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Pied Piper: Woodwind Wonders of Poulenc and Prokofiev

  • Pen Arts Building 1300 17th Street Northwest Washington, DC, 20036 United States (map)
Pied Piperess: Woodwind Wonders of Poulenc and Prokofiev
$55.00

Pied Piper: Woodwind Wonders of Poulenc and Prokofiev

Pen Arts Building - National League of American Pen Women

1300 17th Street Northwest,
Washington, DC, 20036

Thursday December 12, 2024

Reception begins at 6:30pm
Concert begins at 7:15pm

EVENT DETAILS

Hailed by critics for her “hauntingly beautiful performances,” New York based flutist Emi Ferguson will perform a riveting program anchored by the flute sonatas of Francis Poulenc and Sergei Prokofiev. The French charm and fascination with wind idioms which grace the Poulenc provide a stark contrast to the clear and somber quality of the Soviet influenced work of Prokofiev. Emi’s own transcription of Henry T. Burleigh's song cycle Five Songs on Poems by Laurence Hope sets the poetry of British writer Adela Florence Cory in a soulfully invigorating context.

PLEASE NOTE

The price of your ticket includes hors d’oeuvres and drinks from the open wine and beer bar.

PROGRAM

Henry T. Burleigh - Five Songs on Poems by Laurence Hope

Prokofiev - Flute Sonata

Francis Poulenc - Flute Sonata

FEATURED ARTISTS
Featured
Emi Ferguson, Flute
Emi Ferguson, Flute

Hailed by critics for her “tonal bloom” and “hauntingly beautiful performances,” English-American performer and composer Emi Ferguson stretches the boundaries of what is expected of modern-day musicians. Emi’s unique approach to the flute can be heard in performances that alternate between the Silver Flute, Historical Flutes, and Auxilary Flutes, playing repertoire that stretches from the Renaissance to today.

Emi is very proud to be a 2023 recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, and can be heard live in concerts and festivals around the world as a soloist and with groups including AMOC*, Ruckus, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Handel and Haydn Society, and the Manhattan Chamber Players. Emi has been named the new music director of Camerata Pacifica Baroque in Southern California, dreaming up programs of and inspired by Baroque music for Californian concert goers. Emi was a featured performer alongside Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, and James Taylor at the 10th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony of 9/11 at Ground Zero, where her performance of Amazing Grace was televised worldwide. Her performance that day is now part of the permanent collection at the 911 Museum.

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Christopher Schmitt, Piano
Christopher Schmitt, Piano

Described as "carefully colored" and "sensitive" by The Washington Post, pianist Christopher Schmitt was also hailed as a “formidable talent” and “mature beyond his years” by The Santa Barbara News-Press, regarding his performance of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Having completed his doctorate at The Juilliard School in 2016, he has been sponsored for concerts by The Chopin Foundation of the United States, The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, and The Embassy Series. He performs at the festival Málaga Clasica in Spain, as well as in July of 2016 in his own concert series in Barcelona, Classics in Catalan. A collaborator with cellist Kian Soltani on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts in March 2019. Dr. Schmitt currently resides in Washington DC, and as pianist of “The President's Own" US Marine Chamber Orchestra, performs regularly in the White House and in concert halls across the Washington DC metropolitan area, leading a multifaceted career as chamber musician, pedagogue, and soloist. In 2024, he founded the Classical Arts Society of Washington, where he hopes to share the Beauty of classical music with the world through engaging public concerts, educational outreach initiatives, and the cultivation of a core community of classical music lovers.

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Ghosts of Beethoven: Spectres of Shakespearean Yore
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Frozen in Time: Wintrous Tempests of Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff