Live in Studio C

Guitarists Robert Thompson and Joey Butler met as members of a Latin music ensemble, and that musical tradition is at the heart of their work as Duo Sudeste. They returned with a program of selections from their upcoming recording.

Wu Fei, a native of Beijing and current Nashville resident, is known as much for her genre bending as for her mastery of the guzheng, a traditional 21-string Chinese zither. To Western eyes, the instrument looks like a cross between a harp and a hammer dulcimer — but sounds like neither. She made extraordinary music with it in Studio C this week. 

Flutist Deanna Little has a knack for pulling together interesting music and woodwind ensembles. For this Studio C performance, the MTSU professor brought three more flutists — Rebecca Murphy, Maureen Moeller and Sarah Hoff — pianist Windell Little and a variety of music by British composers.

Guitarist Stanley Yates has a long relationship with the music of Renaissance composer John Dowland. As a teenager, Yates made his own arrangements of all of Dowland's lute music. In this Studio C performance, Yates shares one of those favorites plus pieces he's been pleased to discover in recent years.

Cellist Nicholas Gold put his own spin on 19th century music during this week's Live in Studio C. First, he and Brian Eades followed the tradition of violin virtuoso Paganini as they improvised additions to a set of variations. Then fellow cellist Elizabeth Browne filled in for the orchestra in a reduction of music by Schumann.

Jessica Dunnavant, Sheri Hoffman and Yvonne Kendall play trios by Joseph Boismortier and Johann Quantz.

Two weeks ago, we heard performances by faculty teaching music students at the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts. On this program, we get a taste of the talented high school juniors and seniors who have come from all over the state. 

This week, a versatile young harpist from Wales stopped by Studio C on his way between a festival in New Orleans and a workshop in Louisville. At just 21, it would be impressive enough if Ben Creighton Griffiths only held the principal harp position for one professional orchestra, but he's got that job with two ensembles, plus parallel careers as a touring soloist in both the classical and jazz genres. Griffiths gave us a taste of the wide range of music he can tease out of a single instrument, from impressionistic classical and traditional Welsh to walking bass and modal jazz.

Each summer, talented high school students from around the state gather in Murfreesboro to hone their visual art, theater, dance or music skills with college-level teachers at the Governor's School for the Arts. We got a taste of how much fun the faculty get to have, as professors from the music division performed lively selections together with their peers.

For the second week in a row, we're featuring talented young musicians. Chloe Harvel recently graduated from high school and is headed off to study violin performance in college. Her 16-year-old brother Nolan plays classical guitar and attends Ravenwood High School. The pair returned to Studio C this week with music that moves a traditional Latin dance into the concert hall.