The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences will inaugurate a new series featuring fine arts faculty with a performance by the Lyrique Quintette from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 in the Honors Lounge, 130 Gearhart. The show is free and open to the public.

The Fine Arts Faculty Showcase Series will highlight innovative and collaborative research and creative activities by Fulbright College fine arts faculty members. During their opening perfomance, the quintet will perform a selection of movements from their upcoming CD repertoire. Robert Mueller, Department of Music theory and composition professor and University Symphony Orchestra conductor, will also speak about his quintet piece "Veni Variations."

The Lyrique Quintette is the faculty woodwind quintet in residence at the University of Arkansas. Members include Ronda Mains, flute; Theresa Delaplain, oboe; Nophachai Choltitchanta, clarinet; Tim Thompson, horn; and Lia Uribe, bassoon.

A versatile ensemble, the quintet has been invited to perform throughout the United States and abroad. The group has a wide range of repertoire spanning many musical eras, from the richness of the 16th-century Renaissance, to the boldness of 19th-century Romanticism, to contemporary works from some of today's most exciting international composers.

The quintet has been on the touring roster of the Arkansas Arts Council since 1992, and tours regularly, appearing at performing arts centers, universities, schools and other venues across the region, including the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock, the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council, the Bella Vista Village Performing Arts Series, the John Brown University Lyceum Series, the Garland County Library, the Cleburne County Arts Council, Batesville Community Concerts, Hot Springs Village Symphony Guild, Hannibal Concert Association, State Theatre Arts Council in Missouri, the Goddard Center in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City University Guest Artist Series, the Southern Arkansas University Guest Artist Series, the Mary McDonald Music Series in Fort Smith and more. 

The quintet has performed concertos with the Thai National Orchestra and the University of Arkansas Wind Ensemble, and has performed at several national and international conferences. This past summer, the quintet was a featured ensemble at the National Flute Convention in San Diego, California.

Currently, the quintet is preparing for the recording of its second CD, planned for May of this year. This new production, funded by a University of Arkansas Fulbright College grant, will feature pieces by composers from the Americas. Two of the works to be included in the CD are new commissions, and the quintet has been working closely with composers Miguel del Aguila and Robert Mueller in the process of bringing these compositions to life. The recording will take place in May at the new state-of-the-art Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center at the University of Arkansas.