American Portraits, presented by the Ataraxia Duo, is an innovative concert of contemporary American music for flute and piano, offering a panoramic perspective on major trends in American composition from the 1940s to the present by combining musical performance with audience engagement and multimedia elements.
The Ataraxia Duo draws its name from the Greek term meaning “hearty tranquility with continual freedom from distress and worry.” With primary professions in the fields of musicology and arts administration respectively, William Gibbons and Kristen Queen enjoy the freedom, tranquility, and trust found in remaining active performers on their primary instruments, particularly in a chamber music setting. Programming primarily 20th- and 21st-century American works, the Ataraxia Duo aims to also foster and perform new compositions for flute and piano duo from composers across the country.
The Program
Two Bits (1941) by Henry Cowell (1897–1965)
Mountain Song (1949) by Ned Rorem (b. 1923)
Love Divided By (1992) by Philip Glass (b. 1937)
Soliloquy (2012) by Jake Heggie (b. 1961)
Diversions and Escapes (2014) by Martin Blessinger (b. 1978)