The ISO at Butler Series: Woodwind Quintet

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra brings its woodwind section to Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall on Wednesday, November 11, as part of the ISO at Butler series. It's a small-ensemble night, with the winds playing a program written for woodwind quintet—flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon—rather than the full orchestra.

The program is an eclectic one, pulling from different styles and eras, with Samuel Barber's Summer Music as one of the featured pieces. Barber is one of the big names in American classical music, and Summer Music is a quintet that does exactly what the title suggests: it's light, breezy, and captures that particular feeling of a warm summer day. Hearing it live in a recital hall is a different experience than listening to a recording, especially when you can see the five musicians working together in the same room.

Because it's a woodwind quintet, you'll hear the individual colors of the instruments—the bright flute, the reedy oboe and clarinet, the mellow horn, and the deep bassoon—all playing their own parts and weaving in and out of each other. The eclectic nature of the program means you'll get a variety of moods across the evening, with Summer Music as one of the anchors.

The performance is free and open to the public, and you don't need a ticket to get in. If you can't make it to Butler University in person, there's a free live stream available so you can still catch the program from home. It starts at 7:30 PM at Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall on the Butler campus.