"A classy affair from start to finish... Certainly Michele Fiala, as well as her colleagues and mentors, must be very proud and satisfied with this entire intelligent effort."
The Double Reed ~ November 2008

"This is a voice fresh as a crisp December morning. Her oboe is singing, playful and expansive, meeting every stated requirement... [Cats In The Kitchen] is absolutely delightful... Let this class act wrap around you. Wrap up a few copies and bless you loved ones with a cherished Christmas gift."
WKU Public Radio ~ October 2008

 "This disc, Michelle Fiala’s debut CD, contains an interesting programme of new music for oboe, with all the pieces heard here in their first commercial recordings.

The moto perpetuo opening of Rodney Roger’s Lessons of the Sky immediately commands attention, with Fiala’s beautifully phrased oboe heard over a toccata-like piano accompaniment. The oboe sound is rich and warm, and the melancholy middle section takes on a mournful tone. This is an enjoyable effort which works as an excellent show-piece for the oboe, with both lyrical and rhythmical sections. Fiala’s expressive oboe playing is supported well by pianist Donald Speer.
 
The first of two works on the disc by Bill Douglas, the Sonata for Oboe and Piano...is performed with energy.
 
Scottish composer James MacMillan’s Intercession for three oboes is performed here with style... the intonation is excellent and the match of tone quality is impressive. This is an astonishing piece of music, which makes imaginative use of the three instruments to powerful effect. These players - Michelle Fiala is joined here by Joseph Salvalaggio and Martin Schuring - make it seem easy. For me, the disc is worth buying for this track alone.
 
[In the] second Bill Douglas piece, Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano... the contrast works well and the playing is light and jazzy. It is a real delight to hear jazz played on oboe and bassoon in such a convincing way. The bassoon writing is particularly appealing, and it is pleasing to see new additions to the instrument’s repertoire such as this. This is a highly enjoyable piece which is well performed throughout.
 
[In Andrea Clearfield's work]... the playing is excellent, and the musical ideas are communicated well.
 
The final work on the disc is the curiously unusual Cats in the Kitchen by Phillip Bimstein... There is undeniably an element of comedic fun about this work, which, despite the amusement, is created with imagination and an excellence in composition. The rhythms are catchy and the melody lines develop with a sense of inevitability. This is unlike anything I have ever heard before – and I love it. 
 
Any performer who makes the effort to disseminate new repertoire such as Michelle Fiala has done here is to be applauded. This is a wonderful collection of recent works, many of which will undoubtedly be new to most listeners. The standard of playing is consistently high, and the music is enjoyable and well written. Well worth listening to."
MusicWeb International ~ November 2008

"Fiala seems to enjoy herself in [the style of these works]."
American Record Guide ~ July / August 2008

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Michele Fiala has concertized throughout the United States, Italy and Canada as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player. She has performed with the Banff Summer Music Festival, Louisville Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, Lee Ann Rimes, Barry Williams and Roberta Flack. She is Assistant Professor of Double Reeds at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and holds DMA and MM degrees from Arizona State University, and a BM from the University of Kentucky. She has edited music for Phylloscopus Publications, contributes to i Fiati and the Double Reed, and has completed a manuscript on nineteenth-century Italian oboe music. This is her first solo recording on CD. She has previously appeared on recordings on the Centaur and d’Note Records labels.

John Cipolla teaches clarinet and saxophone at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  Prior to his appointment at WKU, he worked in New York City as a tenured member of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra and the orchestra for the Broadway show, CATS. John has also performed and recorded with an eclectic array of ensembles and artists ranging from the New York City Opera to Aretha Franklin.

Bill Douglas is a bassoonist-pianist-composer who has toured and recorded for thirty years with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. As a bassoonist, he has played with the Toronto and New Haven Symphonies, and recorded three RCA albums with Peter Serkin and Tashi. As a jazz pianist, he has toured and recorded with vibraphonist Gary Burton and bassist Eddie Gomez. In 1994, SOCAN, the Canadian equivalent of ASCAP and BMI, presented him with their classical composer of the year award. His compositions have been performed by major orchestras and chamber groups around the world. He has taught at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado for thirty years. Thirteen CDs of his music are available (see www.billdouglas.cc).

Frank Morelli, bassoon soloist, chamber musician and teacher, studied with Stephen Maxym at the Manhattan and Juilliard Schools of Music and was the first bassoonist awarded a doctorate by the Juilliard School. A member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the woodwind quintet, Windscape, he has made nine appearances as a soloist in Carnegie Hall. He serves on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, Manhattan School of Music and SUNY Stony Brook.

Karl Olsen studied bass with David Dunn at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point before earning a Master of Music degree from Indiana University, where he worked with Professor Bruce Bransby. Since 2001, he has been a member of the Louisville Orchestra. Mr. Olsen is on the faculties of the University of Kentucky and Indiana University Southeast, and was previously a member of the New World Symphony Orchestra (performing under the baton of Michael Tilson-Thomas) and was Assistant Principal Bass in the Evansville Philharmonic and Owensboro Symphony Orchestras. 

Heidi Pintner is Assistant Professor of Flute and Music Theory at Western Kentucky University, plays in the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra, and is treasurer of the Flute Society of Kentucky. She has taught at California State University, Chico and performed with the North State Symphony, Chico Early Music Ensemble and Sacramento Early Music Consort.  Dr. Pintner is an active soloist, chamber player, clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States and Mexico. She holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (BM) and Florida State University (MM and DM), where she studied with Michel Debost, Kathleen Chastain and Charles DeLaney. She has released a CD of flute chamber music on the Centaur label.

Martin Schuring held orchestral positions with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Florida Orchestra and Phoenix Symphony Orchestra before joining the Arizona State University faculty in 1992. He has been a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra since 1980. Recordings can be heard on Philips, Koch International, MMC and Summit Records. Martin has performed at every conference of the International Double Reed Society since 1997, and serves on the IDRS Executive Board. He co-hosted the 1998 Conference of the International Double Reed Society at Arizona State University where he is Associate Professor of Oboe. Martin Schuring studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with John de Lancie.

Donald Speer, Professor of Piano at Western Kentucky University, teaches class piano, pedagogy and accompanying. Dr. Speer performs frequently as a collaborative artist and chamber musician, and has premiered numerous works by contemporary composers, including Michael Kallstrom and Lewis Neilson. He was the recipient of the 2004 Award for Teaching in Western's Potter College of Arts and Letters. He holds the BM (Performance) from Louisiana College, the MM (Performance/Accompanying) from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and the Ph.D. (Music Education) from Louisiana State University. His former teachers include Mary Ann Crump, Ruth Slenczynska, Linda Perry and Jack Guerry.