Pure Winds is an award-winning woodwind quintet based in Lansing, Michigan that promotes outside-of-the-concert-hall musical experiences. The group engages audiences of all ages through educational residencies, masterclasses, and performances. Pure Winds consistently brings music to non-traditional venues and strives to create conversations between performers and audiences by making “classical” music exciting, relevant, and accessible. Praised for performing “…with terrific skill and panache” (David Volosin Katz – The American Prize), Pure Winds recently released their debut album under the Orpheus Classical label.
Bryan Guarnuccio, Flute
Dr. Bryan Guarnuccio is an educator, performer, collaborative pianist, and music arranger based in mid-Michigan. He teaches flute, piano, and oboe to students of all ages and abilities, including adults returning to music for personal enrichment. Bryan is on the flute faculty at the Flint Institute of Music and has also taught music theory, counterpoint, and aural skills to a wide range of college students. As a performer, he is passionate about chamber music and orchestral playing, having performed with the Lansing Symphony since 2010 and frequently appearing with the Kalamazoo, Flint, and Southwest Michigan Symphonies on flute and piccolo. He also enjoys accompanying musicians of all levels, coaching and performing in solo and ensemble competitions, recitals, and with school and church choirs.
Chris Wheeler, Oboe
Chris Wheeler is an oboist based in mid and southeastern Michigan, performing regularly with the Michigan Philharmonic, and the Adrian and Dearborn Symphonies. He also frequently subs with ensembles in Lansing, Flint, and Southwest Michigan. A dedicated chamber musician, he was a founding member of the Pure Winds woodwind quintet.
An avid educator, Chris is Lecturer of Oboe at the University of Michigan-Flint, Adjunct Instructor at Hillsdale College, and also teaches at the Flint Institute of Music and through his private studio. He earned Master’s degrees in oboe performance and chamber music from the University of Michigan, studying with Nancy Ambrose King, and a BFA in oboe performance from CalArts, where he studied with Allan Vogel. While at CalArts, he was also an exchange student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, studying oboe with Stephen West and composition with Gareth Williams. His other primary teachers include Gretchen Morse and Stuart Horn.
Eric Dowler, Clarinet
Dr. Erin Dowler is a Michigan-based clarinetist, music educator, and arts administrator. She is Principal Clarinet of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and Second Clarinet with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. A founding member of the Bella Clarinet Quartet, she is currently working on a recording project featuring works by women composers. As a freelancer, she has performed with orchestras across Michigan, including in Marquette, Jackson, Warren, and Plymouth.
Erin is the Instructor of Clarinet at Oakland University and offers private lessons and masterclasses to students statewide. She recently commissioned Sonatina for the Inner Child by Nadine B. Silverman to expand early clarinet repertoire. Passionate about arts advocacy, Erin works as a Detroit Strategy Specialist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, supporting music education, workforce development, and community engagement. She has also held administrative roles at the MSU Community Music School – Detroit, connecting with musicians, educators, and community members throughout the city.
Reed Fitzpatrick, Horn
Reed Fitzpatrick is a freelance musician based in Michigan and is currently pursuing a DMA at Michigan State University. He also holds an MA from Michigan State and a BA from Grand Valley State University. Reed regularly performs with orchestras throughout Michigan, including the Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Traverse City symphonies, as well as in pit orchestras for the Muskegon Civic and Hope Summer Repertory Theater. His primary teachers are Corbin Wagner and Richard Britsch, and he has received additional instruction from notable musicians such as Dale Clevenger, Frank Lloyd, Gail Williams, and Sarah Willis.
Natalie Law, Bassoon
Dr. Natalie Law enjoys a diverse career as a bassoonist, educator, and entrepreneur. She performs in both orchestral halls as well as in elementary school gymnasiums. Natalie believes that positive change begins with education and primarily focuses on her work as a teacher. Her passion for education has led her to create innovative methods of teaching bassoon students through online mediums.
The bassoon is often an underrepresented and misunderstood instrument in school music programs across the United States. This is why Natalie founded and created Building a Bassoonist, an online resource designed to teach and support bassoon students. The project was developed primarily to serve students in both rural and underserved areas who do not otherwise have access to a bassoon teacher.
Natalie completed her DMA at Michigan State University, where she also obtained her Master’s degree in Bassoon Performance. She earned two Bachelor’s degrees in Music Performance and Music Education from the University of Montana.