From John: "The works on this program are some of my favorite pieces, spanning from the early 20th century to within the last decade. Two of the works, by Gieseking and Taktakishvili, can be heard on my favorite album of flute music, performed by the great Jeanne Baxtresser, former principal flutist of the New York Philharmonic. Walter Gieseking's Sonatine is very reminiscent of soundtrack music from the early days of motion picture scoring. Georgian composer Otar Taktakishvili gives us a peek behind the iron curtain of the former Soviet Union, combining beautiful and technical melodies with soulful folk tunes. These pieces will bookend Amanda Harberg's piccolo sonata, a lovely new addition to the repertoire written for the smallest member of the flute family. While many works written for solo piccolo tend to exploit the perceived cuteness of this tiny instrument, Harberg provides a setting for genuine virtuosity and musical expression like few other composers do for the piccolo."
Program:
Sonatine for flute and piano (1937)
Walter Gieseking (1895-1956)
Sonata for piccolo and piano (2019)
Amanda Harberg (b. 1973)
Sonata for flute and piano (1966)
Otar Taktakishvili (1924-1989)
Flutist John Ross is an accomplished soloist, educator, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. He is on the faculty and administration of the Portland Conservatory of Music (ME). He also teaches and performs in the summers for Sparrow Music Camp in High Springs, FL and the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra in Branson, MO. He has also taught on the faculty of the FSU Summer Music Camps and Music for the Sake of Music (MFSOM) in Green Bay, WI.
Dr. Ross has been principal flute of the orchestra for MFSOM, the Italian-American Opera Festival Orchestra (CA), the Charleston Chamber Orchestra (WV), and has also performed with the Topeka Symphony, the Muncie Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony, and the Charleston Light Opera Guild. He has appeared as soloist with the WVSU Wind Ensemble, the FSU Symphonic Band, and the orchestra of MFSOM. He has been a featured soloist with the WVSU and Cottey College Wind Ensembles, the Florida State University Symphonic Band, the orchestra of Music for the Sake of Music, and the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra in Hamilton, OH. His flute ensemble Silver Lining Flutes toured around Costa Rica in Spring 2017, performing and giving masterclasses as part of the Promising Artists of the 21st Century series. His folk trios, Cuttin' Bracken and Rakish Ramblers, have performed throughout northern Florida, including multiple performances at the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, FL.
Dr. Ross attended West Virginia University, Ball State University, and Florida State University, studying with Joyce Catalfano, Thomas Godfrey, Francesca Arnone, Mihoko Watanabe, and Eva Amsler. He is also pursuing a certification in body mapping through the Association for Body Mapping Education, studying with Amy Likar.
Chiharu Naruse has performed as a soloist and a chamber musician throughout the United States, Germany, France, and Japan. Her broad range of orchestral repertoire include performances of Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Mozart, and Schumann piano concertos with multiple orchestras. Naruse has also performed with the DaPonte Quartet, Portland String Quartet, VentiCordi, and the Portland Ballet. Her musical projects range from German classical repertoire to regular collaborations with contemporary composers in the interpretation and performance of their compositions. Naruse is frequently contracted by recording companies to record contemporary music. To date, she has several recordings with Navona Records and, most recently, released a solo album of compositions by Kenneth Kuhn from Big Round Records.
In addition to maintaining a regular performance schedule, Naruse is also a well respected teacher, chamber music coach and competition adjudicator with many of her students receiving competition awards and gaining acceptance to major music conservatories.
Naruse is currently a Collaborative Pianist and member of applied music faculty at Bates College and the faculty of the Portland Conservatory of Music. Naruse is a graduate from Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin, Germany where she studied piano with Klaus Bäßler, art song collaboration with Wolfram Rieger, and chamber music with Suzanne Glützmann. She is also a former student of Frank Glazer.
