“An extremely persuasive advocate for the flute quartet medium: four top-quality players in a perfectly balanced and expressive ensemble” Musical America With the highly successful premieres of Schwantner and Brown at its sold-out 25th Anniversary Concert at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Flute Force continues to be an innovator and leader in the flute world. Recipient of grants from the NEA, Chamber Music America, NYSCA and Meet the Composer, New York City-based Flute Force’s members are Elizabeth Brown, Sheryl Henze, Rie Schmidt and Wendy Stern. Flute Force is self-managed, and tours and teaches internationally. www.fluteforce.org The Baths of Caracalla was written by flutist and composer Elizabeth Brown. Four alto flutists emerge and recede from a recorded soundscape which includes theremin and bowed psaltery as well as a choir of prerecorded alto flutes; together, these form imaginary reverberations from the actual Baths of Caracalla of ancient Rome, now a vast, mysterious ruin. In the expressive and virtuosic Silver Halo, composer Joseph Schwantner combines and illustrates the sounds of the C flute, piccolo, alto flute, bass flute and a pair of energy chimes, which are cast in three stylistically diverse movements created to engage the virtuosic craft and the collective talents of the quartet. This commission was made possible by the Brannen-Cooper Fund and other generous donors. Elizabeth Brown combines a composing career with a diverse performing life, playing flute, shakuhachi, theremin, and dan bau (Vietnamese monochord) in a wide variety of musical circles. Shaped by this unique group of instruments and experiences, her chamber music has been called luminous, dreamlike and hallucinatory. Brown’s music has been heard in Japan, the Soviet Union, Colombia, Australia and Vietnam as well as across the US and Europe. She has received grants, awards and commissions from Orpheus, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Newband, Guggenheim Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, Japan/ US Friendship Commission, Cary Trust, Barlow Foundation, and NYFA. A solo CD, “Blue Minor: Chamber Music by Elizabeth Brown” is available from Albany Records. www.ElizabethBrownComposer.com Known for his dramatic style and innovative orchestrations, Joseph Schwantner is one of today’s most prominent American composers. He has served on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, and the Yale School of Music. Schwantner’s career has been marked by many awards, including several Grammy nominations, and the Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for his orchestral composition Aftertones of Infinity. Schwantner’s commissions include works for the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, eighth blackbird, Flute Force, the Percussive Arts Society, and the Samuel Baron Memorial Consortium. www.schwantner.net