Light and Reflection: Frost Wind Ensemble

Color, atmosphere and intimate storytelling shape a contemporary wind ensemble program featuring flutist Jennifer Grim and soprano Hilá Plitmann at UM Gusman Concert Hall. Presented Sunday, November 1, as part of Frost Music Live’s 2026-2027 season, the concert moves between luminous orchestral textures and more reflective solo works. Grim is featured in Kevin Day’s Glimmerglass, a flute showcase built around shifting color and lyricism, while Ryan Lindveit’s Color Theory continues the program’s exploration of sound and visual imagery. Joseph Schwantner’s …and the mountains rising nowhere, a landmark of the modern wind ensemble repertoire, adds an expansive soundscape shaped by unusual timbres and layered orchestration. Plitmann brings a vocal dimension to the program through an intimate work based on Ted Kooser’s poem Mother, a meditation on memory, loss and renewal. Together, the selections highlight contrasting approaches to color, landscape and personal reflection in contemporary music.