“In this piece, you’ll be hearing sounds you may never have heard from a flute,” said Dr. Teresa Bowers as she introduced the second half of her recital with Professor James Hontz, classical guitarist.
The Seminary Chapel at 4:00 on a Sunday afternoon was the setting that complimented the beautiful music created by the recently retired Gettysburg College professor. Dr. Bowers’ list of achievements is more extensive than can be given proper acclaim here. Be assured, she’s all about the music which she performs frequently in various settings across the country.
Dr. Bowers enthralled the audience with an instrument that you wouldn’t think would draw a crowd, however the sanctuary, renowned for its highly pleasing acoustics, was impressively full.
The first half of the concert was captivating. The guitar became something like a chorus behind the flautist’s pure-as-silk tones, filling the air with notes that bubbled around the room, bouncing among the pristine white columns with what felt at times like a bit of mischief as the flute expressed the composer’s intentions with grace and elegance.
As Dr. Bowers transported us into a softer, more relaxed frame of mind, my eyes felt free to wander and see how the late afternoon sun played on the chapel’s extensive white surfaces.
In a moment that couldn’t have been planned, as she came to the end of a piece that she very obviously loves to play, the sun hit the exact window that made the beautiful, flowered blouse that she wore shimmer and shine, visually underscoring the music, the Spanish composer Valerie Coleman’s piece “Danza de la Mariposa for flute alone,” about a butterfly.
In the second half, Professor Hontz, who is on the faculty at numerous universities, revealed his connection with his instrument, which he used as a drum during the delightful delightful “Histoire du Tango by Astor Piazzolla. His versatility on the fretboard as all of his fingers seemed to move in different directions at the same time showed why he is in demand as both a solo artist and an accompanist.
Dr. Bowers cheekily invited the audience members who knew the tango to dance should they feel so moved. The nervous laughter and shifting in seats said to me that it could happen!
I have been familiar with Dr Bowers’ work for many years. Her penchant for intellectually challenging music was evident in the piece during which she made at least three different sounds that were outside of the box for a flautist. The generally demure, floating lilt of the instrument was interrupted by brief bursts of breathy, guttural kinds of sounds that, surprisingly enhanced the piece with a sense of curiosity about what else the flute can do. Seems she can be her own percussionist, too.
Though the recently retired professor could rest on a velvet cushion constructed of a “job well done,” the diminutive woman doesn’t seem to want to do that. Her stamina and endurance never wavered through the performance during which she stood in, may I say stunning, coral-colored heels on the slick marble floor. At no time did she offer us a fond farewell. Dr. Teresa Bowers is a flautist to be reckoned with.
Music Gettysburg, the diversity of whose programming is expanding with each season since 1980, is in its fifth decade delivering “the best music in the world to greater Gettysburg.” Their schedule can be found at musicgettysburg.org
The 90 minute concert, as the sun teetered on the horizon, was a lovely way to fill my eyes and ears with uplifting images to replay as I turned my thoughts to dinner. And from my view in the balcony, it looks like a good place to meet someone who shares a desire to see live performances from superlative artists.
The next Music Gettysburg! concert is March 19 at 4:00 in the Seminary chapel, presenting Elena Millar, violin & Nikita Burakovskiy, piano. Concerts are free with a goodwill donation taken at intermission.
Deb Collins has been in central Pennsylvania since 1989. Her children graduated from Gettysburg Area High School at the turn of the century and now live at opposite ends of the turnpike, Chelsea in Pittsburgh and Jake in Philadelphia. Raised in Connecticut, Deb enjoys the milder climate and the proximity to so many major cities that Gettysburg provides.