This month, Rebecca and I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Miyazawa Artists, Claudia Anderson and Jill Felber, otherwise known as ZAWA! What a fun and energetic interview to kick off their new tour, ZAWA! Reimagined.
To watch the interview, click HERE.
ZAWA! is the longest-standing professional flute duo of our time. Musical soulmates Jill Felber and Claudia Anderson merged artistic forces in 1997 and, from their first commission onwards, expanded the literature, power, and expressive range of two flutes together over 25 years. running the edgE by Jennifer Higdon (commissioned in 1997) burst open the expressive possibilities of two flutes together and laid the foundation for ZAWA!’s commitment to expand this repertoire and to reflect a wealth of contemporary styles. Their arrangements of Claudio Monteverdi and Jules Mouquet exhibit sheer beauty of sound and breathtaking lyricism at the other end of the expressive spectrum. Collectively, ZAWA!’s diverse repertoire displays the drama, versatility and humor they are known for, all delivered with high-spirited energy and impact.
In 2008 ZAWA! commissioned flutist-composer Cynthia Folio to write Z3 for two flutes and piano (2008) and recorded it on Cynthia’s chamber music CD Inverno Azul in 2014 (BCM&D Records). ZAWA!’s focus on the environment resulted in a major double concerto in 2014 by Cynthia Folio, Winds for Change. This 14-minute work, a meditation on the effects of climate change, began scored for string orchestra, percussion, and electronics. Premiered at Grinnell College in 2014, it evolved over the next years to its present form, with 9 flutes replacing the strings. ZAWA! and colleague Angeleita Floyd (as conductor) have toured with this version since 2017, involving flute studios around the country and flute festivals worldwide, that comprise the flute orchestra and often include professional and high-level amateurs in the community. This inclusive approach – perfectly suited to regional, national and international flute society festivals – has captured the essence of collaborative performance at its most rewarding for all.
ZAWA! has appeared at New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, and colleges and universities nationwide. Recognized as a unique and brilliant partnership, they have been guest artists at national and international flute festivals and have enjoyed headliner performances spanning 2001 to 2024 at the National Flute Association annual conventions. In December of 2023, ZAWA! released their
album ZAWA! Remix to all major streaming services. In 2025 ZAWA! enters its 27th season with a brand new program of works for two flutes and electronic media. Jennifer Higdon’s original dedication in the score of running the edgE, “to Jill and Claudia, always running the edge,” proved prophetic over the next 25 years. ZAWA!’s commissions, arrangements, and programs with repertoire ever pushing boundaries have led to ZAWA! Reimagined. Their new program includes enticing scores from composers both known and emerging, and electronic versions of pieces from earlier repertoire. Follow their latest touring news at zawaflutes2.com
CLAUDIA ANDERSON is known for her originality and brilliance as a solo and chamber music performer across the U.S. She is a founding member of the innovative flute duo ZAWA! (with Jill Felber) and the summer flute intensive Passion Flute: Foundations for Creative Performing. Principal flute with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls (IA) Symphony, during the summer Anderson is flute faculty and Wind Area Head of the College Intensive program at Rocky Ridge Music (www.rockyridge.org) in Colorado. She has taught at the Universities of Iowa and Northern Iowa, Ithaca College, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Grinnell College. An active member of the National Flute Association, she has performed at multiple conventions, served on committees, and adjudicated many of the NFA’s soloist competitions. Claudia’s solo album In This World (released in 2014 on cdbaby) included her debut as a composer, Weather Conversations for flute andelectronics (ALRY Publications, 2017). Claudia’s recent project Glass Ceilings commissioned several high-profile women composers and flutists to write pieces for flute(s) solo and electronic media. The program of works by Eve Beglarian, Lisa Bost-Sandberg, Allison Loggins-Hull, Ali Ryerson, and Anderson has toured nationally since early 2022. Claudia’s work Glass Ceilings (published by alrypublications.com) won the NFA’s Newly Published Music Competition in 2023.
JILL FELBER, flutist, has been hailed for her “beautifully finished performances” by The Detroit News and has been praised by Musical America for her “handsome performance.” “Played with flair” (The Los Angeles Times), “the incredible flutist… the dazzling flutist…the radiant flutist Jill Felber” (The Independent, Santa Barbara), is known to excite audiences everywhere. Jill Felber has performed solo recitals, chamber music, and concertos on five continents and has held residencies in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Brazil, Great Britain and the United States. A tireless promoter of new music, Ms. Felber has inspired many composers to write solo, concerto and chamber works for her and is currently engaged in several commissioning projects. She has premiered over six hundred works for the flute and has released world premiere recordings for Centaur Records, CRI, Neuma Records and Zawa!music. Active in the National Flute Association, Ms. Felber has served as a member of its Board of Directors and served as the 1993 Program Chair for the Boston flute convention. Holding degrees from University of Michigan and Bowling Green State University, Ms. Felber has taught on the faculties of Ohio University, Capital University, and Wright State University. She tours with the innovative flute duo ZAWA! and as recitalist with pianist Dianne Frazer. Ms. Felber presents her popular EXTREME MAKEOVER: FLUTE EDITION and WHOLE FLUTES® seminars throughout the country. Her teachers include Keith Bryan, Judith Bentley and Samuel Baron. She is currently Professor Emerita at the University of California, Santa Barbara.