Wednesday, October 15, 2025
​7:00 pm

Trombone Quartet, Op. 117 (1989)
Derek Bourgeois (1941-2017)

I. Allegro Vivace 

Jerry Xu, Trombone
Kenneth Gong, Trombone
Jayden Xu, Trombone
Ryan Kim, Bass Trombone
 
Divertimenti for Wind Quartet, H 189 (1934)
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)

I. Prelude

Sophie Dong, Flute
Michelle Hsu, Oboe
Sherlock Xu, Clarinet
Byron Chen, Bassoon
 
String Quartet No.4 Op.18 No.4 (1799)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

I. Allegro, ma non tanto
IV. Allegretto
 
Nicole Lin, Kim
Joel Kim, Violin
Sean Yeh, Viola
Ray Gu, Cello
 
Brass Quintet No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 5 (1890)
Victor Ewald (1860-1935)

I. Moderato - Più mosso
 
Edward Jin, Trumpet
Parker Lai, Trumpet
Koen Wang, French Horn
Kenneth Gong, Trombone
Ace Tecson, Tuba

Wind Quintet, Op. 43 (1922)
Carl Nielsen  (1865-1931)

I. Allegro Ben Moderato
 
Angela Wang, Flute
Jesse Hu, Oboe
Rick Chi, Clarinet
Jay Xu, Bassoon
Carson Li, French Horn

String Quintet in G Minor, K. 516 (1787)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

I. Allegro 

Joseph Kim, Violin
Jonathan Lan, Violin
Eireen Lu, Viola
Jaelynn Au, Viola
Eric Wang, Cello
 
Suite in B-flat Major, Op. 57 (1884)
Charles-Édouard Lefebvre (1843-1917)

III. Finale

Sophia Zhou, Flute
Stephanie Zhou, Oboe
Ashley Shibuya, Clarinet
Juliet Zhu, Bassoon
Brandon Tan, French Horn
 
Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 32 (1894)
Anton Arensky (1861-1906)

I. Allegro Moderato
 
Aston Kim, Violin
Eric Wang, Cello
Jina Ju, Piano
 
Wolkenschatten, Op. 136 (1993)
Jan Koetsier (1911-2006)

II. Presto 

Kaylee Yun, Euphonium
Audrey Ly, Euphonium
Ace Tecson, Tuba
Nathan Lu, Tuba
 
Suite Hellenique (1996)
Pedro Iturralde (1929-2020)

III. Valse
IV. Kritis
 
Aydin Miller, Soprano Saxophone
Owen Huang, Alto Saxophone
Aaron Cho, Tenor Saxophone
Albus Shih, Baritone Saxophone
 
Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Hob. I:8 “Le Soir” (1761)
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

I. Allegro molto
II. Andante
IV. La tempesta: Presto
 
Concertante
Joel Kim, Violin I
Nicole Lin, Violin II
Ray Gu, Cello
 
Ripieno
Joseph Kim & Jonathan Lan, Violin I
Andre Chang & Grace Zhou, Violin II
Sean Yeh, Jaelynn Au & Eireen Lu, Viola
Eric Wang & Ethan Wong, Cello
Carter Prudhomme, Double Bass
Angela Wang, Flute
Jesse Hu & Michelle Hsu, Oboe
Jay Xu, Bassoon
Carson Li & Koen Wang, French Horn

Diamond Bar High School Instrumental Music Program

Steve Acciani, Director
Marie Santos, Director
 
Performing Arts Academy Advanced Music Program
 
Aki Nishiguchi, Director
Michael Yoshimi, Assistant Director
 
Chamber Music Coach
Sabrina Bounds, Joshua Park, Sakura Tsai, Stella Cho
Bryce Schmidt, Liam Wilt, David Goya, Rachel Kim
 
DBHS Performing Arts Academy Officers
 
Jesse Hu, CEO
Angela Wang & Eric Wang, President
Eireen Lu & Jay Xu, Vice President
Sean Yeh & Rick Chi, Secretary
Sherlock Xu, Production Coordinator
Joseph Kim & Michelle Hsu, Librarian

