KARA KIRKENDOLL WELCH

• Frank Martin: Ballade

"...the flute is not one of my favorite instruments. Thus, it takes a special player and a special program to win me over. Kara Kirkendoll Welch is one of those players, and her choice of works for this disc—which I believe to be her debut album—is nothing short of inspired... With a selection of works that are not necessarily associated directly with the mainstream French Impressionist movement, Welch’s program offers an interesting slant on what we typically think of and tend to identify as musical Impressionism... All of the repertoire on this disc has been recorded before, and not uncommonly in programs similar to though not exactly duplicative of this one, that feature a clutch of works by composers of like inclinations. But besides possessing a technique second to none, and coaxing her flute to produce the most gorgeous sounds, Kara Kirkendoll Welch has a way of fine-tuning her technique and her tone to match the style and temperament of each of these works. This is crucial in a recital of this nature, which might otherwise devolve into an hour’s worth of musical fare that can begin to sound quite similar. Welch and her excellent partner ensure that that does not happen. The recording...places the players in a warm but sharply defined acoustic setting. Beautifully done on all counts, and strongly recommended."

Jerry Dubins, Fanfare Magazine - July/August 2010

"[The Dutilleux is] played with cool, limpid tone..."

[ * * * ] BBC Music Magazine - May 2010

"I like the way Welch plays the Griffes very much ...Sanchez is superb..."

American Record Guide - May / June 2010

"Flutist Kara Kirkendoll Welch, in partnership with pianist Gabriel Sanchez, does a superior job of conveying the essence of luminously beautiful works by Henri Dutilleux, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Frank Martin, and Gabriel Fauré. In doing so, she displays the full range of color of her instrument. All the music on the program involves stiff technical demands of the flutist, and Ms. Welch is up to them.

Phil Muse, Audio Video Club of Atlanta - November 2009

Kara Kirkendoll Welch has been a member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since September of 2000 and is on the faculty of Southern Methodist University, where she is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Flute. In addition to being a soloist and section player in the Dallas Symphony, she has played Guest Assistant Principal Flute in the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. A frequent recitalist, Ms. Welch also performs in various chamber music settings with her distinguished colleagues, including performances at the Nasher Sculpture Center, Southern Methodist University and Dallas Museum of Art. She has been a featured performer, panel discussion leader and adjudicator at National Flute Association conventions. Ms. Welch has performed in halls throughout the United States and Europe, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London, and the Musikverein in Vienna. Welch received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Dr. Bradley Garner, and her Master’s Degree from Southern Methodist University. She has been a winner and finalist in many competitions, including the International Flute Talk Competition in Chicago, the Myrna Brown Competition in Dallas, and the Orchestral Excerpt Competition given by the Texas Flute Society in Dallas.

www.karaflute.com

Gabriel Sanchez won top prize in the 1997 Casablanca International Piano Competition in Morocco and is a laureate of other international competitions, including the Marguerite Long in Paris (France), the Gina Bachauer in Salt Lake City (USA), and the Paloma O’ Shea in Santander (Spain). He has performed throughout the United States and internationally in recital and with orchestra, including performances at Pianofest in the Hamptons, New York; with the Dallas Symphony under Kerry-Lynn Wilson; the Orquesta Filarmonica de Jalisco; and the Irving Symphony under Hector Guzman. In London, Mr. Sanchez performed at the Royal Academy of Music; in Paris, at the Salle Gaveau; in Santander, Spain, at the Palacio de Festivales; in Casablanca, Morocco, at the Salle de l’Office des Changes; and in the Dominican Republic with the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional. In Thessaloniki, Greece, he performed a solo recital to benefit Lions Club International. Gabriel Sanchez studied at London’s Royal Academy of Music under a full scholarship and continued his studies at the University of North Texas under his teacher and mentor, Vladimir Viardo. Mr. Sanchez, in high demand as an accompanist, is also a dedicated educator. He taught piano, music history, and music theory at the celebrated Booker T. Washington High School for the Arts in Dallas from 1996-2003, and continues to teach piano privately in Dallas. He has collaborated with such artists as Jacques Zoon, Alexa Still, Paul Edmund-Davies, Marco Granados, Thomas Robertello and Ian Clarke. Mr. Sanchez recently completed two other recordings for MSR Classics: Rêver en Couleur featuring flutist Lisa Garner Santa in a program of traditional flute repertoire [MS1213] and Scree featuring flutist Elena Yarritu in the World Premiere Recording of Mike Mower's Sonata No.3, in addition to other contemporary works [MS1277].

HENRI DUTILLEUX (b.1916)
SONATINE

CHARLES TOMLINSON GRIFFES (1884-1920)
POEM

FRANK MARTIN (1890-1974)
BALLADE

GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845-1924)
SONATA NO.1 in A MAJOR, OP.13

MSR Classics