The School of Music hosts Perspectives on Native American Flutes, a conversation with flutists Gary Stroutsos and John-Carlos Perea. The presentation provides an overview of cedar flute origins from a Northern Plains perspective via Stroutsos's relationship with Makoche Records. Stroutsos and Perea will then discuss Stroutsos's work with the Öngtupqa trio and his performance with the leena or Hopi long flute.
This event is part of a three-day artist residency featuring the Öngtupqa Trio, in partnership with the Indigenous Arts Collaboratory at the University of Washington April 17-20, 2024, to bring Hopi music, culture, history, current environmental protection initiatives, and other relevant topics to the UW community. The Öngtupqa Trio is made up of Clark Tenakhongva, Gary Stroutsos, and Matt Moon Nelson. For more information, please visit www.ongtupqa.com.
In other residency activities at the School of Music, a concert by the trio is set for Friday, April 19, 7:30 p.m., in Brechemin Auditorium. Admission is free.
Biographies
Gary Stroutsos is a master flute player whose contemplative music and time-honored stories evoke the lands and cultures that he has studied over his 35-year career. Gary’s talents flow through a variety of world flutes, but his mastery of the Hopi long flute transports listeners to a spirit of place unlike any other. His music can be heard on the soundtrack of Ken Burns’ PBS documentary, Lewis and Clark: Journey of the Corps of Discovery, which led to a command performance at the White House for President Bill Clinton. Gary was a founding artist for Makoché Records, dedicated to the music of American Indian artists, and was the only non-Native invited to record on that label. His discography includes over 40 acclaimed recordings, including Remembering the Songs, a CD and DVD project celebrating the old songs of three Indigenous tribes. His mission is to carry the music forward to future generations and to promote stewardship of diverse cultures and the natural environment. Gary traces his roots to Greece, Italy, and Lebanon, and lives in Seattle.
John-Carlos Perea is an Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology in the UW School of Music. In addition to his scholarly activities, Perea has played cedar flute for over two decades as heard on his recordings First Dance (2001) and Creation Story (2014). Cedar Flute Songs, released digitally in 2023, marks Perea’s first recording of solo and duet cedar flute music and features his own compositions alongside arrangements of works by John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Albert Ayler, and Lewis Jordan.