THE IOWA ENSEMBLE

• Vallon: Five French Folk Songs - III. De bon Matin

"...the composers take advantage of the inherently different qualities of oboe and bassoon sound.... Andrew Parker, Benjamin Coelho and Alan Huckleberry perform in a manner that always sounds relaxed and informal, as if they are simply gathering in someone’s parlor for a bit of instrumental give-and-take... anyone interested in exploring some well-made chamber works for a wind combination that is infrequently heard will find much to enjoy here."

Mark J. Estren, InfoDad [February 2019]

“Throughout, we hear the accomplished playing of Andrew Parker on oboe, Benjamin Coelho on bassoon and Alan Huckleberry on piano, working together in harmony to bring the compositions to life and obviously enjoying every minute of it..”

Joel C. Thompson, Cherry Grove Music Review [February 2019]

The Iowa Ensemble presents Portraits in Music, a program created to be as intellectually stimulating as it is pleasing to the ear. Through the sounds of Brazil, England, France, Spain and the American Southwest, the works reflect five distinct musical personalities. More than simply alluring exoticism, however, these pieces provide realistic and highly descriptive representations of their chosen settings. Three of the composers draw specifically upon their own whereabouts, while the remaining two draw on nearby or visited places. These five portraits are, essentially, a sonic travelogue of contemporary art music.

Andrew Parker maintains a rich career as an orchestral musician, soloist and chamber player. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Quad City Symphony and the Great Falls Symphony and recently performed the world premiere of an oboe concerto, Pillars of Creation, with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble. Parker has played in numerous other orchestras in North America, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the symphony orchestras of Richmond, Ann Arbor, Flint, New Mexico, Santa Fe, Great Falls and Plymouth, and Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria, Parker is currently the principal oboe of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. As a dedicated educator, he has provided master classes throughout the country at notable institutions, including the University of Michigan, Temple University, Rice University, University of Florida, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Luther College, Mannes Preparatory Division and University of Virginia. He has been the guest artist at several double reed events around the country, and has co-hosted a Double Reed Clinics and Competition for five years at the University of Iowa. Parker also served as an adjudicator for the National Youth Orchestra, hosted at Carnegie Hall. In addition to his collegiate and performing experience, Parker has taught and coached chamber music at several international music festivals, including the Round Top Music Festival, Hartwick Festival in New York, Kinhaven Music School in Vermont, Oboe Fest in Puerto Rico and Santa Catarina Music Festival in Brazil. In 2009, Parker was appointed the English horn Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival. In his four season tenure there, he performed under the baton of several notable conductors. Active as a recording engineer, Parker released a solo album, The Singing Oboe, on MSR Classics in 2014, and an earlier release featuring Handel trio sonatas with Nancy Ambrose King and Jonathan Rhodes Lee. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree at the Eastman School and Master’s degree at Yale, Parker completed doctoral studies at the University of Michigan. His primary teachers have been Jeannette Bittar, Richard Killmer and Nancy Ambrose King. He has also studied with Elaine Douvas and Robert Walters. Parker is currently Assistant Professor of Oboe at the Butler School of Music and was previously Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Iowa.

Brazilian-born Benjamin Coelho has appeared as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and teacher in several countries including the United States, Europe, Australia, and Latin America. As an active member in the International Double Reed Society (IDRS), Coelho regularly performs at many of their annual conferences. An avid chamber musician, he has performed with the many chamber groups and has won various competitions including Artists International, Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and Monterey Peninsula Chamber Music Competition. His recordings include Dreaming in Colours (2011) and Explorations (2007) on MSR Classics, Pas de Trois (2006) and Bravura Bassoon (2005) on Crystal Records, and Bassoon Images from the Americas (2003) on Albany Records. An enthusiastic proponent of new music, Coelho has commissioned and premiered more than 50 bassoon works for solo, chamber and concerto. He has published articles on bassoon performance and literature in the International Double Reed Society Journal, British Double Reed Society Journal, and the German double reed magazine Rohrblatt. His bassoon students have enjoyed success, including positions at universities, orchestras, music festivals and competitions in the United States and abroad. Prior to his position at U-Iowa, Coelho was the Vice-Director and Bassoon Professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil and performed as principal bassoonist in several orchestras. He currently performs as the principal bassoon with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. Coelho attended Indiana University, the Manhattan School of Music, SUNY Purchase and the Tatuí Conservatory in Brazil. His major teachers include Clóvis Franco, Donald MacCourt, Kim Walker and Arthur Weisberg. Coelho has been Professor of Bassoon at The University of Iowa since 1998.

Pianist Alan Huckleberry is recognized as a multi-faceted artist on the classical music scene. He has performed in recitals as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe, Australia, Central America, South America and the United States. In addition to his performing career, Dr. Huckleberry is equally passionate about his role as an educator. He is currently professor of piano pedagogy and collaborative arts at The University of Iowa, where he heads the piano pedagogy program, itself rapidly becoming one of the leading programs in the nation. Huckleberry is a highly sought-after speaker, giving talks at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and Music Teachers National Conference. An active recording artist, Portraits in Music is his tenth release. At The University of Iowa, Huckleberry maintains a studio of national and international students, themselves beginning to leave their mark in their field. A native of Indiana, Huckleberry began serious piano studies in Germany with Polish pianist, Barbara Szczepanska. Further studies at the conservatories of Karlsruhe and Cologne with Japanese pedagogue Naoyuki Taneda and German pianist Josef Scherrer solidified a diverse and international musical background. He then returned to the United States to complete his studies with Arthur Greene at the University of Michigan. Huckleberry’s repertoire not only includes the standard works of the piano literature, but much of the newest music by young composers, as evidenced by the long list of compositions written for him. Among the many 20th and 21st century styles he enjoys, he is particularly interested in contemporary rags and other crossover genres. Huckleberry and pianist Jason Sifford have recently undertaken the monumental project of recording for video the complete standard repertoire for beginning and intermediate piano students for distribution on their YouTube channel, UIPianoPed. MARGARET GRIEBLING-HAIGH (b.1960)
TROCADILLOS (2003)
I. Zapataconéo
II. Silvacanción
III. Burlesco

MARC VALLON (b.1955) | Traditional
FIVE FRENCH FOLK SONGS (2010)
I. A la claire fontaine
II. Rossignolet du bois joli (oboe)
III. De bon Matin
IV. Un dimanche après Vêpres (bassoon)
V. D’où venez-vous, fillette?

GEOFFREY BUSH (1920-1998)
TRIO (1952)
I. Adagio maestoso – Vivace
II. Poco lento – Tempo di vivace

DANIEL BALDWIN (b.1978)
AWATOVI (2012)
I. Andante drammatico – Coronado
II. Kiva
III. Espeleta

ERNST MAHLE (b.1929)
TRIO (2007)
I. Allegro moderato
II. Barcarola
III. Rondo



MSR Classics