This piece is based on the writings of the 16tth century friar Bartolome de las Casas. He documented numerous atrocities in the Indies and each movement is based on a quote from his book. It is the first piece I wrote for guitar duo and features some of the most harmonically, melodically, and rhythmically inventive writing I had ever done at the time.
Congratulations to the incredible students working with the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society who made this moving video of my piece Beyond Ferguson.
My new piece Endless Loop, Endless Days. Written for the Yale School of Music’s Postcards from Confinement (Covid-19) project.
It has been such a special weekend. On Saturday, I returned to Yale for the 10th Yale Guitar Extravaganza after 12 years since graduating. Returning back now to perform as a professional artist with Duo Noire, alongside so many accomplished friends and colleagues (@jiji_guitar, @thegreatnecks, David Russell et al) was unforgettable.
Deepest love to maestro @benverdery for bringing all of us guitar lovers together and for his fantastic new album “Scenes from Ellis Island”! Deep thanks also to composers @raylustig @marykouyoumdjian and @clariceassad for writing such killer music for our set.
On Sunday, I joined my other musical mentors @aliciahallmoran and Jason Moran for an incredible evening of music making with some jaw-dropping (!!!) displays of musicality, community, sincerity, and virtuosity. It was such a profound joy to share in a musical Black History Month celebration with everyone on that stage (Chala Yancy, Curtis Stewart, Anthony Morris). Onwards!
“[Competitors’] Relative performance tells us nothing of interest because all of them may be shamefully low — or impressively high — on whatever measure we’re using. Comparative success just gives the winner bragging rights (“We’re No. 1!”). And again, it creates the misleading impression of inevitable, permanent failure for some.
But boy, do we love to rank. Worse, we create artificial scarcity by giving out awards — distinctions manufactured out of thin air specifically so that some cannot get them.
Framing excellence in these competitive terms doesn’t lead to improvements in performance. Indeed, a consistent body of social science research shows that competition tends to hold us back from doing our best. It creates an adversarial mentality that makes productive collaboration less likely, encourages gaming of the system and leads all concerned to focus not on meaningful improvement but on trying to outdo (and perhaps undermine) everyone else.”
Saturday night 3/30/19 I make my Carnegie Hall main stage debut in Jason and Alicia Moran’s “Two Wings”. It’s pretty powerful to see your name on the display. I’ve been working so hard on my solo arrangement to represent the classical guitar well. Fingers crossed that I break ALL the legs and lift up an overlooked composer! #classicalguitar #carnegiehall #practice #music #nyc #concert
https://www.instagram.com/flippinguitar/p/Bvl-QRggJL7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ualy1uo8xj5f
It’s been 1 month since Duo Noire released our album Night Triptych, featuring 6 incredible new classical guitar duets by brilliant women composers from around the world: Clarice Assad, Courtney Bryan, Golfam Khayam, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Gity Razaz, and Gabriella Smith.
We are honored to have worked with them and to have received such amazing reviews, including this newest one from
Stereophile.
We hope the guitar world enjoys and embraces this music of our time.
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“There’s a goldmine of ideas here, whose riches will unveil themselves more and more over time.” -Stereophile
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“Flippin and Mallett [are] virtuosos who invest their performances with energy and conviction. To claim that the two break new ground in the world of classical guitar music on the hour-long release isn’t overselling it.”
-Textura.org
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“All contemporary programs of guitar music are not common, and this may be the first to feature exclusively female composers…A truly pathbreaking recording that is greatly satisfying in its own right.” -AllMusic
#newfocusrecordings #gabriellasmith #classicalmusic #classicalguitar #classicalguitarist #classicalguitarasia #strings #music #newmusic #composer #guitar #guitarduo #albumcover #albumart #acousticguitar #guitarstagram #womeninmusic #womencomposers #classicalmusician
57 Likes, 1 Comments - Thomas Flippin (@flippinguitar) on Instagram: "Duo Noire soundchecking our transcription of a Bach duetto at The Boiler Room in Pennsylvania last..."
Duo Noire soundchecking our transcription of a Bach duetto at The Boiler Room in Pennsylvania last weekend. This piece never gets old! #bach #duetto #classicalmusic #counterpoint #classicalguitar #guitar #acoustic @brilliantmusicians @talented_musicians (at Hawley, Pennsylvania)
“The only thing that remains really true is the feeling that at the end of the day, I know that I really played good or I didn’t. Or that I made some progress and I understand something that I didn’t understand at the beginning of the day, or I don’t. This to me, is the real currency of what it is to have a life of a musician. This accumulated wisdom and insight into the reality of music, and as much of a stretch as it might be sometimes, therefore into life and living…The main thing in my life, even as I stand here right now, right this second, is that I really need to go home and practice.”
Musicians are nothing without their luthiers! Big thanks to Patrick’s Guitar Repair in Brooklyn for helping me out today. Thanks Patrick! #luthier #supportyourlocalluthier #guitar #brooklyn #backbuzz (at Brooklyn, New York)