GROUP BIO
The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet is a one-of-a-kind chamber ensemble that plays original
music for bassoon quartet with often-comedic performance elements. Dancing, pop culture
references, skits, and accessory instruments set the joyous and sometimes surreal tone at BWBQ
shows. The four women of the BWBQ began playing together in 2008 as undergraduate
classmates at the Eastman School of Music, and since then they have developed a busy schedule
of appearances at concert halls, schools, pubs, and community spaces throughout the United
States. Their active Youtube channel has garnered a million views.
Advocates of creativity and collaboration in music education, the BWBQ have performed for
hundreds of students from preschoolers to postgrads. They have most recently visited public
schools in Texas, Illinois, Connecticut, and New York. In 2014, the group presented
masterclasses at Southern Methodist University, Univesity of Southern Mississippi, the Eastman
School of Music, and the Red Cedar Festival of Bands. They also served as keynote entertainers
for the Oregon Music Education Association and were featured performers at the International
Double Reed Society conference in New York City.
The BWBQ premiered Scott A. Switzer’s concerto Breaking Out in March 2013 with the Yale
Concert Band. Since then they have performed as soloists with the Eastman Wind Ensemble,
West Point Band, Northshore Concert Band, and Meridian Community Band.
The quartet’s debut album, Breaking In, was released in June 2013 and is available through
many major online music vendors. Their repertoire features original compositions, arrangements,
and transcriptions by the members of the group. They have published sheet music to a selection
of these pieces through TrevCo Music Publishing.
INDIVIDUAL BIOS
Brittany Harrington is currently pursuing a Performer’s Diploma at Southern Methodist
University under the direction of Wilfred Roberts. She received her MM at Southern Methodist
University, and her BM at the Eastman School of Music. Brittany has played with the Rochester
Philharmonic Orchestra, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Pops Orchestra, and actively
free-lances in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She has participated in select music festivals including
Aspen, National Repertory Orchestra, Spoleto USA, Lakes Area Music Festival, Round Top,
National Orchestra Institute, and Norfolk Chamber Festival. She also maintains a large private
studio in Dallas.
Yuki Katayama is a freelance graphic designer and musician from Los Angeles, CA. She
received her BM and MM at the Eastman School of Music and Yale School of Music,
respectively. She can be heard on the Eastman Wind Ensemble’s 2013 album, Stravinsky: Octet
and L’Histoire du Soldat. She interned as a videographer at the Wolf Trap Opera Company in
summer 2013 and was the marketing apprentice at Hartford Stage Theatre Company for the
2013- 2014 season. Her work can be found at yukikatayama.com.
Kara LaMoure currently serves as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Missouri
and bassoonist for the Missouri Quintet. She received her BM and Arts Leadership Certificate
from the Eastman School of Music and her MM from Northwestern University. As an orchestral
musician, she has recently performed with the New Zealand Symphony, New Zealand Opera,
Orchestra Wellington, Music in the Mountains, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. This year
she was named a Global Leader for YOA Orchestra of the Americas, an organization through
which she has mentored young musicians in Costa Rica and Belize.
Lauren Yu Ziemba is a New York City-based freelance musician. She received an MM in
Bassoon Performance at the Yale School of Music, a BM in Bassoon Performance and Music
Education from the Eastman School of Music and a BA in Mathematics from the University of
Rochester. She has also studied ancient cultures on fellowships from Yale and the University of
Rochester. Lauren recently performed in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica as a member of
YOA Orchestra of the Americas. She has also performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic
Orchestra, Clarence Summer Orchestra, and Sarasota Music Festival.