​​Derek Bourgeois was an English composer who graduated from Cambridge University with a first class honors degree in music, later earning a Doctorate. He studied composition with Herbert Howells at the Royal College of Music. Although having written one hundred and sixteen symphonies, Bourgeois was known for his prolific compositions for brass and wind works. Bourgeois’ contributions to the trombone repertoires is also significant, spanning through works for solo trombone, works for unaccompanied solo trombone, etudes for trombone, works for trombone choir, and works for trombone quartet.
Bourgeois’ Trombone Quartet was commissioned by Slovenian trombone soloist Branimir Slokar. Despite the original instrumentation featuring an alto, two tenors and a bass trombone, Slokar, upon publishing the work, transposed the piece down a minor-third and re-arranged it for three tenors and a bass trombone. The first movement is structured around a simple ground bass line played by the bass trombone, serving as the foundation for the melodic and rhythmic development that follows. A contrasting lyrical section follows with a first trombone melody. The opening theme then briefly reappears transposed in major key, before the concluding with a final lyrical passage. Owing to its technical difficulty, the Bourgeois’ Trombone Quartet remains to be a challenging but rewarding niche of the trombone quartet repertoire.
Jerry Xu, Trombone, Class of 2026

Frank Bridge’s Divertimenti for Wind Quartet forms part of his final creative period, during which his music had grown harmonically complex, reflective, and in great contrast from the light, elegant style of his early works. Owing to declining health and mounting global tensions, his work balances intricate textures with subtle emotional tension, which expresses the richness and depth of his final compositional voice.
Throughout the first movement, Bridge orchestrates the group’s sound by combining instruments in different pairings. The bassoon and clarinet are often paired with one another to create a rich, dark tone, while the flute and oboe create a brighter, more graceful pairing. The two groups harmoniously blend sometimes and gently pull apart at other times, helping the piece to create a sense of conversation and mood changes that never fully settle. To add to this feeling, Bridge frequently changes the meter of the piece, letting the rhythm breathe and drift instead of sticking to a strict pulse. 
The end effect of this is a piece that sounds alive and spontaneous. The music captivates its listeners with its shifting colors and emotional complexity. It ends not with a grand statement, but with quiet reflection, leaving the listener with a sense of calm thoughtfulness. 
Byron Chen, Bassoon, Class of 2028

Beethoven’s string quartet no 4 in C Minor, commissioned by Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz, is known for its intimate yet dramatic character.  This work was one of Beethoven’s first sets of six quartets that makes up Op 18 – his first major foray into the string quartets.  Even though he was still under the shadow of Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven was already showing his own unique voice that stands out for its dramatic intensity and the bold use of tonality. The quartet was set in the stormy key of C Minor – a key Beethoven often used for his most passionate and dramatic music. 
The quartet opens with an intense first movement; driven by urgency and tension, with jagged rhythms and dynamic contrasts, it foreshadows the revolutionary spirit Beethoven would uncover in his future. The 4th movement of the quartet was in the form of rondo, which is a musical structure where the main theme was alternated with contrasting variations. It was marked Allegretto and later accelerated to Prestissimo. In many moments of the movement, the music propelled syncopations, sudden silences, harmonic surprises, and shifts in moods which keep both the listener and performer on the edge. 
Sean Yeh, Viola, Class of 2026

Victor Ewald was an impactful Russian composer who composed a selection of brass chamber ensembles. As a graduate from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied horn, cornet, piano, and cello performance, Ewald was deeply influenced by a group of composers known as The Mighty Handful. This group, containing giants like Borodin, Mussorgsky, Korsakov, Balakirev, and Cui, would come together every Friday to perform soirées. It was in this environment that Ewald composed his Brass Quintet in Bb Minor, which would become a cornerstone of modern brass repertoire.

The first movement, Moderato, shows Ewald’s unique approach in writing for brass instruments. He often assigns fast-moving sixteenth notes to the trombone, which is an unusual approach for the instrument, which’s role traditionally consists of providing slow low voice harmonies. At the same time, the melody can be heard being passed around throughout the piece, shaping the musical phrase. This combination of technical challenge and lyrical exchange creates a movement that is both energetic and expressive, highlighting the full range of colors within the brass quintet.

Koen Wang, French Horn, Class of 2028

​Born into a family struggling with poverty, Carl Nielsen emerged as Denmark’s finest and most prominent composer. From a young age, he had a budding interest in wind instruments, highlighted by his participation in a military band playing the trombone at age fourteen. Many decades afterwards, his interest in composing a wind quintet was sparked by a telephone call where he overheard the Copenhagen Wind Quintet rehearsing in the background. While writing, he strove to explore the personalities of each musician in the group, subsequently putting special care in arranging each part to reflect the inherent individuality. Copenhagen premiered the piece in 1922 with positive reception, with prominent Nielsen scholar Robert Simpson even claiming that the quintet was the “finest ever written”.

