoons in quiet gardens.
I had the honor and privilege of composing this piece for two fine musicians to premiere. Rebecca Henderson-oboe, and Kristin Wolfe Jensen-bassoon, have performed this piece around the world with a variety of pianists, including at the International Double Reed Society Conference in Melbourne, Australia in June 2004 as well as for Mrs. Johnson at her Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas.
I. Wildflowers
II. Wild Rose and Butterfly
III. The Hummingbird
IV. Indian Paintbrush
V. Summer Garden
This work has been recorded on two albums:
Gobo: Commissions and Premieres for Oboe – Rebecca Henderson-oboe, Kristin Wolfe Jensen-bassoon, Robert Freeman. Longhorn Music, 2013.
Summer Garden – Sundance Trio (oboist Geralyn Giovannetti, bassoonist Christian Smith, and pianist Jed Moss)
Music for the Wildflower Trio is available on Jenni’s website at The Wildflower Trio – oboe, bassoon, piano sheet music (jennibrandon.com)