The Moran Woodwind Quintet is the resident faculty woodwind quintet of the University of Nebraska School of Music and a member of the Nebraska Arts Council Touring Program. It is known for its quality and surprising number of performances. John Bailey, flute; William McMullen, oboe; Diane Barger, clarinet; Jeffrey McCray, bassoon; and Alan Mattingly, horn, make the Moran Quintet one of the most active and visible faculty quintets in the Midwest. But it is far more than this wide regional base that is getting the ensemble attention.The Quintet has recorded two CD's for Crystal Records. The 1998 release Postcards from the Center showcases American woodwind quintet literature. Featured on this CD are composers Heiden, Higdon, Murdock and Lieuwen. In 1994, the Quintet's CD of works by the German late Romantic composer Theodor Blumer was released. The quintet has also recorded on the Coronet label. The Moran Quintet won critical attention and an expanding audience with its 1990, live recording that was broadcast on National Public Radio's Performance Today series. The recording was nominated for NPR's Lucian Wulsin Award for Best Regional Performance,Small Ensemble and was played nationally in three separate broadcasts.
In addition to the acknowledged quality of its music, the Moran Quintet has built a reputation for frequent tours and concerts. "We are the most active performing group at the University," Dr. Bailey explains. "We're establishing a strong reputation for both the quality and frequency of our performances."
Selected as a featured ensemble for the College Music Society's 1991 annual national meeting in Chicago, the Quintet has toured extensively in the Midwest,including community arts programs and at colleges and universities. In 1992 the Quintet performed in recital in South Korea. The Quintet has also toured with the Arts are Basic teacher training program sponsored by the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Arts are Basic is designed to help teachers create their own curricula with the aid of workshops, consultancies and the attendance of their students at major arts events such as Moran Quintet performances.
And it is exactly this kind of heavy touring schedule that characterizes the group, according to Dr. Bailey, and honors the memory of John Moran, Director of the School of Music from 1972 to 1977, for whom the Quintet was named. Dr. Moran was particularly active in developing excellence in the wind department at the School of Music. "The vision of people like Dr. Moran made possible a quintet like ours," Dr. Bailey says. "When regional and national audiences hear our work, ranging from a standard repertoire to very modern pieces, we hope the strength of the University of Nebraska's commitment to the arts comes through."
Moran Woodwind Quintet CD's are available from Crystal Records at:
or by e-mail at: order@crystalrecords.com
Phone: (360) 834-7022
Fax: (360) 834-9680
Meet the Members of the Moran Quintet
Dr. John Bailey, flute
Professor of flute at University of Nebraska, Bailey serves as principal flute with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. He received his bachelors degree from Indiana University and both his masters and doctorate degrees were earned at Northwestern University. From 1982 to 1996 he was program annotator for the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, where he was co-principal flute with the Festival orchestra. He has performed as guest soloist with the National Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. William McMullen, oboe
Associate professor of oboe at University of Nebraska, McMullen is principal oboe with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra and from 1981-1986 was a regular substitute English horn player with the New York Philharmonic. His bachelors degree was earned at Baldwin-Wallace College as a student of Galan Kral, and his masters and doctorate degrees at The Juilliard School of Music as a student of Thomas Stacy. During the summer, McMullen is on the faculty of Rocky Ridge Music Center in Colorado.
Dr. Diane Barger, clarinet
Dr. Barger is associate professor of clarinet at the University of Nebraska and principal clarinet of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. She received her degrees from the Florida State University (BM and DM) and Northwestern University (MM and Certificate) where she studied with Frank Kowalsky and Robert Marcellus, respectively. Dr. Barger has been a member of the Florida Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Tallahassee Symphony, and Tampa Bay Opera Orchestra. She is a featured artist on the International Clarinet Association's 1998 Recording Project Compact Disc and serves as a member of the MTNA Pedagogy Committee.
Jeffrey McCray, bassoon
Alan Mattingly, horn
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