The First Music

flute choir, narrator and djembe

Excerpt of the premiere performance (3’00″)

The First Music couples Dylan Pritchett’s book of the same name in a musical collaboration. The work was commissioned by Flute Frenzy, a youth flute choir based in Williamsburg, Virginia. Pritchett’s text, inspired by an African folk tale, utilizes many animals, which are depicted through extended techniques and other creative sounds, largely conceived by members of Flute Frenzy. With a nod to African heritage, the piece incorporates many improvisatory elements to depict Pritchett’s book. The First Music, with support from the Junior Woman’s Club of Williamsburg and The Brannen-Cooper Fund, was premiered by Flute Frenzy, and the group’s director, Margaret Carlson on the occasion of the ensemble’s tenth anniversary.