The Westerlies (Musicians/Composers for Julius Caesar) are a New York-based brass quartet comprised of childhood friends Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet and Andy Clausen and Willem de Koch on trombone.  Formed in 2011, the self-described “accidental brass quartet” takes its name from the prevailing winds that travel from the West to the East.  “Skilled interpreters who are also adept improvisers” (NPR’s Fresh Air), The Westerlies explore jazz, roots, and chamber music influences to create the rarest of hybrids: music that is both “folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music).  The ensemble has produced two critically-acclaimed albums: Wish the Children Would Come On Home: The Music of Wayne Horvitz, and The Westerlies.  The group will be releasing their third full-length album, Wherein Lies the Good, in early 2020.  They were featured with Fleet Foxes at Coachella, the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theatre Berkeley, Red Rocks, the Newport Folk Festival, Merriweather Post Pavilion, the Santa Fe Opera, Outside Lands in San Francisco, Panorama New York City, and the Pitchfork Music Festival.  Education and community engagement are core elements of The Westerlies’ mission.  Each season, the ensemble reaches thousands of students around the country with their innovative and inspiring assemblies and master classes.