The collaboration between SFEMS and the California Jazz Conservatory resumes on Sunday, January 11, 2015, with the return of Flauti Diversi, performing an unusual program entitled “Music in the Garden of Delight: The Kinship of Medieval Dance and Arabic Music.”
Flauti Diversi (Frances Feldon, recorders/flute; Gary Haggerty, oud; Sarah Michael, kanun; Roy Whelden, vielle; and Peter Maund and Karolyn Stonefelt, percussion) will perform a mixture of lively medieval instrumental dances and tantalizing Arabic tunes and improvisations.
The program unites two different musical traditions and groups of performers and displays the kinship between medieval instrumental music and Arabic music. The well-known 13th-century Cantigas de Santa María El Escorial codex is illuminated with colorful miniature paintings which show pairs of musicians playing a wide variety of Arabic and Western instruments. By juxtaposing the two traditions in musical performance, it is easy to hear their common musical building blocks, both composed and improvised. You will experience a fascinating musical bridge to another time and place.
The concert begins at 4:30 p.m., at the California Jazz Conservatory (formerly The Jazzschool), 2087 Addison St., between Shattuck and Milvia, in downtown Berkeley. The venue is one block from downtown Berkeley BART, and parking is easily available at the Addison Street parking garage. Street parking is free on Sundays and also relatively easy in the afternoon.
Tickets are $15 general admission, $12 for seniors and students, and can be purchased online or at the door. Reservations are highly recommended, as the venue is small and intimate. Last year’s performance by Flauti Diversi sold out well in advance. For more information, please call the California Jazz Conservatory at 510-845-5373 or email [email protected].
