Dorian Wind Quintet 2001-2002 40th Anniversary Tours

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the esteemed Dorian Wind Quintet, a seminal commission, "Variations on a Theme of Reicha" will be premiered by a consortium of presenters and radio stations during select tour dates in New York, the Midwest, and the West Coast. Five of America's most respected composers have agreed to collaborate on the work and contribute one movement each based on a theme by Czech composer Antonin Reicha. Composers Bruce Adolphe, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Lee Hoiby, George Perle (whose last Dorian commission earned a Pulitzer Prize), and Billy Childs will also make select appearances with Dorian on the concert tour.

Founded at Tanglewood in 1961, Dorian has carefully nurtured and perpetuated their reputation as "a cherishable chamber group" (Los Angeles times) and "one of chamber music's most sparkling and eloquent ensembles" (TIME magazine) through a standard of excellence that sets them apart as the archetype of wind quintets. Over the last 40 years the Quintet has traveled the globe performing in the world's most venerated concert halls including their 1986 performance at Carnegie Hall-the first such appearance by any wind quintet.

In addition to the "Variations on a Theme of Reicha" commission, the Dorian will offer a wide variety of concert programs during their 2001-2002 Anniversary tours.

• Dorian into the Millennium ~ significant Dorian commissions of complete quintets by Adolphe, Hoiby, and Perle followed by "Variations on a Theme of Reicha"
• The Dorian Mode ~ a traditional Dorian program featuring a classic quintet from the standard repoertoire, a Dorian commission work, and a superb transcription of a masterpiece from the classic literature: Taffanel, Schifrin, Dvorak (D. Jolley).
• Winds for the Ages ~ from the simple elegance of solo flute to the rich consonance of the piano/winds quintet, this program features mixed instrumentation of significant works by Bach (M. Rechtman), Childs, Milhaud, Debussy, and Mozart.