Flock of Flutes and Cello Choir

The Lafayette Library hosts an afternoon concert featuring two standout ensembles: a cello choir and a large-scale flute choir, combining well-known classics with imaginative, story-driven works.

The program opens with the Cello Ensemble directed by Stephen Evans, performed by advanced cellists. Their set spans familiar and crowd-pleasing repertoire, moving from Pachelbel’s Canon and the Welsh folk-inspired Song of the Birds to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and music from How to Train Your Dragon, highlighting the cello’s warmth across eras and styles.

Afterward, Flock of Flutes—directed by Monica Williams—presents a concert built around the idea of storytelling. The ensemble includes 38 flutists and a full family of instruments (including contrabass, bass, alto, C flutes, E-flat flute, and piccolo), creating a wide range of colors from deep, resonant lows to brilliant highs.

The flute program features Handel’s spirited Bourrée from the Royal Fireworks music; Blaž Pucihar’s Luna’s Magic Flute, paired with projected illustrations and narration; and Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose Suite) reimagined for flute choir. Contemporary selections include Jonathan Cohen’s Blue Shift, Red Shift, inspired by the Doppler Effect and showcasing the ensemble’s low flutes, plus Bert Kaempfert’s A Swinging Safari with a featured piccolo line. Margaret Lowe’s Simple Songs for Simple Swains adds a folk-rooted thread of shared musical memory.

A special guest appearance by vocalist Natalie Aires is included for Michael Davis’s comedic Bird Song, playfully nodding to the flute’s famous “bird” identity in popular classical imagery. Overall, the concert is designed as an inviting, family-friendly journey through sound and story—mixing humor, atmosphere, and familiar melodies with inventive ensemble textures.