Media
Release
Subject: Grammy Award winning flutist
Rhonda Larson travels to the West Bank for an extensive musical collaboration.
Contact:
Lee J. deLisle 269.434-8462 (EST) lee.deLisle@wmich.edu
For
Immediate Release
South
Haven, Michigan…
There
remains a rich, perennial language for human kind that extends beyond borders,
politics, or limitations in promoting peace:
Music.
At
a time in her career that is marked by soloing with symphony orchestras,
theater performances, and developing new world music compositions, Grammy
winning flutist Rhonda Larson has accepted an invitation to teach Western flute
performance at the Edward Said National Music Conservatory in the West Bank
city of Ramallah.
The
Conservatory, with funding from the Ford Foundation and many other
philanthropic organizations, provides instruction and training in western
classical and Arabic music for over 300 students from 8 to 27 years in age.
In
reflecting on her decision to travel to Ramallah, Ms. Larson commented on her
desire to continue to use music as a pathway to serve those in need: “I can only imagine how difficult it is for
young musicians to concentrate on learning and practicing music in such a
challenging environment. If my presence
there for the next nine months can bring help to the students and vicariously
help others to understand the role of music as a bridge to our common ground,
then I will have done my job. It is my
belief that this is the very role of music:
to uplift the human heart. We all have a human heart.”
Larson
continued, “…my efforts in Ramallah are not political, they are musical. It is a way I can give back by responding to
society through music, in all that mysterious richness. Just as Mother Teresa touched the poorest of
the poor, and as musician Ry Cooder traveled to Cuba to work with the forgotten
musicians of that country, I am hoping to bring out the best in the students of
the Conservatory while celebrating and recognizing together our shared
experiences and hungers of the human soul.”
Larson’s
interest in cross-cultural music began in 1986, when she became a member of the
Paul Winter Consort with whom she toured for over six years. The continuation of her journey is reflected
in her most recent release, Distant Mirrors, a self-released CD that
took shape after 9-11.
Self-releasing
the CD ensured her the freedom to produce a recording that was independent of
the categorical limitations of the music industry, as her music does not fit
neatly into one category. Instead, Ms.
Larson prefers to include a wide variety of music from diverse cultures, races,
and eras, marrying them together in music/art through her own compositions with
these influences. Her vision continues
in a symbolic way through her teaching and collaborative efforts in
Ramallah. In addition to the western
European flute, Larson also performs on a variety of ethnic flutes from around
the world, allowing her to explore the depths of other traditions.
Larson
won her first Grammy for her work with the Paul Winter Consort in 1993 for a
recording entitled Spanish Angel, live from Spain. She was subsequently involved in a 25th
year retrospective album with the same group that won a Grammy in 2005.
As
a Montana native, Larson not only brings her entire heritage to share with the
students in Ramallah, but she will also benefit from their unique and
challenging world by working with musicians at the Conservatory and in Israel
alike. It is an opportunity of a
lifetime.
Larson will be documenting her experience on her website www.RhondaLarson.com
# # #
Contact: Lee J.
deLisle, Wood Nymph Music Tel: 269.434-8462 (EST)
For photos and biographical information see www.RhondaLarson.com/press.htm
[Flutist, or flautist? Both are correct. Ms. Larson prefers the American version, ‘flutist’.]