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The Man with the Wooden Flute
If you saw the film Titanic, you have already heard Chris Norman play the flute. And as the leading figure in the revival of the flute in Scottish traditional music, he is thrilled to see this instrument coming into its own: "A wooden flute, playing on the soundtrack of the top-grossing movie of all time. That says something mighty."
Nova Scotia-born Norman is considered by many to be the world's finest wooden flutist. He performs on an eight-keyed boxwood flute made in London in 1836 by Rudall and Rose, who are to the wooden flute what Stradivarius is to the violin. When the metal flute with its powerful sound was invented in 1847, the softer-sounding wooden flute fell into obscurity. Now Norman is taking the instrument that used to be a pawnshop relic and turning it into a trend-setter.
Audiences and critics alike are enthusiastic, to say the least. CD Review Magazine declared, "A virtuoso like Chris Norman comes along, oh, perhaps once in a century," and The New Yorker called him "a flute player of spectacular and imaginative virtuosity." An engaging and lively performer, Norman plays with the Baltimore Consort, an early-music ensemble; Helicon, his international folk trio; the all-star Celtic fusion group, Skydance; and the Chris Norman Ensemble.
The Ensemble will perform for the Trinity Arts Series at Trinity Episcopal Church, 220 Prospect St. in Torrington on Saturday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature the joyous dance music and heartrending airs of Nova Scotia, Quebec, Scotland and Ireland, as well as Chris Norman’s own original compositions. The quartet has toured and recorded internationally since 1997 and is committed to educational activities, having regularly conducted master classes and symposia at many schools of music around the world. Norman will be presenting concerts at several local schools while in the area.
Tickets for the Trinity Arts show are $20 priority, $10 general admission; for more info call 860-482-4411.
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