Five Voices, One Vision: How a Boston University Ensemble Crafted Their Award-Winning Brahms Performance
- WOMCO
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The chamber group from Boston University — Ting-Hua Wu, Andrew Lin, Taisiya Sokolova, Cheng-Yeh Tsou, and Chao Du — has received the Platinum Prize in the Chamber Music category for their performance of Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115 at the Georges Bizet International Music Competition 2025 Season 4. The competition ran from 10 July to 10 October 2025, with results announced on 29 October. In the interview that follows, the ensemble’s clarinetist, Ting-Hua Wu from Taiwan, speaks on behalf of the group, reflecting on how the chamber ensemble came together, the preparation behind their Brahms performance, and what this experience has meant to them as young musicians.
When and why did you form your chamber group, and does playing music together hold a special meaning for you?
Ting-Hua Wu:
"We originally formed our chamber group to fulfill the chamber recital requirement for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree. However, the collaboration quickly grew into something much more meaningful. I had known and respected each member beforehand, and coming together to work on a demanding masterpiece like the Brahms Clarinet Quintet not only challenged and refined my musical aesthetic, but also strengthened our friendship. The experience left a lasting impact on my musical career and deepened my appreciation for the art of chamber music."
Could you share the background of your award-winning performance of Johannes Brahms – Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115? When and where did you record it, and what led you to choose this piece?
Ting-Hua Wu:
"The performance was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when live music-making felt both precious and uncertain. As a woodwind player, I initially felt nervous because wearing a mask was not possible. Yet in many ways, the opportunity to play chamber music during such a difficult period became a profound blessing. We recorded the performance in the concert hall at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. I am deeply grateful to BU for giving us access to such world-class acoustic spaces, which elevated both our experience and the final recording."
Could you walk us through your group’s approach to preparing and interpreting the Quintet? What artistic or technical considerations shaped the result?
Ting-Hua Wu:
"Preparing this piece required close collaboration and a great deal of sensitivity to each other’s instruments and musical roles. Because string players tune differently when working with woodwinds, our tuning process was lengthy, and we are still finding ways to refine it. We also had to consider the natural differences in sound production: strings can sustain notes indefinitely by changing bow direction, while the clarinet requires breaths. This influenced our phrasing, pacing, and the colors we aimed to create, ensuring that the clarinet blended naturally within the ensemble’s texture.
For me as the clarinetist, maintaining stable intonation was especially important. The clarinet tends to start slightly sharp and settle as the sound continues, and airflow affects pitch significantly. When sustaining notes with the strings, I had to focus on a steady airstream to match their intonation and warmth. Frequent rehearsals were essential to understanding each other’s timbre, intonation tendencies, and balance.
Although the clarinet carries many of the solo lines, the strings also have beautifully independent solo moments. We approached these passages like dancing a waltz—listening, responding, and shaping a unified musical interpretation guided by shared ideas."
Would you like to share your experience participating in our competition, and is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Ting-Hua Wu:
"Participating in the competition was an inspiring and memorable experience for all of us. We are deeply grateful to our parents for their ongoing love and support, and we would especially like to thank our mentors at Boston University—Bayla Keyes, Peter Zazofsky, Rob Patterson, and Danny Kim—for their invaluable guidance and encouragement. We also want to thank the stage crew for their generous help and expertise. Their collaboration and belief in our work made this performance possible."