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The Band:
Wyndfall, a quartet comprised of flute, cello, guitar/vocal, & drums,
performs music of many cultures & styles. Laurie’s classical training, Tom’s
jazz experience, and Chris’ folk & rock background fuse into a brand new, fresh
acoustic sound. Their drummer, Tom, drives their sound. Their love of
performance is immediately engaging, while bringing accurate performances of
traditional music to audiences east to west, north & south. Wyndfall’s varied
repertoire swings from Irish traditional songs to jazz to formal classical
pieces — incorporating improvisation everywhere possible!
Wyndfall is folk rock mixed with traditional celtic melodies, and jazz
improvisation mixed with classical interpretations for the jazz, blues,
bluegrass, newgrass, celtic, Irish & folk rock tunes in Wyndfall’s repertoire.
Acoustically oriented, this blend of neo-classical blues, layered with whimsical
vocals, “summons the ancient troubador” in all of us. Wyndfall’s influences
include Jethro Tull, Bela Fleck, David Grisman & New Grass Revival, Turlough
O’Carolan, JS Bach, John Coltrane, Miles Davis & Paul Simon.
The group won "Best Instrumental Album" in the 2002 Just Plain Folks Awards
for their work on the CD "Conversations."
This is the largest independent music awards & the criteria they use is, "does
the music move me?" Tom's compositions have also won awards ranging from
being in the top 20 of the '02 Grammies, to a 2004 National Endowment for the
Arts award for his work with youth in theatre. Their original compositions
have been featured in several theater productions, including "Heart Lights
Suite," (Marie Wenger) & the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum Theater & featured on
several radio programs & compilation CD's.
Wyndfall is a favorite at festivals & concerts. Their performances
invite audiences to share their musical experience, giving something for
everyone. From high energy, virtuosic playing of their instruments, to
story-telling through songs, & yes, even bawdy ballads (at appropriate venues!),
they consistently hold audiences.
Wyndfall has opened for bands including Gaelic Storm, Blackmore's Night, Bela
Fleck, Grey Eye Glances & others. They have also had bands open for them,
including Stacy Earle, & Empty Hats. They have shared a bill with The
Chieftains, Saw Doctors, Pat McGuire & Davy Spillane for St. Paddy’s week
celebration in New York City. They headlined the 5k Run & Music Festival
for Special Olympics in Tulsa (OK) & played at Mayfest in Tulsa the previous
year. Wyndfall performed a special concert with the Shippensburg
College-Community Orchestra, where they played & arranged their originals for
orchestra. In addition to many local venues, they have also performed at
the New Directions in Cello Festival (Lawrence, WI), at Hoggetowne Medieval
Faire (Gainesville, FL), Red Lion Pub (Manhattan), Appalachian Brewing Co.
(Harrisburg), Bube’s Brewery Complex (Mt. Joy, PA), Kelly's Riverside Saloon
(Pittsburgh, PA), 75th Street Brewery (Kansas City, KS) & Kilkenny’s Pub (Tulsa,
OK), Theater of the Living Arts (Philadelphia) & Westbury Music Fair (Westbury,
NY).
Wyndfall also works with children, through school concerts & programs, & summer
workshops. Wyndfall is a Rostered Artist (Ensemble) with the PA Council on
the Arts & Galaxy, the Arts in Education Program of CIU 10 (2002-2005).
Several programs are available.
The Players:
 Tom Reese, flute & composition.
Tom is an innovator in the educational and performance fields. Called
"multi-lingual," his versatility knows no bounds. From composition to
performances of folk music, jazz & blues, classical, & even rock’n’roll, this eclectic musician combines elements from all musical
genres to create his unique sound. Tom's compositions are known for their
beautiful melodies, innovative instrumentation & modern harmonies. His CD,
"Blue Etude," was in the top 20 of the 2002 Grammies, and his
classical compositions are featured on "Conversations," which won an
award for Best Instrumental Album in the 2002 Just Plain Folks Awards, the
largest independent music awards. He has received funding for composition in
schools through The Commission Project since 2000. He is also part of the PA
Council on the Arts. He has performed in many venues on the east coast and into
the midwest & Canada as a jazz & classical flautist. He has performed
with & for jazz artists such as Béla Fleck, Valery Ponomarev & Nick
Brignola. Tom's warm tone lends a beautiful timbre to every performance. He
free-lances in many venues as a solo artist, jazz musician & educator, in
addition to performing regularly with The Reese
Project, MuZette, Susquehanna,
Wyndfall & Azure Trio. ...more...
 Laurie Haines Reese, cello. Laurie is dedicated to creating new music
with the cello. Improvisation is an important part of music, a part that allows each
individual a chance to speak the music that is in their heart. An
accomplished classical musician, Laurie loves the variety in performing
jazz, folk and improvisatory music. From Lancaster, PA, Laurie has
free-lanced & concertized extensively on the east coast, in Los
Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Hawaii, New York & Europe. Currently
the cellist for several ensembles, ranging from classical to jazz to
celtic music. She earned a Master of Music Performance
degree from the University of Southern California. While in Los
Angeles, she studied the advanced classical cello repertoire with Eleanor
Schoenfeld. While in Miami, she studied at the University of Miami
(Coral Gables, FL), earning a Bachelor in Music Performance. She
played both classical & jazz, performing regularly with Ira Sullivan
& Strings Attached. She currently performs with The Reese
Project, MuZette, Azure
Trio, Susquehanna & Wyndfall.
