Flutist Carmen Maret (mah-RAY) and guitarist Andrew Bergeron (BER-jer-on) formed the Folias (FOAL-lee-us) Duo in 2003. Their name “Folias” comes from “La Folia”, a timeless European melody which has been recycled through many cultures over the span of centuries, with each culture adding their own interpretation or nuance to the melody. This pair of Aquinas College Adjunct Music Faculty are a married couple who instruct music theory, technology, history and literature and private lessons. This Fall, Carmen is taking on the first year integrated theory class for Associate Professor Mary Hurd while Mary is on a Sabbatical Leave.
Their unique interpersonal performer-composer collaboration of seventeen years breathes new life into classical music. Folias Duo melds characteristics of European classical music with jazz, world music, and the art of improvisation. The rhythms, contours, and textures of their meticulously crafted and scenic music continue to test the technical and sonic limitations of the intimate flute and guitar combination.
Folias Duo has performed on stages throughout the United States, South America, and Europe. Folias Duo’s self-booked 2019 summer tour included twenty concert performances throughout the western United States, while recent Michigan performance highlights include the Grand Rapids Community College International Guitar Series, where they presented their first flute and guitar concerto, the Scarab Club Chamber Music Series in Detroit, where they performed their own arrangement of Astor Piazzolla’s Angel Suite for flute, guitar, and string quartet, and performances on the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s Classical Series.
Folias Duo has produced and released seven albums of original compositions and arrangements, including five albums on the Blue Griffin Recording label in 2004-2014. More recently they released Dreaming to Live (2017) and Delicate Omens (2019) on their own Folias Music label. On September 13 at 4:00 p.m., the AQ Music Department is pleased to present the Duo in concert and performing pieces from Delicate Omens during one of their popular live streamed concerts from their living room on the northeast side of Grand Rapids.
National parks and forests throughout the United States continue to inspire Folias Duo’s compositions and live shows which create a contemplative state of being and ask listeners to ponder their place within the environment. In 2007, Folias Duo was chosen Artists-in-Residence for Isle Royale National Park, in 2012 and 2015 they gave concerts in the North Cascades National Park and in 2005 they composed music about Big Bend National Park for their Marufo Vega album. In the last four years, they started a yearly DIY music residency, composing in rustic national forest cabins in Colorado, Iowa, Ontario and Oregon.
Carmen Maret and Andrew Bergeron earned Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University and Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Grand Valley State University. Now, with over twenty-five years combined experience as educators and entrepreneurs, Carmen Maret and Andrew Bergeron continue to nurture the growth of countless young musicians. They teach private lessons in flute, guitar, and composition and courses in music theory, music history, and music business at three west Michigan colleges along with developing their own Folias Music school.
Folias Duo Live from Home
Sunday, September 13, 4pm EDT
Folias Duo has been praised as “facile players who draw on tango rhythms and melodies sometimes, at other times they write with a scenic sensitivity” (Fanfare Magazine) and “daring in self-written music” (American Record Guide).
Program Description
Experience this world-class flute and guitar ensemble as they present music from their most recent recording, "Delicate Omens.” They’ll perform original compositions inspired by the rocky mountains, Argentine folk music, and share stories from life on the road and impressions left by the natural world.
Over the past seventeen years, guitarist Andrew Bergeron and flutist Carmen Maret of the Folias Duo have performed across North America, South America, and Europe, with each location’s beauty forging the rhythms, contours, and textures of their meticulously crafted and breathtaking music.
Links
Website: http://foliasmusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foliasmusic
AQ Music Department Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aqmusicdept
Promo Music Video: https://youtu.be/tzzhnDJxd7g
Promo Live Video: https://youtu.be/gegqk7_-Jcg
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