The Westerlies, a New York-based brass band consisting of childhood friends from Seattle are Riley Mulherkar on trumpet and Chloe Rowlands (trombone), and Andy Clausen on trombone. The self-described “accidental Brass Quartet” was formed in 2011. Its name is derived from the winds that blow from the West to East. The Westerlies are “skilled interpreters who can also be adept improvisers” according to NPR’s Fresh Air. They combine jazz, roots, and chamber music influences to create rare hybrids that are both “folklike” and “composerly, beautiful, and intellectually rigorous” according NPR Music. The Westerlies are equally at home in concert halls as living rooms. They can navigate both a variety of venues and projects with all the skill of a string quartet and the fervor of a rock band. Two critically acclaimed albums of genre-defying chambermusic were produced by the ensemble: Wish the Children Would Bring On Home: The Music Of Wayne Horvitz (Songlines) and The Westerlies (Songlines) in 2014. They are highly sought-after collaborators and have been featured on recordings by Fleet Foxes, Vieux Farka toure (Six Degrees Records), Common(Lakeshore), Dave Douglas (Greenleaf) and Common (Lakeshore). In early 2020, the group will release their third full-length album, “Wherein Lies The Good”. The 2019-20 season of the Westerlies includes performances at Dumbarton Concerts and Soundings New Music at Nasher, Noe Valley Chamber Music and Earshot Jazz Festival, Mayo Performing Arts Center, Choate Rosemary Hall, and Noe Valley Chamber Music. The ensemble will also produce the second annual Westerlies Fest in 2020, which will be held February 3-9 in Seattle. The Westerlies’ evening performances will be combined with in-school concerts during the day and a weekend workshop in creative music. They will reach more than 1,000 students from Seattle and the surrounding areas. The Norton Center for the Arts and the Moore Theatre were some of the most recent performances. The ensemble performed with Fleet Foxes at Coachella and the Hollywood Bowl. The Westerlies’ core mission is education and community engagement. With their masterclasses and innovative assemblies, thousands of students across the country are reached each season by the ensemble. from www.westerliesmusic.com
