Syrinx : XXII

Tune in to WXXI - Syrinx : XXII and Sieg's "Inside Kampala" - re-broadcast

With concerts suspended due to the Coronavirus, Rochester’s “Live at Hochstein” series is in a holding pattern, Radio WXXI have chosen to re-broadcast concerts from the series at the usual hour, including part of Syrinx : XXII’s concert there in October, 2019.

Between 12 and 1 pm (ET; 17-18h in Lisbon) on Wednesday, April 29, the longest work from our program, Sören Sieg’s “Inside Kampala” will be aired. The piece is in three movements: “Boda-Boda” (which means rickshaw), a wild ride, indeed; “Beautiful”, which lives up to its name; and “Too Hot!”, full of spicy, jazzy moves. “Inside Kampala” was commissioned by Syrinx : XXII (António Carrilho, recorders, Raj Bhimani, piano, and myself on flutes) and was premiered while on tour in India in 2018, at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Bombay.

Thanks so much to everyone at Radio WXXI in Rochester, and Mona Seghatoleslami, the fantastic host.

The link to Radio "WXXI Rochester and the broadcast is here. Look for the “Classical 91.5” arrow near the upper left corner of the screen. THANKS for listening, and ENJOY!

Mementos from a wonderful tour & performances

Mementos from a wonderful tour & performances

Syrinx : XXII — back at work!

August at the beach? 'Fraid not! August finds me happily rehearsing a fantastic new program with Syrinx : XXII: António Carrilho, recorders and Raj Bhimani, piano. 

We are preparing for our return tour to India in November, taking a program of gorgeous works from four centuries, including Bach, Gluck, Schubert and Mozart, works by living Portuguese composers and the premier of a new trio by Sören Sieg, to boot!

Raj snapped this cool photo of me warming up on the bass flute for the Sieg work—a rollicking fun and beautiful trio that uses the bass flute to perfection—thank you, dear Sören, once again!

Why is the bass flute just so cool?

Why is the bass flute just so cool?

India Travelogue: the Whirlwind Begins!

Nov. 2016—Our first two, oops, three! concerts have already taken place since I last wrote—such is the touring life: lots of packing and unpacking, setting up, taking down, travel, EATING (great food!), and trying to fit in some sleep! 

The first concert was at the "Piano Man" Jazz Club in Delhi, which was a totally chic venue with a fantastically warm audience, many of whom were hearing their first-ever live Western classical music concert! We were honored! The Club features not only Jazz, but every kind of music, including Indian Classical music and Western pop music of all kinds. A great openness to all music is the result!

The Club has produced over 380 concerts in just 14 months, IMAGINE THAT! 

Our concert was tremendously well-received, with special kudos to the new trio by Carlos Marecos' which had its premiere. Many in the audience came up afterwards to mention how moved they were by the work, which depicts seven rural villas in Portugal with the special harmonic genius of Marecos setting the scene for each. Thank you, Carlos, for such a magnificent piece!!

Photos: Arjun Sagar Gupta, owner of the Piano Man; a fine collection of recorders; Syrinx : XX colleagues rehearsing; a seriously cool chandelier made of, well, trumpets!!