Central Florida Chamber Winds to Present Concerts Feb. 11 and 12 in Titusville and Melbourne

By  //  January 31, 2023

Featuring free concert of Brahms' Serenade No. 1

Maestro Rick Sabino is a patient man. Since a successful performance 20 years ago of Brahms’ Serenade No. 2, the Central Florida Winds conductor has been waiting for just the right combination of excellent wind and string musicians to come along before performing Brahms Serenade No 1. The Central Florida Chamber Winds will present Music for Winds & Strings in two performances on February 11 and 12. 

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Maestro Rick Sabino is a patient man. Since a successful performance 20 years ago of Brahms’ Serenade No. 2, the Central Florida Winds conductor has been waiting for just the right combination of excellent wind and string musicians to come along before performing Brahms Serenade No 1.

And lucky Brevardians will have a chance to experience the star-crossed pairing, when the Central Florida Chamber Winds presents Music for Winds & Strings in two performances on February 11 and 12.

The first free concert of Brahms’ Serenade No. 1 gets underway Saturday, February 11 at 3 p.m., at Park Avenue Baptist Church, 2600 Park Avenue in Titusville.

The six-movement, light orchestral work will be reprised the following day, with a 3 p.m. concert on Sunday, February 12 at Suntree United Methodist Church, 7400 N. Wickham Road in north Melbourne.

The 20-person string section will be provided courtesy of several area music educators and All-County and All-State-winning youth musicians.

More information about the Central Florida Winds and its performing ensembles, the Central Florida Chamber Winds and the Central Florida Chamber Brass, may be found on their website at CFWinds.org or by calling 321-405-2359.

The weekend concerts of Brahms’s Serenade No. 1 will showcase the quiet genius of the composer, who wrote the work at age 25. The Central Florida Chamber Winds are comprised of a select group of musicians from the larger Central Florida Winds.

The woodwind ensemble provides exceptional musical quality performances for an intimate, “chamber” experience. Attendees to Music for Winds & Strings are encouraged to arrive early for the best seating.

While all concerts by Central Florida Winds’ groups are free, a donation of $10 is suggested. Call (321) 405-2359 or visit CFWinds.org for a complete concert schedule of the Central Florida Winds and their performing ensembles.

Both performances of Music for Winds & Strings will be directed by Central Florida Winds conductor and founder, Richard Sabino.

“I have been planning this for a very long time,” said Sabino, whose Central Florida Winds do not include violins or other stringed instruments.

“For this beautiful Brahms serenade, we needed just the right balance of excellent wind and string players. And now we have it. Rehearsals have been a joy, bringing this work to life.”

Under the baton of Richard Sabino, the non-profit Central Florida Winds and its chamber ensembles perform free concerts from the classical music repertoire in the fall, winter, and spring months throughout Brevard County.

In addition to his work with the Central Florida Winds and the Riverside Chamber Orchestra in Cocoa Beach, Maestro Sabino has experience conducting orchestras in the U.S. and abroad. Call (321) 405-2359 or visit CFWinds.org for more information about the all-volunteer musical organization.

INTIMATE CHAMBER EXPERIENCE

The Central Florida Chamber Winds are comprised of a select group of musicians from the larger Central Florida Winds. The ensembles provide exceptional musical quality performances, for an intimate, “chamber” experience.

The membership varies based on the instrumentation of pieces performed, but the level of musicality and musicianship are superb. Members are professional musicians, music educators (retired and active), along with some exceptionally talented amateurs.

Many members have performed with top military bands and nationally known musical groups.

The Central Florida Winds orchestra was formed in 1999 and draws on the talent of professional players, retired professional musicians, talented music teachers, and gifted high school and college students.

The 50+ member performing ensemble are players of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments from Brevard and other Central Florida counties.

Under the baton of Richard Sabino, the non-profit Central Florida Winds performs free concerts from the classical music repertoire in the fall, winter and spring months throughout Brevard County.

More information about the Central Florida Winds and its performing ensembles, the Central Florida Chamber Winds and the Central Florida Chamber Brass, may be found on their website at CFWinds.org or by calling 321-405-2359.

At age six, Sabino began his musical training. His first instruments were the piano and the trumpet. In 1973, Richard received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Performance from the University of South Florida. In 1978, he received his Master’s Degree in Arts Administration from the University of Illinois.

