fantavia

"the twists, turns and trills of the flute were gorgeous" (The Columbus Dispatch)

Fantavia is an expressive, wide-ranging fantasy for flute and percussion based on the rhythms and melodies of North American birdcalls. Some of the calls are as familiar as the orioles and robins of a suburban back yard, while others like the common loon are recollected from awakening at dawn in the wilderness. Although a literal transcription was the starting point for each call, the music is intended as a fantasy.

The piece was written in 1982 and has been performed at the following venues: the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris (Jean Pierre Valade, flute), Merkin Hall in New York (Alexa Still, flute),the University of Virginia, Ohio State, the National Flute Convention in Colorado, the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., Jordan Hall in Boston, and on the New Hampshire Music Festival. Additionally, the following ensembles have performed Fantavia: Synchronia in St. Louis, the New London Contemporary Ensemble at Connecticut College, and the Pittburgh New Music Ensemble at the Charles Ives Center in Connecticut. The Armstrong Duo, a husband and wife duo teaching at Penn State School of Music took Fantavia on an extended American tour in 1991 and later recorded it on a compact disc released in 1996. The score is published in the 2011 Anthology of Contemporary Concert Music and by Noteworthy Sheet Music.