Karen Hansen, clarinet; John Wilcox, basset horn; Sue Ruby, piano
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Concert Piece No. 2 in D Major for Clarinet, Basset Horn and Piano, Opus 114
Presto – Andante – Allegretto grazioso
Concert Piece No. 1 in F minor for Clarinet, Basset Horn and Piano, Opus 113
Allegro con fuoco – Andante – Presto
The Ruby Trio
Sue Ruby, piano; Lorelei Giddings, oboe; Vicki Wheeler, French horn
Carl Reinecke (1824-1920)
Trio in B flat, Op. 274
II. A Tale
III. Scherzo
IV. Finale
About the Artists:
Karen Hansen is principal clarinetist and soloist with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra and Mississippi Valley Orchestra and under contract with the Rochester Symphony. She is the clarinetist with Dolce Wind Quintet, which plays for weddings, artist series, worship services, charity benefits, receptions, the Schubert Club, and MPR. While her freelance work is usually classical, she happily changed gears for a concert with the Moody Blues. In September, Karen was one of 150 musicians for Merce Cunningham’s OCEAN, staged in a St. Cloud quarry and acclaimed by the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. As a student at St. Olaf College she studied British wind music in London, and while earning her M.A. from University of Wisconsin-Madison she performed in master classes with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and bassoonist Sol Schoenbach. Karen is a runner.
John Wilcox is an accountant and lawyer by training, with degrees from the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago. John plays chamber music as often as humanly possible with amateur and professional friends. While in college at the University of Illinois, he played clarinet and bass clarinet in the band and wind ensemble. John’s private chamber music collection consists of approximately 8,000 works, including many old and unique works from libraries and other private collections from around the world. His collection is particularly strong in the area of works for winds with strings for six to 10 players. Mr. Wilcox has spent countless enjoyable hours over the last several years editing and publishing selected works from his collection. John is a tennis player.
Sue Ruby earned a B.M. summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and her M.M. in piano pedagogy from Columbus State University in Georgia, where she studied with John O’Brien and Betty Anne Diaz. Sue has been a teaching artist at MacPhail Center for Music since 2001. In addition to teaching private, group and Music Tree piano, she serves as collaborative pianist for the Prelude program and Advanced Music Theater Performance Lab (formerly MacPhail Players). Sue is frequently seen throughout the state as a collaborative pianist with vocalists, as well as woodwind and string chamber musicians. An active member of Phi Beta Kappa and MMTA, she is co-founder and president of the Association of Professional Piano Instructors (APPI). Sue is a runner.
Lorelei Giddings has undergraduate and graduate degrees in oboe performance from the University of Minnesota. She plays principle oboe with the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis, and is a member of Prevailing Winds Woodwind Quintet, the Lake Harriet Trio, and has performed with Chamber Music Winona, Bloomington Civic Orchestra, Wayzata Symphony Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, and the 33rd Army Band in Heidelberg, Germany. Her principal oboe studies were with Carl Holub of the Minnesota Orchestra. She teaches oboe and oboe reed making in her home studio.
Vicki Wheeler is a graduate of Luther College with a B.A. in English and religion. She is a member of the Victory Park Brass, Dolce Wind Quintet, Trio Brava, Borderline Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, First Unitarian Orchestra, and Rocky Mountain Alphorn Duo. Vicki also plays Eb tenor horn and is executive manager for the Lake Wobegon® Brass Band. She has performed with other professional groups including the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, and the Minnesota Opera. Vicki also plays the Swiss alphorn and performs regularly at ethnic events and in school settings. She has studied horn with Herb Winslow, of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra and Charles McDonald, of the Minnesota Orchestra. When not behind a mouthpiece, you can find her sailing the waters of Lake Superior, camping in the Boundary Waters, or fixing the old cabin in the north woods with her husband, Kurt. She currently teaches private horn lessons in her home in Minneapolis, much to the delight of Wally, the standard poodle!