Metales M5 Brass Quintet
2010-2011 Subscription Season
M5, a lot of brass, a lot of music and a lot of fun! This Mexican brass quintet breaks the barriers of musical genre as they take the blues to the opera, Bach to the roads of Michoacan: fresh, funny, extraordinary.
Metales M5 unites classical and world music, contemporary repertoire and pops arrangements in programs that range through the brass literature and beyond.
Metales M5 is Mexico’s leading brass quintet. Since its founding in Morelia, the capital of Michoacán in the Central Highlands between Guadalajara and Mexico City, the five gentlemen of Metales M5 have been playing a wide variety of music without regard to genre: Baroque and contemporary music, opera, blues, pop, movie soundtracks, and folk music from Spain, Mexico, and other Latin American countries.
As evidenced in their newest CD and live program “Esta Cañón”, M5 mixes the known with the unexpected – surprising, virtuosic and always entertaining. Combining their skills at fine classical chamber music, non-stop interaction with the audience, inborn showmanship and their inimitable Latin American charm, M5 concerts are unique musical-theatrical concert experiences.
Since 2005 Metales has performed over 250 concerts throughout Mexico, including a recent 30-concert tour sponsored by Fondo Regional para la Cultura y las Artes del Centro Occidente. In the past two seasons the group has inaugurated the International Festival “Rosario Castellanos” in Comitán, Chiapas, participated in the 17th International Festival of Music of Morelia, and presented two national premieres for brass quintet and symphony orchestra. Metales M5 made its American debut during the 2007-08 season with performances in Texas, Nebraska (Meadowlark Music Festival), Pennsylvania, Vermont, Alberta (Banff Centre) and with the Pueblo (Colorado) Symphony, and were featured in Chicago in the Fall 2008 US tour of the Morelia Symphony Orchestra. Metales M5 is Ensemble-in-Residence at Morelia’s Conservatorio de las Rosas, America’s oldest conservatory of music.
Each of the players has an extensive professional background with his respective brass instrument. Holding degrees from universities in Germany and Mexico City, the musicians have played in the symphony orchestras of Bremen, Berlin, Monterrey, Guanajuato, Mexico City, Acapulco and Aguascalientes, and are currently soloists with the Symphony Orchestras in Morelia, Toluca and Pachuca. Their unique style combining fine chamber music with popular entertainment makes Metales M5 incomparable.
Metales M5 Mexican Brass mixes the well-known with the unexpected –
surprising, provocative and always entertaining!
Metales M5 – The Players
Alexander Freund - Trumpet
Born in Germany, Alex earned degrees from the Universities of Arts of Berlin and Saarbrücken where he studied with Bob Platt, Konradin Groth (Berlin Philharmonic) and Peter Leiner (“Das Rennquintett”). He has participated in courses with Hens Lindemann, Allan Vizutti, Tim Morrison, Hannes Läubin, James Thompson, and the Canadian Brass. Alex has been invited to play with such well-known orchestras as the Berlin State Opera, Semper Opera Dresden, the Cologne Radio Orchestra, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and others. He obtained contracts with the German Theater Berlin, Disney's production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in Berlin, the Opera and Philharmonic of Bremen, Germany, and also with the symphony orchestras of Monterrey and Mineria in Mexico. He has performed as a soloist in Mexico, Korea, and various countries of Europe.
Alex is currently principal trumpet of the Morelia Symphony Orchestra and trumpet professor at the Conservatorio de las Rosas of Morelia, Guanajuato University, and the Ollin Yolitztli School of Music in Mexico City.
Oscar Villegas - Trumpet
Originally from Santa Catarina del Monte, Texcoco, Oscar studied at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City under maestro Francisco Peralta (National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico). He has participated in master courses with Philip Smith (New York Philharmonic), Pierre Dutot (Paris Conservatory), Boyd Hood (Los Angeles Philharmonic) and Uwe Köller (German Brass), among others. He has played with The State of Mexico Symphony, the Symphony Orchestra of Xalapa, and the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra, and obtained a contract with the Acapulco Symphony Orchestra.
