I had a lovely time last Sunday at the Spring Student Recital of Barter Studios. The students of Rachael Barter presented some of the pieces they've been working on this year. Rachael is a friend of mine and a fantastic flutist. It was a real treat to see her students perform. She teaches students of all ages and levels, and though they all come from a different background they each demonstrated the same joy of music.
One of my favorite moments was a duet of themes from Legends of Zelda. I remember playing Zelda on Nintendo in the early nineties, the soundtrack was actually quite good considering it was made of computerized beeps. These ladies played it with much more feeling than the gaming system did, it was pretty clear they were both big fans of the series!
It's so nice to have the opportunity to see people share something of themselves with the world, especially when they are clearly loving it.
I was fortunate to be able to join them in the spirit of sharing, as Rachael was gracious enough to welcome some of the members of Piping Hot Flutes to perform a short piece for the students. The afternoon concluded with a performance of Ashokan Farewell by everyone involved. It was a lot of fun to play with the group. It was actually a very appropriate choice as it was originally written by Jay Ungar for a farewell dance at the annual Ashokan Fiddle and Dance camps.
I look forward to playing alongside a few of these students again when we go to Boston next month to participate in New England Conservatory's Metropolitan Flute Festival Orchestra. It's going to be a great experience for all of us!
Great work everyone!