Romance, the four seasons and classical music are the themes of Sunday’s Circle of Flutes concert.
The local flute ensemble will perform a mixture of classical, jazz and folk music at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Everett, including the traditional ballad “Scarborough Fair,” popular 1945 jazz song “Autumn Leaves” by Joseph Kosma and “Summertime” from the 1935 opera “Porgy and Bess.”
The concert is part of a series by the Port Gardner Bay Music Society, led by Lee Mathews, the former long-time director of the Everett Chorale.
Mathews said audiences who haven’t heard a flute ensemble before might be surprised by how much they can replicate an orchestra.
“There’s a huge range, pitch-wise, and when it blends together, it’s just a gorgeous, beautiful, soothing sound,” he said. “They play a really great crossover of classical music, but they also play a lot of pop songs, which is really enjoyable.”
Circle of Flutes, formed in 1989, is composed of eight local women who play a range of different flutes, including the concert, alto and bass flutes, as well as the rare contrabass, another flute that is the equivalent of a cello.
Ensemble members are Marilyn Swanson of Everett, Mukilteo’s Ann Lindquist and Barb Hazari, Jeannette Shull of Mill Creek, Denise Schwedhelm and Barbara Oakley of Edmonds and Bothell’s Alexis Merritt and Molly Bernard.
Lindquist, who plays the contrabass, has played with Circle of Flutes for about 14 years. She said their performances are “warm and lovely.”
“You’ll experience a fullness of sound,” Lindquist said. “We love bringing music to the community.”
Circle of Flutes has performed at Capitol Rotunda in Olympia, Seattle Town Hall and the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island and in British Columbia. They’ve also played under the famous Banyan tree in Maui, Hawaii.
Several of the members have ties to local orchestras and ensembles — Oakley performed with the Everett Chorale while Mathews was director — while some of them are also school music teachers.
Circle of Flutes recorded its first album of traditional Christmas songs and classical favorites in 2001, called “A Classical Christmas.” The group’s next release in 2014, “Rain and Blue Skies,” showcased traditional, folk, jazz and original music composed by Lindquist.
Sunday’s program will also include original compositions and arrangements by Lindquist, such as “Rose Petal Waltz,” a romantic song written in honor of her daughter’s wedding, and “Blue Skies” by Irvin Berlin.
There also will be light music — a term for orchestral music originated in the 18th and 19th centuries — such as “The Typewriter” by Leroy Anderson.
“It gets faster and zips back and forth like an old-fashioned typewriter,” Mathews said. “It’s really humorous.”
Evan Thompson: 425-339-3427, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @ByEvanThompson.
If you go
Circle of Flutes, a Snohomish County flute ensemble, will perform at 3 p.m. Feb. 24 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 215 Mukilteo Blvd., Everett, as part of the Port Gardner Bay Music Society’s series of concerts. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and members of the military and $5 for students. For more information, go to www.pgbmusicsociety.com.
More about Circle of Flutes at www.circleofflutes.com.
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