 While in Illinois, he performed in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and the Millikin University Faculty Brass Quintet.

Management positions included assistant and then acting manager for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, assistant manager for the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, program and festival director for the Baton Rouge Arts Council, and executive director of the River City Festivals Association, and the Jackson/Hinds County Arts Council.

Leaving the field of arts management behind, Maestro Sabino returned to Melbourne in 1991 to begin a career in financial management. As a financial adviser, he provided portfolio advice to over 500 households and businesses.

He served as principal trumpet for the Community Band of Brevard and co-principal of the Melbourne Municipal Band. He also served on the boards of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, the Brevard Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Henegar Center.

Sabino began the study of conducting while in junior high school. At age 16, while participating in a summer music festival with the London Symphony Orchestra in Daytona Beach, he received his first important conducting advice from Andre Previn. Maestro Sabino created Central Florida Winds in 1999 and Central Florida Chamber Winds in 2001.

In 2008 he participated in the “Professional Level” of the Michael Palmer International Conducting Workshop with the New Atlanta Philharmonic in Atlanta. Since 2012 he has appeared as guest conductor of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine (Dnepropetrovsk) and has twice been a guest conductor of the State Academic Concert Orchestra in Kiev.

In 2016 he was the guest conductor for the “Black Sea Orchestra”, in Constantia, Romania, and in June 2019 appeared as conductor of the New York Classical Music Society Orchestra in Paris, France.

Maestro Sabino currently serves as music director and conductor of Central Florida Winds, Central Florida Chamber Winds, and Central Florida Chamber Brass as well as for the Riverside Chamber Orchestra and Chorus (Cocoa Beach, FL), which he organized in 2012.

He is also the artistic director for the Dr. Vernon Boushell Concert Series in Cocoa Beach, Florida. More information about the Central Florida Winds and their performing ensembles may be found on their website at CFWinds.org or by calling (321) 405-2359.

Music for Wind & Strings – Brahms Serenade No 1

Why did you choose this particular piece of music; what makes it special?  Describe it. 

We performed the 2nd Serenade in 2003 and I’ve been planning to perform the 1st Serenade when we had an opportunity.  That opportunity arrives when the strings can be available and we have the right combination of excellent wind musicians.  Both Serenades I heard when I was in college… remember vinyl records?… and it was one of those moments that you do not forget!  It has been a long time that I have been planning this! 

It is special because the melodies are grandiose, happy, melodic… you name it!  It is wonderful music crafted to suit the musicians.  It IS well tailored for winds and strings and it is impeccable in its construction, there is no part that lacks originality.

The Serenade is full of beautiful melodies.  It is a great work full of solos for winds, wonderful as either a chamber performance or for a large symphony orchestra.  

Does Brahms stand out from other classical composers, and why?

He was extremely thoughtful about his writing for instruments, especially the strings.  He was always mindful of catchy tunes (remember ‘Brahms Lullaby’),as well as playability and the sound strings can create with attention to the use of open strings.  He, although he came at the end of the Classical period and had one foot in the Romantic era, wrote what sounds like Romantic music in a Classical framework.

  As an example, most composers during his lifetime that wrote tempo indications such as ‘ritardando’ or ‘accelerando’ actually wanted the musicians to slow down or speed up their performance.  Brahms wrote the music so an unshifting pulse occurs throughout the work. 

It is only because of the way he wrote his music that it may sound as if the musicians are speeding up or slowing down.  It is all in the music, it is a wonderful illusion.

What does a “serenade” signify in a musical composition?

From medieval times through the 20th century ‘serenade’ meant many different things…or types of music. 

It has developed from a romantic song of greeting, to works honoring someone, and, over time, to become, through the 19th century, music just for music’s sake.

Have you ever had a concert where you joined such a large string group with the chamber winds. How many musicians will be playing in this concert and how did you gather the strings?

Central Florida Chamber Winds performed Brahms Serenade No. 2 on November 30, 2003, with all the strings you will hear at this program, except for violins! 

Not quite as large, but still a considerable number of ‘friends’ joining us for some great music!  For this program we will have 24 string players, 1 timpanist, and 14 winds, or 39 musicians, quite a number for our chamber group!

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