This project builds connections, creates conversation, and engages various communities through a program of music inspired by mythology which combines many different traditions: ancient Greek myths through the ears of early 20th century French composers, a legend of Charlemagne as transcribed by a Venezuelan-born composer living in the United States, and an Argentinean composer reflecting on Andean myths of the Inca.

When Elizabeth and Weronika rehearse as a duo, they often end up mimicking the swing of a pendulum to find the right flow in the music. This workshop explores why the properties of a swinging pendulum matter so much in governing musical tempo and energy, and helps the audience connect more deeply with the music of French composer Claude Debussy. Through games that connect musical sounds with our daily experiences of pendulums, explore new ways of listening to music –  the third movement of Debussy’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, transcribed for flute and piano by Marvento Duo.

What do melodies and frogs have in common? They both leap! This interactive workshop and live performance explores the leaps and steps that create melodies in Aaron Copland’s Duo for Flute and Piano. 

What goes up must come down! Have you ever wondered how composers create energy in a piece? “Deconstructing Climaxes” is a workshop and live performance of the first movement of Sergei Prokofiev’s Op. 94 Sonata for Flute and Piano. Through games based on Prokofiev’s rhythmic motives, participants discover how Prokofiev builds climaxes.

We believe the sound of the flute can bring a fresh interpretation to pieces composed for another instrument. Our “Translations” program explored different possible translations: text to melody, movement to sound, violin to flute, and birdsong to sonata. “Translations” featured Debussy’s Sonata for Violin and Piano transcribed for flute and piano. While the violin brings a bold, intense color to Debussy’s work, the flute highlights the shimmery passagework with ethereal brilliance.

Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Op. 30, No. 3 Violin and Piano Sonata in 1802, the same year he spent time in Heiligenstadt trying to recover his hearing. During this time, it became clear his hearing would not return. Beethoven expressed his despair in a moving letter to his brothers, now known as the Heiligenstadt Testament. We think it is remarkable that Beethoven composed a piece with so many joyful and exuberant moments during a time of great sorrow.

In Footprints, composer David Dzubay creates unique sounds by combining the middle register of the flute with the high register of the piano. The piece was written in response to the September 11 attacks in New York City. For us, it captures the piercing tragedy and pain, a foggy hazy landscape in which we feel lost, and the dance-like energy of hope in the aftermath.

Pencilled Wings by Emma O’Halloran combines sparse writing for the flute and piano with a slowly pulsating electronics track, suggesting the vastness of our universe.

In 2019 we performed “Pencilled Wings” in Multiverse Concert Series’ “Shadows of Exoplanets,” which featured lectures about the latest research on exoplanets in outer space by Dr. Roy Gould of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Although the title of the piece refers to butterflies that migrate enormous distances, we love the connection between butterflies migrating and humans exploring outer space. 

Marvento Duo celebrates music by women composers both past and present, and considers their legacies today. The program introduces legendary teacher Nadia Boulanger through her Three Pieces for Cello and Piano transcribed for flute and piano. Boulanger taught dozens of well-known composers, including Aaron Copland, whose Duo for Flute and Piano became part of the “American sound.” We also bring to life a seldom-played Suite by Clemence de Grandval, who played a major role in supporting new music in late 19th century Paris. In Jhula Jhule, Reena Esmail honors her grandparents through the Indian folk songs they taught her, while Emily Doolittle’s Palouse Songbook explores the birds of the palouse prairie of the American northwest. These composers are creating and influencing current generations of musicians.

Explore how images and stories inspire composers and listeners, and what happens when they don’t. Through listening and movement activities, discover different ways of listening to music as we dive into two works by Lowell Liebermann, Gargoyles, Op. 29 for solo piano and Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 23.