Oscar currently holds the position of co–principal trumpet and soloist in the Philharmonic Orchestra of Toluca.
JUAN CARLOS QUITERIO MIGUEL – French Horn
Born in Mexico City, Juan Carlos began playing music in his neighborhood, Cuajimalpa de Morelos, from the age of seven, and later in the José Pablo Moncayo Youth Orchestra. He studied French horn at the National School of Music (UNAM) with Elizabeth Rising Kinsey (Principal of UNAM). Juan Carlos has participated in master classes with such well-known musicians as Guelfo Nalli, Radovan Vladcovic, Martin Hackleman, and Jon Gustelv, as well as with members of the German Brass and Canadian Brass. Juan Carlos has a long history in chamber music, playing in various groups including the ensemble CONTEMPO. He has played principal horn in the Youth Symphony Orchestra in Toluca, and in the Michoacán Symphony Orchestra in Morelia, Mexico. With M5, he has participated in classes with Fred Mills and Jens Lindemann (both formerly of Canadian Brass), Jim Thompson (Eastman School of Music) and Andrew Hitz (Boston Brass).
Fernando Islas Melendez – Trombone
Fernando was born in Los Reyes Acozac in the state of Mexico and earned his degree at the National Conservatory of Music. He has participated in master classes with Christian Lindberg, Alain Trudel and Joseph Alessi (New York Philharmonic). He won first place in the chamber ensemble competition at the National Conservatory of Music. Fernando has been prinipal trombone of the following orchestras: State of Hidalgo in Pachuca, Guanajuato and Puebla. Between 2003 and 2005, he was principal trombone of the Public Security Symphonic Band. He has been invited to play with the symphony orchestras of Mexico City, Toluca, Monterrey, International Music Festival Orchestra of Morelia, the Chamber Orchestra of Bellas Artes, and others. Fernando continues to perform as a soloist throughout Mexico. has been the principal trombone player of the State of Michoacán Symphony Orchestra since 2007 and now holds the same position in the Philharmonic Orchestra of Toluca.
José Lopez Juárez – Tuba
Born in San Jerónimo Amanalco, Texcoco, José studied his favorite instrument at the National Conservatory of Music and at the Music School of the Culture Centre “Ollin Yolitztli” in Mexico City with Erasto Vázquez and Dwight Sullinger (Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra). He has participated in workshops and master classes with Alan Trudel (Canada) and members of the Meridian Arts Ensemble and the San Luis Brass Quintet. For two years he toured Mexico with the Raza de Bronce brass quintet. With a fine reputation among many orchestras and musicians throughout Mexico, he has played regularly with symphony orchestras in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Acapulco, Xalapa, Monterrey, and Guanajuato. Since 2002 José has been principal tuba player with the Symphony Orchestra of the State of Hidalgo in Pachuca.
METALES M5 REVIEWS
"Last night METALES M5, the resident brass quintet of the Conservatorio de las Rosas, but with clear international projection, presented a concert of unusual music from the XX and XXI century: All the pieces were originally composed for brass quintet, some of them exclusively for M5. Punctual and spectacular, the five men opened the extraordinary concert, standing and without music stands with Escape (2006) by Kevin McKee. As usual, applause started and continued to the end of the concert. The program continued with the spirit of M5´s typical audience interaction. They always have fun playing good music, charming, sparkling and educational. At the end they performed The Casbah of Tetuán (1993), a Morrocan tone poem by Kerry Turner. Brilliant, energetic and played with first quality, the concert was satisfying and full of dignity. "
Cambio de Michoacán - May 19, 2009
“Fun and festive – a visual, as well as aural, experience. Their playful attire, though, belied the seriousness of their performance.”
The Grand Island Independent – July 17, 2008
"M5 is the best thing to come out of Mexico since tequila! Their sense of style, showmanship, and virtuosity is a rare treat not to be missed."