The first movement is written in sonata form, beginning with a lyrical bassoon solo that introduces the main theme and is promptly answered by the upper woodwinds. Throughout the movement, each of the five voices take turns in the spotlight: the first theme cascades continuously and effortlessly across the group; the second theme is introduced by the french horn followed by the oboe and bassoon, lying upon an ostinato alternating between clarinet and flute.  In the final moments of the movement, the initial theme is once again repeated by the horn but in a different key. This clever dialogue— musical, witty, and unforgivingly dense—cements Nielsen’s Wind Quintet as a staple of the orchestration, a difficult piece that remains widely performed today.

Rick Chi, Clarinet, Class of 2026

Composed in 1787 during Mozart’s years in Vienna, the String Quintet in G Minor, K. 516 was one of two viola quintets he wrote that year. Unlike his lighter string quartets, this quintet included a second viola, which gave the ensemble a richer, darker texture. Mozart composed these works under the patronage of Emperor Joseph II, and they initially received a lukewarm reception, requiring careful promotion for performance and publication.
The first movement, Allegro, opens with a tense, restless theme in G minor, first stated by the first violin and answered by the first viola, establishing a conversation between the instruments that continues throughout the movement. Mozart shifts between minor and major sections, alternating urgency with lyricism, and repeats the opening melody to unify the movement. The lower strings provide rhythmic support while the upper voices weave the themes in expressive dialogue. By the end, all the instruments participate in a full conversation, showcasing Mozart’s mastery of drama, lyricism, and texture, and making this quintet one of his most compelling chamber works.

Joseph Kim, Violin, Class of 2028

Charles Lefebvre’s Suite Op. 57 is a charming and elegant example of French chamber music from the late 19th century. Lefebvre was part of a generation of French composers who bridged the Romantic and early modern periods, respected for his refined style and craftsmanship. After winning the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1870 and twice receiving the Prix de Chartier in 1884, he went on to direct Paris Conservatoire’s chamber music class from 1895. Much of his music emphasizes clarity, balance, and elegance, characteristics heard in his Suite Op. 57.
 
Composed during a time of renewed interest in wind chamber music in France, the Suite reflects Lefebvre’s own description of his style as working “in pastels rather than oils”. The metaphor is likely reflective of his admiration of Mendelssohn, subsequently aligning his composition to have a similarly gentle and whimsical texture.  The third movement exemplifies this approach with its light and playful character among the instruments, highlighting the bright, transparent texture of the wind quintet. Suite Op. 57 captures Lefebvre’s delicate style, offering audiences a refined example of French chamber music.

Sophia Zhou, Flute, Class of 2026

A gifted pianist, conductor, and composer who connected the worlds of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, Anton Arensky brought a warm romantic lyricism to his compositions and can be seen in his Piano Trio No. 1 in d minor.

Arensky carried forward the Russian tradition of elegiac piano trios established by his mentor Tchaikovsky, who dedicated his to celebrated pianist and Moscow conservatory founder Nikolai Rubinstein. His Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, written in memory of cellist Karl Davidoff, joins a lineage that includes Rachmaninoff’s tribute to Tchaikovsky and later Shostakovich’s to Sollertinsky (renowned musicologist).

The first movement, in sonata form, is defined by graceful lyricism and flowing momentum reminiscent of Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor. It opens with the violin introducing a delicate, richly textured theme that the cello soon expands, later transforming it into a grander statement with the cello leading - a likely homage to Karl Davidoff. For the majority of the piece, it's played in a minor key which carries a rather amorous warmth. It then shifts to the relative major during the exposition, as piano and strings trade the opening theme in a melancholic dialogue, serving as a premonition to the elegy to be heard during the final movement. While the strings carry much of the melody, the influence of the piano is evident as it remains as the core backbone of the piece. Although Arensky’s influence isn’t vast, the 1st piano trio stands to be a beloved and standard piece for musicians around the world.