...more...
 Chris Laughery,
Guitarist, Singer/Songwriter, Luthier, Flutist ... Renaissance Man!
Chris is a well-rounded musician. He performed with Wyndfall for two years at
the PA Renaissance Faire. He had played there previously with Harmony Hill
(duo with Ginny Bartholomew) &, earlier, with Cork (duo with Louis Lynch).
Chris loves performing contemporary Irish and Celtic music, and composing new
music, and has dedicated himself to these fields. Chris designs and builds
guitars, and is a full-time musician, recording artist & sound engineer. He has
several recordings available. Chris also performs regularly as a solo
artist, performing Irish/Celtic songs as well as his unique originals.
...more...
 Tom
Tesnow, Jr, Drums. Tom has been playing shows and recording since he
was 14. He has toured most of the U.S. with the rock band No Alternative. He
learned the ropes of the road at an early age and never looked back. He's played
on The Van's Warped Tour and shared the stage with many national acts. Though a
rock drummer at heart, Tommy has always been proud of his ability to play
different styles of music. Wyndfall was just the ticket to show this to the
world. Dynamics and heart shine through every performance of this young drummer.
Anyone who watches Tommy perform can tell that music is his life. You can also
find Tommy in the aggressive rock outfit, Alucard.
Additional Members:
John Varner, guitar & vocals.
John's youthful passion for sports vanished at age 15 when he bought his first
electric guitar. After a few years of power chording his way through heavy metal
and hair band covers, the romance of acoustic music persuaded him to trade in
the distortion and express the raw sensibility of the acoustic guitar's natural
lure. He then began a perpetual study of theory from the texts of Berkley's
College of Music and from there became a private instructor at a shop in
Ephrata, PA.
In John's headphones he digs experimental music of all genres and refuses to
pigeonhole any style as his favorite. John hopes one day to discover musical
frequency's on Mars and lead the first intergalactic pop band to superstardom.
 Paul
Hoerner, drums. Ever since his Mother placed a coffee can on a string
around his neck and let him bang away with a wooden spoon, Paul has loved to
play anything that he can hit with a stick. Throughout his schooling he was
involved with as many instrumental groups as he could participate in, even going
to Scandinavia with a symphonic band in High School. His summers were also
filled with music, marching in the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps, until he left
for college and took up Music Education as his major. While at West Chester
University a girlfriend introduced him to the Renaissance Faire experience and
it was there that he met Tom and Laurie Reese. Some of Paul's best memories of
playing music at the faire revolved around standing alongside Tom and playing
the wild spinning tunes that Tom is known for. Proud to be known as a
concussionist, his lively driving beats fit right in with Wyndfall's high
spirited style, and he is truly happy to now be playing with his long time
friends.
Jim Love (drums)
Jim is a very active performer, educator & clinician. He can be seen performing regularly on the east coast with his
jazz/funk group Jim Love & The Blue Groove, the electric jazz trio Spectrum, &
free-lancing. He has performed with the Central Pennsylvania Symphony, Gretna
Theatre, Bainbridge Band, Dutch Apple Dinner Theater, Harrisburg Men's Chorus,
Hershey Symphony, HSO Swing Band, & more. He is now the tympanist for the
Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra. Jim released his debut solo CD, "The Way of the
Drum", in 2001 on Wyndfall Records. In addition to performing, Jim is a very
active educator. He holds a B.S. in Music Education from Elizabethtown College,
and has studied drums and percussion with Dr. Robert Brosh, Clyde Lucas, and
Gary Luckenbill. He teaches 65 private drum & percussion students weekly, and
currently serves as Percussion Instructor/Arranger for the Elizabethtown Area
H.S. Marching Band. He has done several clinics in the Central PA area and at
local schools, and has a teacher endorsement from Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets.
He is in the process of writing his first method book, due to be published in
late 2003/early 2004. Check out
www.jimlove.cjb.net for his playing schedule and news updates.
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Paul
Hoerner, drums. Ever since his Mother placed a coffee can on a string
around his neck and let him bang away with a wooden spoon, Paul has loved to
play anything that he can hit with a stick. Throughout his schooling he was
involved with as many instrumental groups as he could participate in, even going
to Scandinavia with a symphonic band in High School. His summers were also
filled with music, marching in the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps, until he left
for college and took up Music Education as his major. While at West Chester
University a girlfriend introduced him to the Renaissance Faire experience and
it was there that he met Tom and Laurie Reese. Some of Paul's best memories of
playing music at the faire revolved around standing alongside Tom and playing
the wild spinning tunes that Tom is known for. Proud to be known as a
concussionist, his lively driving beats fit right in with Wyndfall's high
spirited style, and he is truly happy to now be playing with his long time
friends.