Lecture-Concert Series to present flute and guitar duo McMurtery/Volker Feb. 15

Jan. 21, 2010 -- Flutist John McMurtery and guitarist Mark Volker will perform in concert in the eleventh event of Arkansas State University’s Lecture-Concert Series on Monday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in ASU’s Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, 2412 Quapaw Way, Jonesboro. This performance is co-sponsored by the ASU Guitar Guild, and the event is free and open to the public.

Flutist John McMurtery and guitarist Mark Volker will perform a variety of classical pieces. Volker and McMurtery began performing together in the Belvedere Chamber Music Festival in Memphis in 2008. Since then, they have appeared together in concerts featuring 20^th century music and new works by emerging composers. The program they will present includes Astor Piazzola’s “Histoire du Tango: Bordel 1900, Café 1930, Nightclub 1960, and Concert d’aujourd’hui;” Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “ Distribution of Flowers;” Toru Takemitsu’s “Voice;” and Robert Beaser’s “Mountain Songs for Flute and Guitar: Barbara Allen, The House Carpenter, He’s Gone Away, and Cindy.” Mark Volker will also present a new composition of his own.

McMurtery is a founding member of Luna Nova, a group that appeared at ASU last year. He is also  section flutist of the New York City Opera Orchestra and has appeared as soloist with the New York Symphonic Ensemble, the Artemis Chamber Ensemble, the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, and at the 2005 Lincoln Center Festival. As an advocate for contemporary music, McMurtery performs with the Memphis-based ensemble Luna Nova and the Society for Chromatic Art (New York). Adding to his discography, he recorded for the NAXOS label as principal flutist on the collaborative disc of world premieres by award-winning composer Sean Hickey. During the 2006-07 school year, McMurtery was appointed Visiting Professor of Flute at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas; he has also taught at Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, N.J. He currently serves on the board of directors of the New York Flute Club, co-chairing the annual Flute Fair. McMurtery graduated in 2005 from the Juilliard School with a Doctor of Music Arts degree. At Julliard, he studied with Jeanne Baxtresser, Julius Baker, and Robert Langevin. Previous teachers include Bart Feller at Rutgers University (MM '99) and Dr. Hal Ott at Central Washington University (BM '97).

Guitarist Mark Volker, also a member of Luna Nova, has developed a growing reputation as a versatile composer and guitarist. His music has been performed and recorded by many prominent performers, including the Contemporary Chamber Players, eighth blackbird, the Pacifica String Quartet, Musica Moderna Poland, the Pinotage ensemble, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Gryphon Trio, the Kiev Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, So Percussion, Luna Nova, the Orquesta de Baja California, the Society for New Music, and the Boston Brass. His music has been featured at many major music festivals and conferences. He has received awards from ASCAP, SCI, ERMmedia, and Meet the Composer. In addition, Volker has premiered over a dozen works for guitar. Later this summer, Centaur records will release Elemental Forces, a collection of Volker’s recent works inspired by natural phenomena. Having taught for several years at Colgate University, Volker recently joined the faculty of the Belmont University School of Music (Nashville, TN) as coordinator of composition activities. Listen to compositions by Mark Volker at http://www.lunanova.org/audio.html.

For more details, contact Dr. Gil Fowler, associate dean for the Honors College, at (870) 972-2308, or via e-mail at gfowler@astate.edu.The Lecture-Concert Series presents diverse programs to enrich the cultural life of the campus, community, and region.
 

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