Saturday 2/9 8:00pm

Willow Flute Ensemble members:

Kimberly Arkin
Theresa D’Errico, General Manager
Michael Horowitz
Liz Horwitz, librarian, string bass
Rebecca M. Makara
Pamela Nichols, treasurer
Michelle Nover
Laura Smolowitz, secretary
Philip C. Trackman
Liza Vick
Laura Wexler
Asako Yoshida, historian
Orlando Cela, music director
 
Third Life Studio welcomes back the Willow Flute Ensemble! This February, they will be presenting a concert of American Contemporary Music.  The program will include well-known composers such as Peter Schickele and new promising talent, including a work by Cambridge based composer Peter McMurray, "Divje Babe," which was commissioned by the Barlow Foundation for the Willow Flute Ensemble.  Come and hear the magic of multiple flutes, from piccolos to bass flutes!
 
The Willow Flute Ensemble, conducted by Orlando Cela, was founded in the Fall of 1997 by a core group of flutists who had played together at the Powers Music School in Belmont, Massachusetts.  Under the guidance of Music Director Rebecca Carson Rogers, this ensemble began to delve deeper into the capabilities of the multiple flute ensemble. Willow sought to expand beyond the standard repertoire of orchestral transcriptions and the small amount of well-known flute choir literature, and to demonstrate (and increase) the possibilities of a medium-sized (10-16 member) ensemble that believes in featuring low flutes. One of Willow's first goals was to perform all six of the Boismortier flute quintets, the earliest known works written specifically for flutes. Over the course of four and a half years, Willow accomplished this goal, experimenting with employing different combinations of alto and bass flutes.

The Ensemble has performed in situations as diverse as Jordan Hall, Payne Hall, the Zeitgeist Gallery, the Brickbottom Artists Association, the Boston Symphony Cafe, the Lexington Historial Society, the Longy School of Music Bach's Lunch and Family Series, the Suzuki School of Newton Family Concert Series and many local libraries including Newton, Sudbury, Somerville and Waltham.  
 
In January of 2006 and March of 2007 Willow expanded their ranks to present it's annual "Mega-Flute" concert with more than 35 flutes.  The 2006-2007 season saw another new project with the launch of Willow's children concert.  Premiering in February 2007 was Rumpelstiltskin, a commissioned work by Boston composer Vartan Aghababian.  In an ongoing effort to expand flute ensemble repetoire, Mr. Cela has arranged music written for other instruments.  Some arrangements come from classical repertoire such as J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, Camille Saint-Saens La Danse Macabre and several Teleman Fantasias.  Many other Cela arrangements come from folk music from widely varying cultures, including Romania, Venezuela and Sweden. 
 
Please visit the Willow website at www.willowfluteensemble.com for complete up to date information on all upcoming performances.