One of the benefits of being a parent is being able to pass down interests to their children.

Sarah Grove brought her daughter Willow Grove to the WindSync concert Thursday evening in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Recital Hall because she thought it would be a “really good experience.”

Both Sarah Grove and her 11-year-old daughter Willow have experience with playing instruments. 

Grove used to play the violin, and her daughter currently plays the French horn. 

After trying out every single instrument at her schools open house, Willow decided that the French horn was the instrument for her. She has been playing the French horn for the last six months. 

“I started band, and then I just thought it was a cool instrument,” Willow said. 

Willow said she was excited for the concert to start. She had prior experience with the music that was to be performed.  

Willow gained interest in this genre of music after hearing her mother on the phone with her friend talking about artists like Beethoven. 

The program began at 7 p.m. and was led by five instrumentalists: 

• Garrett Hudson playing the flute, 
• Noah Kay playing the oboe, 
• Graeme Steele Johnson playing the clarinet, 
• Kara LaMoure playing the bassoon, 
• Anni Hochhalter on the horn. 

They played through six different songs, some of which had some alterations to the original songs. 

According to the program, “The quintet breaks down the ‘fourth wall’ between musicians and audience by moving communicatively, speaking from the heart and often performing for memory, creating an intimate connection.” 

Members of WindSync arrived to Eastern early and worked with music students during their classes. 

Allison Cooke, a freshman music education major, attended the event and defined it as “exquisite.” She also had a chance to work with WindSync during her class. 

Cooke said they spent 50 minutes together, and while not being able to stay for the entire duration of the class, she took note that her friends gained a lot from them being in the classroom. 

“It’s really great that Doudna is able to host these groups, and it was very impressive to have such amazing musicians here,” Cooke said. 

After her performance, Kara LaMoure said that she was happy with her performance, but was also tired due to the length of the performance.

“We really gave you guys a full picture tonight of everything the wind quintet can do, and we’re very passionate about that,” LaMoure said. 

Throughout the performance, the performers informed audience members of the album that they were releasing in April. 

Titled “WindSync Plays Miguel del Aguila,” the album will release April 5. 

She said the group worked in Abbey Road Studios in London, the same place that The Beatles recorded their programs. 

Del Aguila asking WindSync to collaborate on music in London allowed WindSync to meet new musicians in the U.K. 

LaMoure said the process to record the music took approximately two months. 

One of the songs performed, Sambeada, was written by del Aguila. LaMoure said that the piece was written for the album, and it has been performed by WindSync for about two years. 

 She said that she and the other members of WindSync really enjoyed performing in Doudna. 

“This performing arts center is a real gem in the country, and we can speak from authority because we play on stages all across the country,” LaMoure said. 

The last performance for Doudna will be held for the Red Hot Chili Pipers on April 6. 

Cam’ron Hardy can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].