A Broken Anthology of Western Music - Breaking Winds (score & parts) - 4BSN

A Broken Anthology of Western Music - The Breaking Winds
for bassoon quartet
arranged and edited by The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet

Dunstable: Quam pulchra es (the only Trio in this collection!)
Bach, J.S.: Cello Suite No.1 in G: Prelude
Mozart: Rondo alla Bassoona
Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King
Bruckner: Os Justi
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
Debussy: Claire de Lune
Ravel: Piece en forme de habanero
Grainger: Molly on the Shore
Grainger: Irish Tune from County Derry
Grainger: Shepherd’s Hey
Ravel: Bolero

The perfect companion to their 2022 recording of the same name.

The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet is an artist-run creative project by bassoonists Brittany Harrington-Smith, Yuki Katayama Poole, Kara LaMoure, and Lauren Yu Ziemba. Their repertoire disregards genre, with favorites from the worlds of classical, pop, jazz, soundtrack, and folk music adapted for the ensemble by its members. Known for their stage antics, the BWBQ use choreography, accessory instruments, props, and skits to add theatrical elements to their performances. The ensemble’s mission is threefold: to navigate the intersection of classical music, pop culture, and comedy, to expand the scope of bassoon performance, and to create meaningful bonds with audiences. 

The Breaking Winds have toured internationally, performing at the International Double Reed Conventions in Tokyo, Japan and Granada, Spain. They have extensively toured in Asia – traveling to China, Hong Kong, and Japan, where they shared the stage with a bassoon ensemble in Hong Kong, staged a concert in a Shanghai gallery space, and collaborated with Chinese beatboxers. Additionally, they have concertized across the United States from coast to coast. In 2016, they joined the artist roster of the Fox Products Corporation, the premier manufacturer of bassoons in the United States, and in 2018 joined the artist roster for Légère Reeds, maker of synthetic reeds. 

In 2013, the Breaking Winds premiered their commissioned concerto, Scott A. Switzer’s Breaking Out for quartet and wind ensemble, with the Yale Concert Band. They have since performed as soloists with the West Point Band, Eastman Wind Ensemble, and Northshore Concert Band. In August 2014, Breaking Out was a featured concerto at the International Double Reed Society Conference in New York City.

Advocates of creative music education, the Breaking Winds have presented master classes at University of Arizona, Southern Methodist University, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Sichuan Conservatory. They have been guest artist-teachers with the Chenery Double Reed Ensemble and the University of Missouri Bassoon Ensemble, and they have served as clinicians at the music education conferences of Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Missouri, and Oregon.

The members of the quartet met as undergraduate students in the studio of John Hunt at the Eastman School of Music. They have since gone on to receive advanced degrees in bassoon performance from Yale University, Northwestern University, and Southern Methodist University. Each maintains an active freelance career in multiple fields, based in New York, Seattle, Houston, and Washington D.C..

The Breaking Winds’ quirky affability lends them a global following on social media. To date their Youtube channel has garnered nearly 3 million views and has received buzz from NPR and MTV. Online support has led to some of the quartet’s most memorable gigs, including the filming of a reality show at Brooklyn “nerd bar” The Way Station and the Nathan’s Famous 2016 Hot Dog Eating Contest.

For more information about the Breaking Winds, visit their website: HERE.