Opening Performance: National Arts Marketing Project Conference 2021
Flutist Ceylon Mitchell and friends present works honoring the musical heritage of Cuba and Brazil. Brazilian choro is a musical genre with roots in African syncopated rhythms and European dance forms, including the lundú, the polka, and the habanera, creating a very unique style. The improvisatory nature of choro mirrors that of North American jazz and virtuosity is a hallmark of the style. The Cuban flute tradition represents dance music at the heart of Cuban national and cultural identity with flute, piano, strings, and Cuban percussion as the core ensemble. Starting with the danzón and extending to other genres like the cha cha cha, mambo, and salsa, its elements include centuries-old European court dances, rhythmic complexity based on the clave pattern from the African Congo Basin, and a flute ornamentation style similar to the late-Baroque and early-Classical flute traditions.
Ceylon will also participate in a brief conversation about his work and talk a little about how the pandemic has changed or charged his practice as an artist and as a marketer.
