Carol Wincenc's ONLY AT THE MERKIN WITH TERRANCE MCKNIGHT Will Feature World Premieres by Matsui & Sirota

Carol Wincenc 50th Anniversary: It's Golden!, a three-concert series that celebrates the acclaimed flutist's half-century onstage, continues with its second event, "Only at Merkin with Terrance McKnight: Carol Wincenc," part of the Merkin Hall series hosted by the WQXR evening host, on Sunday, February 23, 2020, at 5:00 pm.

The program will feature the world premiere performances of two of five new works commissioned for the season: Sato Matsui's The Goldenrod Sonata for flute and piano, and Robert Sirota's Dancing With the Angels for flute, viola, and harp. Carol will be joined by Bryan Wagorn, piano, and the two other members of her trio, Les Amies - Cynthia Phelps, viola, and Nancy Allen, harp - for the program, which will open with Minuet and "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. In between the selections, Terrance McKnight will talk with Carol, the composers, and the guest artists, about the music and the artists' creative process.

Carol Wincenc is one of the most celebrated flutists performing today. A Grammy-nominated artist, she has performed worldwide with major orchestras and at name festivals and has collaborated as a chamber musician with eminent ensembles and soloists. Her virtuosity, deeply heartfelt musicality, and ebullient charisma have combined to make her that rare musician - a star solo flutist - for five decades.

Sunday, February 23, 2020, at 5:00 pm at Merkin Concert Hall

Carol Wincenc 50th Anniversary: It's Golden! - Concert 2:

"Only at Merkin with Terrance McKnight - Carol Wincenc, flute"

Carol Wincenc, flute

Bryan Wagorn, piano

Les Amies (Carol Wincenc, flute; Cynthia Phelps, viola; Nancy Allen, harp)

Terrance McKnight, host

Christoph Willibald Gluck Minuet and "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from Orfeo ed Euridice

SATO MATSUI The Goldenrod Sonata for Flute and Piano (World premiere)

ROBERT SIROTA Dancing With the Angels for Flute, Viola, and Harp (World premiere)

Robert Sirota says about his work: "The title, Dancing With the Angels, is drawn from the closing statement of the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, Chair of the House Oversight Committee, which ended the Michael Cohen hearing in February 28, 2019: 'When we're dancing with the angels, the question we'll be asked: In 2019, what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact? Did we stand on the sidelines and say nothing?'

"The angels I invoke for this narrative are the most powerful of all, the Archangels - defenders of the righteous, bringers of hope and healing: Gabriel the Messenger, Raphael the Healer, Uriel the Wise, and Michael the Warrior."

Sato Matsui says about The Goldenrod Sonata, "Gold, to me, is the color that captures Carol's boundless energy, generosity, humor, and creativity, and the three contrasting movements likewise try to musically evoke these qualities. The first movement paints a sea of goldenrods, tossing and swaying bountifully in the waves of late summer wind. As the sun sets and the temperature begins to drop, the second movement evokes the dewy musk that lingers in a shadowy reminiscence of the golden hour. The third and final movement is a play on a well-known anonymous German folk song, which has been popularized in Japanese as a song about a butterfly that frolics amongst golden flowers and cherry blossoms."

Carol Wincenc 50th Anniversary: It's Golden! is a three-concert New York series in the 2019-20 season that celebrates Carol's 50 years onstage and highlights the most cherished aspect of her artistic life with the world premieres of five new works commissioned for the occasion. Carol's deep commitment to the expansion of the flute repertoire is evidenced by the 15 concertos (by Christopher Rouse, Henryk Górecki, Lukas Foss, Joan Tower, and Jake Heggie, among others), nine chamber works, and 22 solo flute pieces that have been commissioned either by or for her during her career, and the five new works bring the total number to 51.

On November 12, 2019, at The Morgan Library and Museum, two works had their world premiere performances: Jake Heggie's Full Circle Fifty for flute, cello, and piano, and Pierre Jalbert's Air in Motion for flute and string quartet. Larry Alan Smith's Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Viola, Cello and Piano will have its world premiere at the third concert of Carol's anniversary series, on Thursday, April 16, 2020, at Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University:

Thursday, April 16, 2020, at 7:00 pm at Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University

Carol Wincenc 50th Anniversary: It's Golden! - Concert 3

Carol Wincenc, flute

Hsin-Chiao Liao, piano

James Austin Smith, oboe

Matt Lipman, viola

Mihai Marica, cellist

Flute students, colleagues, and friends

VALERIE COLEMAN Amazonia

J. S. BACH Sonata in B minor BWV 1030

GABRIEL FAURÉ Morceau de Concours

GEORGE ENESCU Cantabile et Presto for Flute and Piano

LARRY Alan Smith Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Viola, Cello and Piano (World premiere)*

Daniel Paget Romania! Fantasy for Flute and Piano*

ANDREW THOMAS A Samba! for Solo Flutes, Flute Choir, Percussion, String Quintet, Harp, Piano*

*works commissioned by Carol Wincenc

Carol Wincenc: The Ruby Concerts Documentary

Carol Wincenc: The Ruby Concerts is a one-hour documentary by filmmaker Leonard Yakir that focuses on Carol's 40th anniversary in 2009-10, which she celebrated with a three-concert New York series. The DVD of the documentary will be on sale at the concerts.

Additional world premieres in 2019-20

In addition to the five works commissioned for the season, Carol performed the premieres of two more works for flute and piano: Five Andean Improvisations for Flute and Piano by Gabriela Lena Frank to honor the 100th anniversary of the New York Flute Club on November 17, 2019, at Merkin Concert Hall; and one by Valerie Coleman for the Flute New Music Consortium, on January 18, 2020, at the Staller Arts Center at Stony Brook.

Misericordia - Carol plays works for flute by Yuko Uebayashi - a new Azica Records release

Carol's latest recording, released in August, is a disc of three works by Yuko Uebayashi: Misericordia for flute and string quartet (2013); Au-delà du Temps for two flutes and piano (2002); and Town Lights for two flutes and piano (2007). She is joined on the recording by the Escher String Quartet; Tanya Dusevic Witek, flute; Stephen Gosling, piano; and Emile Naoumoff, piano. Uebayashi, born in Japan and living in France, composes a great deal for the flute.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8659871--misericordia

Carol has just completed her second Creating Resonance Flute Retreat at the Rochester Folk Art Guild in Rochester, NY; see her Instagram page for photos and videos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2rXASXga5D/