Momentum: Music For Flute And Flute & Electronics

Laura Lentz at Payton Violins

Join us for an evening of evocative music with Laura Lentz, a flutist appreciated for her beauty of tone, expressivity, and creativity, on Saturday, December 7th, at Payton Violins. 

SCHEDULE

Pre-concert talk: 7:00 PM

Performance: 7:30 PM

PROGRAM

Hüzün Nar: The Gorgon Cycles - Tessa Brinckman (alto flute + electronics)

Prismatic Wind - Chloe Upshaw (C flute + electronics)

Hopscotch - Anna Clyne (solo flute)

Discrete Structures - Marc Mellits (as part of world premiere cycle of performances), with Julia Lin, piano

INTERMISSION

Momentum Improvisation for audience + flute*

Weaving Stars - Chloe Upshaw (for 3 C flutes + electronics)

Music of Sean William Calhoun:

Duality Keys (alto flute + electronics)

Syrinx (alto flute + electronics)

Plasmonic Mirror (C flute + electronics)

ABOUT LAURA

Laura Lentz, a passionate interpreter of contemporary music praised for her "striking, meticulous flute playing" (Take Effect) and “enviable control and supple phrasing” (Sequenza21), Lentz has a deep commitment to sharing the work of today’s most forward-thinking composers. Based in Rochester, NY, she is dedicated to both performance and mentorship through her work as a soloist, collaborator, and teacher. Debut solo recording includes works dedicated to her by Dutch composer JacobTV, and her recently published book, Modal Flute Warmup, encourages discovery in one’s playing using modes, is sold internationally. Flutist/Artistic Director of award-winning fivebyfive, her solo work this season includes the release of her third EP Prismatic/Plasmonic and new works by Marc Mellits and JacobTV as part of a new project, Serendipity.

*Momentum Improvisation for audience + flute

In this piece the audience will become an integral part of the music-making process where we will create a spontaneous soundscape through the use of various kinetic toys and objects. The soundscape evolves organically as the audience interacts with small hand-held items that evoke motion or movement, such as fidget spinners, fidget cubes, kinetic sand, magnetic putty, mini hand crank music boxes, pop it fidget toys, small rain sticks or shakers, gyroscope toys, Rubik’s cube or puzzle cubes, or Jacob’s Ladders. Audience members are invited to bring their own, and there will be some available at the concert. The resulting sound environment is one of playful unpredictability. Momentum, in this context, refers not only to the physical movement of these objects, but also to the fluid progression of sound and interaction in the space. Improvising on flute, Laura will respond to the soundscape in real time, weaving in and out of the textures and rhythms created by the audience. The interplay between the organic sounds of the toys and the expressive possibilities of the flute will highlight themes of momentum, spontaneity, and collective creation. This piece is as much about the joy of movement as it is about the music itself, celebrating the unrepeatable nature of every moment.

Don’t forget your fidget spinner or other “momentum” toy for our improvisation!