Friday, November 25, 2022  
at 7:00 PM

Charke ~ Cormier Duo

Derek Charke (flutes)
Eugene Cormier (guitar)


Derek Charke (flutes) and Eugene Cormier (guitar) formed the Charke ~ Cormier Duo in 2014 culminating in a debut recital at the KC Irving Centre in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Both performers are highly accomplished musicians who are on the teaching faculty at Acadia University's School of Music. This sonorous union of flute and guitar continues to charm audiences across the Maritimes. Their repertoire includes many of the most important works for this pairing of instruments, and creates a sonic journey for audiences from the street corners of Argentina to the halls of Europe, as well as introducing fresh new works created today.


Their critically acclaimed debut CD, Ex Tempore, was released in 2018 through Leaf Music, Halifax. Here they curate a charming program that includes an original composition by Charke and arrangements of Scarlatti and Peter Maxwell Davies by Cormier paired with works by Debussy, Handel and Brazilian-Canadian composer Celso Machado. Ex Tempore (the composition) won the 2019 ECMA award for Classical Composition of the Year, and the album was nominated for the 2019 ECMA Award for Classical Album of the Year.


Derek often writes music for the duo. So far he has composed three works: Ex Tempore, The Equation of Time, and Bathymetric Terrains-an exciting multi-media work for soundscape, multi-tracked flutes and guitars. Eugene has arranged various works by Scarlatti, Davies, and Haydn. In 2018 the duo began a publishing agreement with Doberman-Yppan in Québec to release their sheet music under the Charke ~ Cormier Duo Collection. The Scarlatti Sonatas and the work Ex Tempore have since been released.


The duo has performed various works by Canadian composers including Celso Machado and Anne Lauber, and they premiered a work dedicated to them by Nova Scotian composer, Adam Langille. They have received funding from Arts Nova Scotia and Acadia University.



Learn more at http://charkecormierduo.com/



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