Memoir

Memoir (2024), for two flutes and piano, was commissioned by a consortium of flutists organized by Duo Flautas Frescas. It is also dedicated to Duo Flautas Frescas (Julia Barnett and Alina Windell) who premiered it February 1, 2025, at St.Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in San Diego.

The flutes are closely entwined, sharing the same worldview, reinforcing each other. They are ecstatic and melancholy, rambunctious and delicate, striving and dreamy. The piano functions as an omnipotent narrator—setting the underlying emotional landscape, commenting, framing certain sections, or steering the music from one section to another.

As I was writing Memoir, fragments of favorite pieces from the flute repertoire kept insinuating themselves. I realized that I was remembering my own flute career, playing so much beautiful music with flute colleagues who were (and still are) close friends. I’m grateful for each flutist who joined the consortium and will perform Memoir with their own colleagues and friends.