Ensemble à la Carte was formed in 2005 and is dedicated to exploring the variety of styles, arrangements and timbres used in chamber music for wind instruments. The core of the ensemble consists of the traditional woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon) but the group enjoys expanding and contracting to perform chamber music repertoire written for as few as two instruments to as many as thirteen.
The ensemble has performed on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, collaborated with the Montgomery County (Maryland) Composer’s Society and performed on various chamber music series across the Washington, DC area.
Ensemble à la Carte has a special affinity for presenting works by living composers. Members of the group enjoy interacting with composers, learning about their backgrounds and discovering their sources of inspiration. By engaging with and encouraging composers to participate in the ensemble’s musical journey, the group hopes to inspire contemporary compositions as well as introduce entertaining music relevant to the audience.
The members of the group truly enjoy interacting with the audience! In addition to a musical performance, their concerts include traditional written program notes that highlight interesting facts about the composers and their music as well as spoken commentary. Each concert traditionally ends with a “Meet and Greet” session following the concert which allows the members of the group an opportunity to connect further with the audience.
Meet the members of the group:
- Karen Judkins, Flute
- Kristana Johnson, Oboe
- Angela Murakami, Clarinet
- Lora Katz, French Horn
- Robin Gelman, Bassoon