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Flutist Susan Charlton, instructor of flute and director of chamber wind ensembles at Lafayette, and pianist Alexis Firstenberg Fisher, instructor of piano, will preview their upcoming concert noon today in room 123 of the Williams Center for the Arts.
Dessert and beverages will be provided. The event is free and open to the public.
The pair will perform together 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Williams Center. The evening will include an appearance by Easton native and renowned flutist/composer Gary Schocker.
The program will include Fantaisie by Gabriel Fauré; Eight Pieces for solo flute by Paul Hindemith; Samuel Zyman’s Sonata; Sonata in b minor BWV 1030 by J.S. Bach; Sonatina by Eldin Burton; and Schocker’s Xynóglyko (Sweet-Sour), performed with the composer on piano.
The concert is free and open to the public. A reception will follow. For more information, call 610-330-5356.
Charlton and Fisher have been playing together for ten years. “It’s a very positive relationship,” says Fisher. “We both really enjoy working with each other. We respect each other’s ideas, and it’s just fun. We take joy in putting together a program and exploring music.”
“It’s important to us to perform regularly, both for our students at Lafayette and to enhance the myriad musical offerings in the Lehigh Valley,” adds Charlton. “Gary’s piece is a real gem and it’s always a thrill and a great privilege to perform a piece with the composer.”
Fisher has taught applied piano and class piano at Lafayette since 1986. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Manhattan School of Music and also attended Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Ind. She was a member of the piano faculty at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1976-1981. She also taught at Santa Clara University and San Jose City College from 1981-1986. Fisher’s piano studies were with Adolph Baller, Leander Dell’Anno, and Abbey Simon. She is currently a student of Constance Keene. Fisher performs as an ensemble pianist and piano soloist in the Lehigh Valley.
A native of St. Paul, Minn., Charlton earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music at University of Wisconsin. Her principal teachers include Robert Cole, Robert Goodberg, and Mary Roberts Wilson, and she has performed in master classes given by Julius Baker, Paula Robison, and Thomas Nyfenger. She has held principal flute positions with American Wind Symphony Orchestra, Waterloo Festival Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, and Ambrosian Wind Quintet. Locally, Charlton has performed with Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Bach Festival Orchestra, Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra, and various chamber music ensembles, including frequent collaborations with Fisher. She has instructed students in flute and in wind chamber ensembles at Lafayette since 1992.
One of the finest flutists performing today, Schocker also is a noted pianist and prolific composer, having written musicals, award-winning works for the clarinet and for the flute, and a wide variety of other material. He has performed with such orchestras as New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, West German Sinfonia, and I Solisti Italiani. He has collaborated with many artists on stage, including Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He last performed at Lafayette in fall 2000.