Chamber Music Festival hosts brass quartet, The Westerlies

||| FROM MARY TAYLOR for ORCAS ISLAND CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL |||

The Westerlies brass quartet returns to the San Juan Islands for an action-packed residency April 3-6, presented by the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival. The highly acclaimed group looks forward to community concerts and pop-up performances on Orcas and Lopez Islands, an Orcas Island workshop for community musicians, and coaching and playing in Orcas and Shaw schools. Local fans of the group may recall their popular music residency with OICMF in the San Juans in April 2018.

Formed in 2011, the self-described “accidental brass quartet” takes its name from the prevailing winds that travel from west to east. Born and raised on the West Coast and now based in New York, trumpeters Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands and trombonists Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon command a range of musical styles, including jazz, classical, roots, and folk. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, The Westerlies navigate venues and projects with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along.

The quartet has produced ten albums and numerous collaborations, including those with Fleet Foxes, Big Red Machine, Aoife O’Donovan, Caroline Shaw, and Nico Muhly.

On Thursday, April 3, The Westerlies begin their residency working with high school band students at Orcas High School. The quartet engages students of all ages and abilities with their innovative coaching and masterclasses, promoting the values of cooperation and inclusion through music. After working with the students, the four musicians plan to tour Eastsound hotspots, popping into local stores and cafés to play a lively tune or two.

On Friday, the quartet boards the interisland ferry to Shaw Island for musical fun with the students of the Shaw Island School. The group also plans to serenade lucky passengers at Orcas ferry landing in the late afternoon. If you are in the area, stop by and enjoy the music!

At 1 pm on Saturday, April 5, The Westerlies hold a free Community Workshop for musicians of all instruments and skill levels at the Orcas High School Band Room. Curious observers are welcome!

Committed to both education and community engagement, the ensemble has taught masterclasses at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Yale School of Music, and The Colburn School, and is the inaugural small ensemble-in-residence at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School.

Please sign up for the workshop before 5 pm on April 3 by contacting Mary Taylor at mary@oicmf.org or call (360) 376-6636.

Saturday evening at 7 pm, OICMF presents The Westerlies in a Community Concert at the Grange. Expect innovative compositions, “bracing melodies, and crucially, an undeniable sense of fun” (L.A. Times). Admission is by donation at the door.

On Sunday, April 6, The Westerlies conclude their OICMF residency on Lopez Island with a Community Concert at 3:30 pm at Lopez Center. The group has longtime ties on the island, having recorded there in years past. Admission is by donation at the door.

After the concert, the quartet travels to Seattle to produce Westerlies Fest, their annual music festival that combines evening performances with workshops in Seattle area public schools.

The Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival is tremendously grateful to Lee and Stu Rolfe for their sponsorship of this music residency with The Westerlies. To learn more about the quartet, visit westerliesmusic.com.