Martin Hacckelman, Principal Horn, National Symphony Orchestra, former member Canadian Brass, Empire Brass
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"This group of five very fine musicians have established themselves as the finest active Brass Ensemble in all of Mexico. They are so very communicative whether representing Mexican culture with both classical and Mexican folk music and in the same eclectic program performing on a high level European classical Bach or Mozart, then adding American Jazz or Argentina Tango. Intertwined with humor and serious reading, M5 are comfortable on stage and their audience was at ease in a celebration of Mexican Brass."
Fred Mills, University of Georgia, former member Canadian Brass
“Metales M5 came and conquered Nebraska! I have never before seen a group so well received and with such joy as Metales M5...” -
Bill Smith, Artistic Director Meadowlark Music Festival Nebraska
Brass quintet delivers both shenanigans, fine music:
“What do you get when you mix the shenanigans of the Blues Brothers with the musical seriousness of the Canadian Brass? Metales M5! Mexico's leading brass quintet, which opened this summer's Meadowlark Music Festival, rarely takes itself seriously. They performed with real polish and panache - these five musicians are genuine virtuosos.”
John Pitcher, Omaha World-Herald
Mexican brass quintet and symphony: A joyous combination
"The Metales M5 brass quintet from Mexico and the Pueblo Symphony provided a joyous concert Saturday night...joyous- somewhere between inspiration, jollity and fanfare. Happily, the five brass players in Metales M5 fill the bill with a modicum of charm and some raucous humor as well. There were two encores and two standing ovations. Metales M5 were a big hit here in Pueblo."
Pierre Kenyon, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colorado (April 2008)
“We could not believe the magnitude and beauty of the sound….it was infinite ecstasy that the group generated, especially the brilliance of the piccolo trumpets…“
Rogelio Macias, Cambio de Michoacán
“The Teatro Alcalá concert surprised the audience with an unexpected taste of happiness: the brass quintet M5 from Morelia showed a contagious joy in their understanding of performing classical and as well popular music…here some baroque wigs, there some very 007 looking secret agent outfits, dancing, jumping around, funny faces and entertaining stories while they played…a journey which nobody in the audience wanted to see finished, as they yelled and whistles for encores again and again when the five brass player disappeared from the stage. The concert was a part of Instrumenta Tradición, an educational program to support the musical culture in Oaxaca, and it was, indeed, a healthy breathe-in for Oaxaca “
Oaxaca Musica y Cultura A.C.
“With wisdom and freshness Alexander Freund led us through two hours of music history, expressed on the brass… It was notable how much they enjoyed themselves and the interest they showed in communicating with the public. They told stories, delighted with excellent interpretations, danced and had so much fun…“
Cambio de Michoacán
““The skillful execution achieved spontaneous applause among the people, who were packed into the building from the beginning and stayed in their places until the last note had finished. A journey through history and geography, the eyes of the audience were held captured, applause enthusiastically deafening at the end of each piece. The children did not stop moving.”
Provincia
"With a program integrated by songs that are a part of the collective consciousness, the quintet seduced the assembly with jokes, dancing and great music."
Carlos F. Marqez, Jornada
”We joined together in the Ocampo Theater to hear M5's first compact disc. Listening to them is always an exciting adventure because of the novelty of their programs along with their inarguable artistic talent. The disc is called “Está Cañón” and the night consisted of M5 playing pieces from the disc, commenting and chatting with the public about the music and, above all, presenting a spectacular show of music history. They changed costumes, played with the scenery, and danced the tango while playing. A complete success and the theater was totally full!!...”
Cambio de Michoacán
“M5 claimed the open-air stage, interpreting serious music, contemporary and popular. They were fascinating because of their musical talent and charisma. M5 were asked to prolong their performance by the 3000 people in the audience with several encores as the public enthusiastically appreciated their artistic abilities.”
Coneculta Bulletin
”M5 took the stage with an excellent concert, taking the audience on a wonderful journey through various musical genres such as jazz, popular, baroque, Mexican, musical comedy and even contemporary. There was an added touch of humor to the show, in which the whole audience was fascinated and fully content.”
Chiapas Daily
Upcoming
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09/10/2010 - 7:00pm
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09/20/2010 - 7:30pm
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09/23/2010 - 7:30pm
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10/16/2010 - 7:30pm
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11/03/2010 - 7:30pm
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