Five of the music departments’ faculty members came together to play moving musical pieces as members of the Wittenberg Woodwind Quintet: Lori Akins (Flute), Lisa Grove (Oboe), Richard York (Clarinet), Joseph Hesseman (Bassoon) and Colvin Bear (French Horn).
Akins has been teaching at Wittenberg since 1982, after receiving a Master of Music degree in flute performance and a Bachelor of Music Education degree at The Ohio State University. She is the principal flutist of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, as well as a flutist and piccoloist with the Columbus Symphony and Ohio Valley Symphony. Akins is the flute instructor, as well as the director of Wittenberg University’s Flute Choir. Akins is a founding member and past president of the Central Ohio Flute Association, and she served as Secretary and General Competitions Coordinator for the National Flute Association.
Grove has a Bachelor of Music degree and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from The Ohio State University, along with a Master of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Grove has been the oboe instructor at Wittenberg University since 2006, and has been a member of the Springfield Symphony since 1997, becoming principal oboe in the 2005-2006 season. She has performed with countless ensembles, such as the Columbus Symphony, Canton Symphony and Lima Symphony.
Clarinetist York has been a member of Wittenberg University’s faculty since 1977. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at Oberlin College, and studied at the Eastman School of Music. York is a frequent performer of chamber music, and has presented concerts at area museums and colleges; he has been a principal clarinetist of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for over 20 years.
Hesseman has performed in numerous professional orchestras and bands for over 30 years, including: Cleveland Pops, Dayton Philharmonic and Dayton Bach Society (and that’s not even the half of it). Hesseman has taken his performances internationally as a retired military band veteran, performing concerts for millions of people, presenting world premieres and recording compositions on seven CDs. He is also a two-time recipient of the George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands. Hesseman has been a Wittenberg University faculty member since 1997.
Bear has been teaching at Wittenberg University since 1987, and a member of the Springfield Symphony since 1973. He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the College of 
Wooster, and a Master of Music in Education from Bowling Green State University. Like the department’s entire faculty, Bear’s performance track record is lengthy; he has performed with the Lima Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic and many others. Bear is a founding member of the Miami Valley Horn Quartet, The Valley Horns.
This past Super Bowl Sunday at 3 p.m. in Krieg Recital Hall, these five musicians brought the staff, students and faculty four beautifully performed pieces. They began the performance with “Quintet in Bb Major Op. 56 No.1” by Franz Danzi after which Bear provided a brief introduction, and even gave the audience some history on the french horn’s value in a woodwind quintet; this was followed by their performance of “Quintet Op. 43” by Carl Nielsen, and a brief intermission. York said a few opening words, and the quintet concluded its performance with “The Chimney of King Rene” by Darius Milhaud, and “Suite of Lettish Dances” by Andrejs Jansons.
