GUILFORD — Friends of Music at Guilford's Midwinter Musicale is on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m., in the sanctuary of Guilford Community Church.
This year's “Stolen Jewels” program features flutist Alison Hale and pianist Christopher Lewis performing four romantic chamber music favorites originally scored for other instruments with piano: Brahms' Sonata in F minor for clarinet, Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata for cello, Schumann's three Romances for oboe, and Fauré's Sonata in A Major for violin.
These transcriptions for flute were written by two international superstars, James Galway and Jean-Pierre Rampal, and two renowned American flutists, Stephanie Jutt and Robert Stallman, who studied with Marcel Moyse and Rampal, respectively, before launching their careers as international performers, teachers, and arrangers of music for flute.
Hale graduated from Mount Holyoke and earned her M.M. and D.M.A. at Manhattan School of Music. A winner of the 1981 Artists International Competition, she has performed in the U.S., Europe, and South America.
She performs with the Portland (Maine) Symphony, Portland Opera Repertory Theatre, Vermont Virtuosi Flute Ensemble, and Procter/Hale Duo, and teaches at Mount Holyoke and Amherst. Her 2008 FOMAG concert, “Alison Hale's Golden Flute,” featured works written especially for her by several regional composers.
Pianist Christopher Lewis has taught and performed throughout the U.S., Italy, and British Columbia.
A prizewinner at the American National Chopin Competition, he earned his B.A. from SUNY Purchase, has taught at New York University as well as several New York private schools, and joined the faculty at Bennington College in 2010. He served as Messiah Sing organist for FOMAG in 2006.
The $15 admission includes a warming teatime Soup Supper reception featuring homemade soups, hearty breads, appetizers, and desserts.