The Pittsburgh Woodwind Quintet

The Pittsburgh Woodwind Quintet was established in 1969 to enable a group of amateur musicians to achieve musical expression in playing, the wide spectrum of music available to this ensemble. It provides performances of works not often heard at retirement centers, churches, synagogues and civic organizations such as the Carnegie Museum and the Phipps Conservatory.

The personnel of the group has changed somewhat over the years, but all of the members have been skilled amateurs whose music is an avocation rather than a profession. All of the present participants are professionals having backgrounds and careers in science and technology.

The flutist is Leigh Snyder.

The oboist is Preston Shimer, Administrator of the ARMA International Educational Foundation, and a records management consultant.

The clarinetist is Stanley Ehrenpreis, mechanical engineer, formerly a manager in the Westinghouse Nuclear Technology Division and presently President of QUAD-E Enterprises, Inc.

The french horn player is John Seifarth,civil engineer, consultant in water and wastewater management.

The bassoonist is John Buchanan, is formerly of Westinghous Electric Cooperation.


Many famous composers have written for this combination of five instruments, and many others have had their works transcribed for woodwind quintet. On occasion, a pianist is added to the group to perform works for that combination. The literature includes compositions from the time of Mozart up to the present The styles of composition vary over a wide range, from classical to impressionist, modem and avant-garde. The Quintet usually performs a number of relatively short numbers in different styles in order to give variety to the program and to appeal to a broad audience. Classical works such as those of Danzi and Reicha. transcriptions of Mozart, Debussy, and Gershwin, and pieces by Scott Joplin and various Russian and Hungarian composers are often included in a single program.