LA GRANDE — The Grande Ronde Symphony Association will present the first Chamber Series concert of the season, “A Classical Winter Treat,” on Saturday, Feb. 17.

As a part of its Chamber Music series, the concert will be presented at the home of Tim and Linda Gleeson, 307 C Ave., beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 and available online at GrandeRondeSymphony.org. Seating for this concert is limited to 30. Refreshments will be served.

The first half of the program will feature the Grande Ronde Symphony Woodwind Quintet playing a variety of pieces from throughout the classical period, ranging from the prim and perfect Divertimento in B-flat major by Joseph Haydn to the beautiful Pastorale for Woodwind Quintet by Amy Beach.

Violinist Viet Block and pianist Mio Aoike will play in the second half of the program with pieces from the romantic period such as the dramatic Czardas by Vittorio Monti as well as selections by Amy Beach, Manuel de Falla, and Maurice Ravel.

The Grande Ronde Symphony Quintet Players hail from Baker City and La Grande and include Sammi Stone, Kelly Hardy, Gracie King, Janice Cowan, Steve Tanner and Cilla Coe.

“This is our first time playing together as a small ensemble group,” Cowan said. “Our goal is to highlight the different tones and textures of the various instruments within the woodwind family. I believe we have accomplished this with our program selections.”

Viet Block

Block is the assistant concertmaster of the Oregon East Symphony and Walla Wally Symphony. She performs with the Boise Philharmonic and the Yakima Symphony often. She has performed with notable artists Smokey Robinson, Anne Akiko Meyers, Joshua Bell and others. She can be heard on numerous recordings, such as Jacob Miller’s (NBC’s“The Voice” 2020) singles “Cut My Teeth” and “St. Mary’s Gospel Choir” from This New Home, Stelth Ulvang’s (The Lumineers) solo album “And, as Always; The Infinite Cosmos,” and Cody ChesnuTT’s live studio session of “Chips Down (In No Landfill)” for NPR Music.

Block also teaches through her private studio and the Oregon East Symphony’s education programs. She actively studies with Chicago Symphony violinist, Cornelius Chiu.

Mio Aoike

Aoike is on the faculty at Eastern Oregon University where she is a senior instructor of piano and serves as a collaborative pianist. She holds a doctorate in piano performance from the University of Oregon, a master’s of music in piano from the University of Southern California and a bachelor of arts from Reed College in Portland.

She spent her early years abroad, participating in international music festivals and studying with teachers in Japan, Jordan, and Venezuela. Her serious music training started in graduate school, where she studied piano performance and keyboard collaborative arts and served as a teaching fellow in vocal and instrumental studios.