A Lifelong Pursuit of Excellence

This article appeared in the Italian newspaper La Stampa, which was published in Turin, Italy on 26 June 2020. During the pandemic shutdown, I had been posting flute videos on my social media pages. My videos caught the eye of Italian composer, Fabio Mengozzi, and he contacted me to inquire if I would be interested in recording his music. I enthusiastically agreed, so he composed two pieces for me: Oasi for Solo Flute and Aria Dell'Aria for Native American Flute. Both are posted on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVYDy-mE-Zr8d6yXP3JlHGw?view_as=subscriber.

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The English translation of the newspaper article is as follows (as per Google translator):

FABIO MENGOZZI During the quarantine, the Asti composer collected his pieces recorded by concert performers in their homes.  And he composed a piece for a traditional flute "I wrote notes for the world Even for Native Americans"

THE CARLOFRANCESCO CONTI ASTI INTERVIEW

It may happen that the music of an author is performed more easily in the world than in his city. This certainly happens to Fabio Mengozzi, pianist and composer of a music rich in contents and meditative implications.  It is much appreciated abroad, where it is often presented in concert with success.  In the period of forty years the interest in Mengozzi's songs has not diminished but

moved to the web.  "The pandemic - explains Mengozzi has led to the cancellation of concerts practically everywhere, not only in Italy.  With them, my music was also canceled.  But some musicians still wanted to play my songs, recording them in their own home and uploading videos on social media.  From Washington, the oboist Wiliam Wielgus even held an entire online concert including one of my songs.  The result is a sort of playlist, an anthology of songs by the Asti author, many of which come from interpretations and executions worldwide: Poland, Spain, Russia, Argentina, the United States, Slovenia, Croatia, Japan, South Africa, Greece, Brazil, and Algeria. It was a period of critically Italy.  Yes.  So I said to myself: why not use my music to help uplift the spirit?  I have mobilized, and many musicians have accepted my invitation from all over the world.  In some cases I even purposely composed new songs.  The executions were uploaded on social media, collecting a lot of interest. The pieces are for instruments I know with mezzidifortuna-.  such as piano, oboe, English horn, harp, clarinet, flute and trombone.  -I also wanted to experiment with an unedited formation indicates Mengozzi-like the above-two and viola.  Having received a lot of positive feedback, I am satisfied with what we have done and I hope my music may have sent a message of support, even a song for ranzaefratellanza.an unusual instrument, interpreted by the Native American flute player-American Tania DeVizia Berdosh.  -You had already played my pieces for transverse flute- says Mengozzi -and when I proposed to use this traditional instrument, she was enthusiastic.  She explained to me what are the notes she can play and which are not, basically a pentatonic scale, with an intonation system different from ours.  I was interested because this tool has a spiritual value.  Thus was born "Air of the Air, a play on words that unites laia as a musical form and as an element. Antoniina Tea Sala, Monika Petruszewska, Ana Senn, Irina Negadova, Melina Belén have so far joined Mengozzi's initiative.  Alvarez, William Wielgus, Valeia Benedetto, Maya Taj- LucasLorenzi, Junko Kasaha- Sdoukos, Maria Iliana Kašnek, Emanuel Ivan Puček, ra, Christiaan Carstens, llias tsoura, Jennifer Campbell, Gianpiero Malfatto and islem Fekhar.  In the next few days will add more.

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