Aston Kim, Violin, Class of 2026

Dutch composer Jan Koetsier’s musically-nurturing upbringing paved the way for his future endeavors in the world of music. Throughout his long-lived life, he took up numerous conducting roles in Germany and the Netherlands and composed a great variety of works, from chamber pieces and orchestral projects to choral compositions and an opera. Koetsier was a passionate advocate for young brass ensembles, founding the International Jan Koetsier Competition to promote emerging brass talents.
​
To bolster his love for brass, Koetsier wrote extensively for trombone, tuba, horn, and trumpet. Koetsier’s Wolkenschatten, Op. 136, written for four tubas, features three movements. The second movement, Presto, hits off with a cohesive, fast moving line that conveys a sense of exhilaration and excitement. Soaring above it is a spirited, bouncy melody that transitions the piece into a slightly slower, lyrical section. The piece rounds off with the original moving lines introduced at the start before coming to a definitive end.

Audrey Ly, Euphonium, Class of 2028

Pedro Iturralde’s Suite Hellenique for sax quartet is an energetic fusion of traditional Greek folk music and modern jazz techniques such as syncopation, off beats, and the swinging of notes. By 1996, Iturralde had already incorporated Spanish Jazz into his compositions, layering rhythmic complexities over traditional forms. The Spanish jazz Iturralde incorporates is unique because of how it blends Flamenco rhythms, creating a sound that differs from American jazz. Flamenco, a traditional Spanish dance style, gives the music its distinctive Mediterranean style.  

Written in four movements, the composition features Mediterranean rhythms as well as jazz harmonies. Each movement provides unique melodies and playful textures that highlight the interactions between each instrument in the saxophone family.  While the baritone establishes a steady bass line, the other saxophonists drive the piece forward using syncopated rhythms that sustain a sense of frantic energy until all four instruments unite on the final chord of the piece. 

In the third movement, Valse, the baritone saxophone sets the tone by establishing a ground bass that anchors the texture while the alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones work together to create interlacing melodies. As the movement goes on, the tenor and alto sax emerge playing dynamic jazz melodies to further display a sense of passion and expressive mediterranean energy. Valse, which translates to waltz, uses jazz-like folk dances to provide a sense of energy and dynamic drive. 

The fourth movement, Kritis, features the bari and tenor saxophone which establish a rhythmic foundation for the alto and soprano to expand upon using brisk and interweaving melodic lines. Together, the four saxophones weave their melodies into a single, vibrant melody 
Iturralde’s Suite Hellenique portrays a celebration of folk dance tradition while also showcasing the improvisational aspects and energetic style of jazz. The composer does an excellent job of displaying the rich tonal colors of the saxophone family, guiding the performer and listeners through a vibrant musical journey. 

Owen Huang, Saxophone, Class of 2028

Joseph Haydn’s Le Soir, or The Evening, was composed in 1761. It was third in a trio of symphonies following Le Matin(The Morning) and Le Midi(The Noon), all of which together depict times of the day. Written soon after Haydn’s employment as assistant music director in the entered service of the Esterhazy family, these works mark the beginning of Haydn’s prolific orchestral compositions. 

The opening Allegro begins with a burst of energy—pompous, traditionally expected for a finale—mirroring the lively bustle contrasting the expected tranquility of night. Bright, agile violin lines are anchored by the lower strings, while sharp contrasts in dynamics and rhythm create an atmosphere of motion and anticipation, highlighting the wittiness of Haydn’s composition.

The second movement, Andante, slows down to a calm, lyrical mood. Its gentle lines mimic that of the air settling after sunset. The melody moves gracefully between solo violin, cello, and other voices, creating an intimate, and almost conversational feeling and atmosphere. Here, the soloistic orchestration, clearly based in the concerto grosso tradition, is a nod to Haydn’s upbringing in the end of the baroque era.

In the Menuet & Trio, Haydn brings back a sense of refined vitality. The Minuet has a graceful and elegant feel that likely draws inspiration from the evening court dances held at the Esterhazy Palace, events that were a common occurrence of aristocratic life at the time.The trio section lightens the mood with a playful and buoyant contrast before returning back to the reserved minuet theme.

In the final movement, Presto suddenly erupts with excitement with the rapid scales and quick exchanges between the instruments. It gives the impression of a gust of evening wind sweeping through, bringing the symphony to a spirited close.

Throughout the different emotions the piece moves through, Le Soir captures all the different possibilities of evening. Even at this early stage, Haydn clearly demonstrates his gift for vivid musical storytelling, interweaving instruments with one another and tweaking traditional forms to evoke scenes and emotions.

Joel Kim, Violin, Class of 2027