The 2011 New York Flute Club Flute Fair was last weekend, and as usual it was a day of wonderful concerts, classes, and visiting with lots of old friends. I spent the morning helping a student buy a brand new flute (a beautiful Trevor James Virtuoso model), so I won’t even try to recap all the events because I couldn’t attend them all! It goes without saying that Paula Robison’s Guest Artist masterclass and finale concert were fantastic. I’ve heard Zara Lawler perform before, and I’ve heard Katherine Hoover’s “Kokopelli” a hundred times, but I have never heard it come to life as Zara performed it last weekend, inserting storytelling in the middle with Ms. Hoover’s blessing from the audience. And lucky you, she’s put it on YouTube!
Zara Lawler performing \”Kokopelli\”
I also really enjoyed hearing Tanya Dusevic Witek for the first time on the morning’s “American Composer” concert, and then later heard her flute choir from Montclair State University impressively conquer an Ian Clarke piece. I knew nothing about Flutronix before the “Multiple Breaths” concert with Robert Dick, but they were fantastic. Their beats and grooves will make you think you have been swallowed by a nightclub, but they play beautifully and their compositions are not only accessible but memorable. I found myself humming one later that day (which after hearing hundreds of flutes is saying something!), and recognized the same pieces on their website (you can listen via the player at the bottom of their homepage). Check out “Crazy” from their new CD on YouTube:
watch?v=D9SKAXReMHg&feature=related
Enjoy!