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Azure Trio

Tom Reese (flute) ~ Martha Pineno Hess (oboe)

Laurie Haines Reese (cello)

Recording: "Acorn" (2002)

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The Azure Trio, a warm blend of flute, oboe & cello, is a beautiful combination of sounds. Comprised of professional musicians, Azure’s repertoire includes traditional folk favorites as well as classical "standards." The performers put a unique spin on their interpretations, including lively improvisational fancies & engaging interplay. All three players are composers, and contribute to the repertoire performed by Azure. They also perform music by Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, O’Carolan & Ellington.

Azure has performed extensively in both public and private venues, from college recitals & festivals to retirement center concerts to Christmas & other holiday events. Upcoming events include Allegro Vineyards wine festivals & The Festival of Nations in Harrisburg. Recent events include American Musicfest in Harrisburg, PA, Boston-Prague New Music Festival (performing Tom & Laurie’s compositions), Willow Valley Retirement Center, & special St. Patrick’s Day music.

The Azure Trio has recorded a CD entitled "Acorn," released on Wyndfall Records in 2002. This lovely CD features traditional folk melodies as well as originals by Tom Reese, an award winning composer. It also features Marti playing oboe d’amore & English horn as well as oboe, & of course Laurie on cello. You can also hear Tom, Marti & Laurie’s work on Susquehanna Ensemble’s 2001 CD, "Conversations." This CD won an award for "Best Instrumental Album" in the Just Plain Folks Awards of 2002.

PLAYERS:

Tom Reese

(flute & composition)

Tom brings a special blend of styles to his music, from jazz to rock, popular, folk, blues & classical. Tom's warm tone lends a beautiful timbre to every performance. His warm, yet hard-driving flute sound has been heard in many of the 50 states & in Canada, in cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Quebec City, Tulsa & many others. He free-lances in many venues as a solo artist, musician & educator. In addition to performing with Azure, Tom lends his talents to MuZette, Susquehanna, Wyndfall & The Reese Project. An award-winning composer, Tom's compositions are known for their beautiful melodies, innovative instrumentation & modern harmonies. Susquehanna’s 2001 CD, "Conversations," featuring many of Tom’s compositions, earned an award for Best Instrumental Album in the Just Plain Folks 2002 Awards. He composed all of the pieces on The Reese Project’s jazz CD "Blue Etude," which placed in the top 20 of the 2002 Grammies. He is a composer with The Commission Project in Rochester, NY. He has just finished a film score for director Brett Walker, & is currently at work on his seventh film score. ... more

Martha Pineno Hess

(Artist, oboe, oboe d’amore, English horn)

Marti received a B.S. in Art Education from Millersville University. She is a former oboist for the Pottstown Symphony and soprano for Meistersingers, a 16-voice ensemble. Marti Hess taught art in public school for over 10 years before taking her position as executive director of Cygnet Studios, Elizabethtown. Cygnet Studios, a non-profit arts organization, was founded in 1987 and offers art classes for all ages and promotes the hiring of professional musicians for special occasions. Marti has been teaching drawing, painting, pottery and oboe lessons full-time at Cygnet Studios since 1993. She performs with several duo/trios for weddings/banquets and free-lances for area choral groups. Ms Hess was nominated 1997 Best Performance Artist by Lancaster Sunday News for her "Heritage Portrait Series" oil paintings. ... more

Laurie Haines Reese

(cello)

Laurie is a versatile cellist, performing classical, folk, jazz & experimental music. She has a master’s degree from USC (Los Angeles) in classical cello performance. Although she loves the classical masters, she is drawn towards improvisational styles. Since meeting her husband & musical partner, Tom, she has developed these interests into a unique style. Laurie, with the band Wyndfall, was featured at the 2003 New Directions in Cello Festival in Lawrence, Wisconsin. She has performed in many of the 50 states (including Hawaii), in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Tulsa, Harrisburg & Gainesville. While in Miami, she was a member of Strings Attached, who performed frequently with Ira Sullivan. She also performed in Europe as part of the Spoleto Music Festival. She maintains a full private teaching schedule while performing as a free-lance musician & educator. She formerly taught cello at F&M, Lebanon Valley and Messiah Colleges. In addition to Azure, Laurie is the cellist for The Reese Project, Susquehanna, Wyndfall & MuZette. ... more