In the summer of 2023, the idea for the Flutelore album came to me the way many of my projects do—through a conversation over dinner with friends and family. My husband (a fellow musician) and I were discussing storytelling through music, thematic albums, and how to make large-scale works like concertos more accessible to performers and ensembles. After a year and a half of dedicated work, the project came to fruition on February 14, 2025, thanks to a generous grant from Florida State University and the collaboration of an extraordinary team of artists and colleagues I’m proud to call friends. The result was the creation of two innovative flute concertos by Nicole Chamberlain and Cherise Leiter, and the recording and release of these works on a brand-new album. These concertos will not only enrich the flute repertoire but also address important issues within the classical music community, such as the need for more diverse and accessible programming.
Establishing the Album Theme
As I brainstormed themes that would resonate with a wide audience while also inspiring me personally, I kept coming back to the idea of folklore and fairytales. Like many children, I grew up on stories ranging from the enchantment of Disney fairytales to the cautionary lessons of Aesop’s fables. As I explored folklore from around the world, I discovered that many of these tales feature music, and more specifically, the flute. It became clear that inviting composers to write a flute concerto inspired by folktales, fairytales, mythology, and proverbs of their choosing—specifically those that feature the flute—would yield music as diverse and captivating as the stories themselves. Nicole and Cherise exceeded my expectations, creating works that embody humor, love, meditation, and, at times, dark warnings. Nicole selected three fairytales, while Cherise chose four proverbs. The resulting concertos—Animalis by Chamberlain and Four Proverbs by Leiter—each reflect their distinctive compositional voices while tapping into the universal appeal of folklore.
Additionally, I asked both composers to write concertos with flexible accompaniments, allowing them to be performed with flute and chamber winds, flute and string orchestra, or flute and flute choir. This flexibility was meant to offer a wide range of performance possibilities for each piece, and it is my hope that both pieces will be programmed more frequently because of these options.
The Stories
Leiter’s Four Proverbs draws from a variety of sources. The first movement is inspired by the Latin proverb, “All flute players are mad. When once they begin to blow, away goes reason.” The second movement reflects a quote by the Indian mystic poet Kabir: “The flute of the infinite is played without ceasing, and its sound is love,” beginning with the flutist on alto flute and the ensemble humming softly. The third movement incorporates text from Fairyland, illustrated by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite and written by Annie Rentoul and Grenbry Outhwaite: “Then clear on a flute of purest gold a sweet little fairy played. And wonderful fairy tales she told, and marvelous music made.” The final movement is inspired by the Persian poet Rumi’s quote: “Play the flute of felicity! You, yourself, are the melody,” and leads the work to a joyous conclusion.
Chamberlain’s Animalis, which draws from the Latin word for “breath” and the term for earthly creatures, explores narratives involving animals and the flute. Each movement captures the magical and whimsical interactions between them. The first movement, Calling Sheep, is inspired by the tradition of shepherds across various cultures who use the flute to communicate with their sheep, evoking pastoral scenes where the flute guides and comforts the flock. The second movement, No Fish Were Charmed, is based on a Greek fable about a fisherman who tries to enchant fish with his flute. When the fish refuse to dance, he captures them in a net and mocks their lack of cooperation. The movement reflects the fable’s humorous yet tragic tone, with playful yet poignant motifs. The final movement, Wolf Pipe, is based on an Aesop fable in which a young goat cleverly persuades a wolf to play his pipe one last time, attracting the flock’s dogs to rescue the goat. This movement conveys a blend of tension and relief, incorporating lively rhythms to capture the chase and ultimate triumph of the young goat’s wit.
The Artistic Team
I selected composers Nicole Chamberlain and Cherise Leiter for the Flutelore project because of their previous work pushing the boundaries of standard flute literature and their ability to create imaginative, programmatic works that perfectly align with the project’s theme. Both are award-winning composers with extensive experience writing for the flute, and I have had the privilege of collaborating with each of them for over a decade. Their innovative approaches to the instrument, combined with their unique musical voices, made them ideal for this project. Beyond their professional accolades, our friendship enhanced our artistic collaboration, bringing an added level of trust and creativity to the work.
I selected the Newfound Chamber Winds to be the performing ensemble on the album because of my long-standing personal connection with the group, having been a founding member since 2015. The Newfound Chamber Winds excel in blending technical precision with expressive artistry. Their commitment to expanding the wind music repertoire through commissioning and collaborations, coupled with their passion for making music accessible to all, made them the perfect choice for this project. Our shared camaraderie and dedication to conveying the humanity in music are what truly bring Flutelore to life.
Evan Harger, Assistant Conductor of the Newfound Chamber Winds, and Matthew Angelo, a flutist with NFCW, served as the album’s producers. Evan focused on the ensemble sound while Matthew concentrated on the solo flute part. Having one producer dedicated to each aspect, along with the composers in the booth to provide feedback and answer questions, ensured that the recording process went quickly and smoothly. We were also lucky enough to have additional members of the Newfound Chamber Winds Yuji Jones, Danielle Fisher, Cheyenne Cruz, and Brian Do assisting with production in the booth.
The Commissioning and Recording Process
The commissioning and compositional process took several months, during which the composers explored various structural, technical, and thematic ideas inspired by their chosen stories. Toward the end of the process, I met with Nicole, Cherise, Tyler Austin, the conductor of the Newfound Chamber Winds, and Eric Dluzniewski, our recording engineer. We discussed extended flute techniques, ensemble balance, and how to effectively record non-instrumental techniques like stomping, singing, and speaking in Leiter’s concerto.
The composers delivered their pieces to Tyler and members of Newfound Chamber Winds in May 2024, and we rehearsed and recorded at Old Dominion University’s Diehn School of Music in June over the course of five days. This recording session was part of a larger festival organized by the Newfound Chamber Winds, which also included a Young Artist Fellowship Program and the Tidewater Conducting Summit.
What truly made this experience exciting for me as both a performer and educator was the opportunity it provided to the student conductors participating in the conducting summit. Rather than being passive observers, they were fully integrated into the rehearsal process. Each conductor had the chance to rehearse a movement from one of the concertos and offer insights that contributed to the workshopping of the pieces. Some student conductors participated even further, assisting with the recording sessions as assistant producers. They provided feedback and gained hands-on experience in both artistic and technical aspects of music production. The students who assisted with production were Texas A&M University Kingsville students Daniel Heredia, Cristobal Mendez, Alejandro Nava, and Carlos Navarro.
Live Performances and the Future of the Concertos
Two movements from each concerto were premiered live at the Newfound Chamber Winds Summer Festival at Old Dominion University in June 2024, in their flute and chamber winds form. The complete premiere of the chamber winds version of Animalis was given at Michigan State University in January 2025 with Yuji Jones conducting. Additional chamber winds performances are scheduled with the Colorado Wind Ensemble in May 2025, and the flute choir and string orchestra versions will receive their premieres during the summer of 2025, both in the United States and Europe.
I hope the flute community embraces these works as much as we have, and I can’t wait to see how they will take on new life in the hands of other flutists and ensembles. Flutelore is now available on all major streaming platforms.