Formed in  August 2018, my duo 2nd Ceremony has enjoyed upwards of 20 performances this Fall throughout the Baltimore area in the form of pop-up concerts at Libraries, house concerts, or performances at the Peabody Institute. All of our events are free, and we make audience engagement an important part of each program. Our goal is not only to bring a fresh perspective to popular pieces for this ensemble arrangement, but also to break down barriers and stigmas that classical music performances can sometimes bring. We want everyone to be able to engage and relate to the music, whether they know lots about music or nothing at all. 

This year, I had the wonderful opportunity to explore John's Hopkins' collection of poems, music, and memoriabilia of Sidney Lanier. Lanier was a Baltimore resident who, after fighting in the Civil War, was both an English professor at Johns Hopkins and Principal Flute of the Baltimore Symphony (then called the Peabody Symphony). Sidney Lanier was a gifted, virtuoso flutist and his music is rarely performed. I decided to include two of his selections from the JHU archives in my Classical Holiday series; A Melody from Lanier's Flute, and Wind Song for solo flute.

I supplemented this recital with other music that is rarely performed, including Romance Op. 23 by Amy Beach and Three American Pieces by Lukas Foss. My goal was to give these pieces an ideal placement in the wide realm of flute repertoire. Each of these pieces is thick with nostalgia, longing, and beauty, and as such they go together perfectly on my Classical Holiday program. This year, Classical Holiday was featured at Anderson House on December 9th, as well as at The Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD on December 16th.