South Dakota Chamber Winds to debut with two performances

The South Dakota Chamber Winds has announced its inaugural season, with a woodwind festival planned for later this month. 

The group’s performances happen in the heart of South Dakota, but its performers come from all over the Midwest. It’s led by two South Dakota State University School of Performing Arts faculty members: Don Linn, artistic director and conductor; and Elizabeth Robinson, founder, artistic director and flutist. 

In the tradition of Harmoniemusik by great composers like Mozart, Strauss and Taffanel, South Dakota Chamber Winds bridges the chasm between chamber music and a modern wind ensemble. In that vein, its first season will prioritize works by living composers. This season’s composers include Nicole Chamberlain, Marie Douglas, Alyssa Morris, Kimberly Osberg and Jonathan Newman. 

Hear live performances on Thursday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Founders Recital Hall in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center, on the SDSU campus in Brookings. A second performance will take place Friday, May 24, at 7 p.m. at the First Congregational Church (300 S. Minnesota Ave.) in Sioux Falls. Admission for both events is free.

The South Dakota Chamber Winds is sponsored by SDSU’s School of Performing Arts and the SDSU Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Grant Challenge.