The MIT Wind Ensemble, directed by Frederick Harris, Jr., presents the world premi̬re of Guillermo Klein's "Solar Return Suite," with tenor saxophonist, Bill McHenry, in a concert on Friday, May 12, at 8 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. Admission is $5 at the door.
"Guillermo is one of the most gifted young composers working today. I was excited to see what he would do with all of these colors. He's turned out an amazing 30-minute work that I'm certain will have a life beyond our premi̬re. His music is deep, spiritual, inventive and cuts straight to the heart," says Harris, who noted that Klein had never before composed for wind ensemble.
Klein, a native of Argentina, and McHenry, a native of Maine, will be on campus the week of the concert, teaching and lecturing in music classes. They will discuss their creative process in a pre-concert lecture demonstration at 7:15 p.m.
Both Klein, who composed a piece for MIT's Festival Jazz Ensemble during a 2001 residency here, and McHenry have received recognition for their musical achievements.
The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune selected Klein's latest CD, "Una Nave" (with his ensemble, "Los Guachos"), as one of the best jazz recordings of 2005.
"Whether he appears to be drawing from boleros, baroque music, ragas or Wayne Shorter, he's risking a bit, and going after the transcendental moment," music critic Ben Ratliff wrote of Klein in The New York Times.
McHenry is an emerging voice on the New York jazz scene. "Any musician who works so effectively against a common language and uses clich̩ so little in the process, is worth listening to," Ratliff wrote.
At the May 12 concert, the MIT Wind Ensemble will also perform Michael Gandolfi's "Vientos y Tangos," Bernstein's "Profanation" from "Jeremiah, Symphony No.1," and Grainger's "Colonial Song" and "Handel in the Strand."
For more information, call x3-2826.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 10, 2006 (download PDF).
