Since its formation in 1994, the Zéphyros Quintet has rapidly established itself as the country's leading young wind quintet. The group made history in 1995 by becoming the first wind quintet in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition's 22 years to win both First Prize in the wind division and the Harry and Sarah S. Zelzer Grand Prize. Now based in New York City, the quintet, composed of recent graduates of The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School, maintains a busy schedule of concerts and educational programs around the country.
Lauded in the Chicago Sun Times for it's "impeccable precision and rapt lyricism," the Zéphyros Quintet has won resounding acclaim from audiences and critics alike, performing to full houses from Maine to Florida and New York City to San Francisco. "Stellar," says Edmund Morris of the Washington Post, and Milton Moore of The New London Day praised the ensemble's "near-symphonic sound."
At the invitation of the French Embassy in Washington, DC, the quintet performed a concert at La Maison Française on Poulenc's 100th Birthday as part of the Embassy's celebration of the composer's centenary. This program of Poulenc's chamber music for winds and piano was repeated live on NPR's "Performance Today." Recently, the Zéphyros Quintet was chosen by the pianist Charles Wadsworth to join him for a series of concerts on the East Coast. Other recent performances include concerts in New York City (Merkin Concert Hall and Alice Tully Hall), West Palm Beach (Kravis Center), Blue Hill, Maine, and concerts in Chautauqua, NY, Boston, Virginia, New Jersey, Georgia, and at the Norfolk Festival as guests of the New York Wind Quintet. The Zéphyros Quintet has given live radio broadcasts for NPR, PRI, Maine Public Radio, Peach State Public Radio, and on WNYC's "Around New York."
Deeply dedicated to musical education, the Zéphyros Quintet has developed an interactive and flexible school concert program to tie in with their evening concerts. Based on helping children to develop a personal connection to classical music in the age of MTV, the members of the quintet use their youth and enthusiasm to excite and engage the students in the concert experience. This program has been successfully presented to students ranging from pre-school and Kindergarten through High School. Not leaving the educational element solely in the realm of the young, members of the group also address their adult audiences during evening concerts, breaking down the unnecessary separation between audience and performers, and helping to forge a personal connection between the music, musicians, and the listener.