INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN FLUTIST PATRICIA SPENCER PRESENTS A FREE RECITAL, “FLUTE PAST, FLUTE PRESENT” ON JUNE 14, AT BARD COLLEGE

Performance features works by Bach, Telemann, Karchin, Fujikura, and Musgrave ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—A free recital featuring internationally known flutist Patricia Spencer, as well as harpsichordist Frederick Hammond and flutists Melissa Sweet and Don Hulbert, is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, at Bard College’s Bard Hall. No reservations are necessary, but space is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. The program, titled “Flute Past, Flute Present,” features performances of J. S. Bach’s Sonata in E Minor, Georg Philipp Telemann’s Quartet in D Minor, Louis Karchin’s “Fanfare/Pavane,” Dai Fujikura’s “Poison Mushroom,” for flute and electronic sounds, and Thea Musgrave’s “Narcissus,” for flute and digital delay. This recital opens the annual five-day seminar, directed by Spencer, that is devoted to the study of present-day flute repertoire. Spencer explains, “The juxtaposition of old and new repertoire is one of the primary pursuits that I am teaching in the seminar—exploring today’s works with a view to their connection (if any) to the musical language of the past.” The participants of the seminar will perform a closing recital in Bard Hall on Saturday, June 18, at 8:00 p.m., which is also free and open to the public. For further information, call 845-758-7512. -continued- About the Performers: Frederick Hammond, the Irma Brandeis Professor of Romance Culture and Music History at Bard, performs widely in Europe and the United States as solo organist and harpsichordist. He specializes in baroque continuo playing and has performed as continuo harpsichordist in more than 30 operas. He was the keyboard continuo player for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and has appeared with such conductors as Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan, Simon Rattle, Paul Hindemith, and Leon Botstein. Flutist Don Hulbert is a uniquely versatile musician whose expertise spans the length and breadth of flute repertoire. James Oestreich in the New York Times proclaimed him “. . . a gifted flutist who delights as much in versatility as in sheer virtuosity,” praised his “impressive artistry” and commented that “Hulbert seemed as fully at home on the old wooden instrument as on his modern metal one.” Hulbert made his official New York recital debut as an Artists International Special Presentation Award winner in 1993. He is an active freelance musician and recitalist in the New York area, and has performed with groups as diverse as Friends & Enemies of New Music and Music Before 1800, and in venues as varied as Merkin Concert Hall and Performance Space 122 in New York’s East Village. He performs regularly with the American Virtuosi (an early-music ensemble) and is a founding member of the Castillo Cultural Center. He has presented a number of world premiere performances, including “The New Math(s)” by Louis Andriessen, with Ensemble Sospeso at Columbia University’s Miller Theater; Martin Hennessy’s Le virus s’amuse (which was commissioned especially for Hulbert); Kirk Nurock’s “(Unlikely) Aspirations” for solo flute and imaginary creatures; and “Majnun Songs” by Alla Borzova. Patricia Spencer is flutist with the Naumburg Award–winning Da Capo Chamber Players, performing with them in international festivals as well as in a high-profile annual concert series in New York City. In August 2004, as soloist in Joan Tower’s Flute Concerto (with Ransom Wilson conducting), she received a standing ovation from flutists attending the National Flute Association Convention. Spencer has appeared in solo performances at the Moscow Alternativa Festival and the ICMC in Beijing, China, as well as throughout the United States. She has recorded for the Bridge, GM Recordings, New World, CRI, Innova, and Neuma labels. An exciting repertoire of pieces has been written for her, including title works of one of her solo CDs, Narcissus and Kairos (Neuma Records). In May 2005, Spencer was honored by the League of Composers/International Society for Contemporary Music, for a distinguished career in performance across a broad range of repertoire and for her commitment to new music. She teaches flute and chamber music at Bard College and Hofstra University. Melissa Sweet studied at the Eastman School of Music; her teachers include Oberbrunner, Mariano, Monteux, Panitz, Robison, Solum, and Spencer; she took master classes with Robert Willoughby. She teaches privately in Saugerties and is on the adjunct faculty at Ulster County Community College. Sweet is principal flutist in the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and has been a member of the Woodstock Chamber Players, Flutations, and La Grande Écurie. # # # (6/2/05)

This event was last updated on 06-15-2005

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