Flutist Laura Falzon performs across the globe as a soloist, orchestral musician and as part of numerous ensembles. She has collaborated with and premiered the compositions of numerous international composers, and performed pieces ranging from contemporary, world, electroacustics as well as traditional classical and baroque.
Background
Born in Canada of Maltese parents, Falzon holds a Doctorate and Masters in Music & Education from Columbia University, a Masters of Music in flute Performance from the University of South Florida and is an Associate, Licentiate and a Fellow of the London College of Music. Before 2004, she was based in the UK, previous to which she was co-principal flute with Malta’s National Orchestra, then known as the Manoel Theatre Orchestra.
A graduate of Columbia University, Dr. Falzon also studied in England with Royal Academy professor and principal flutist of the London Sinfonietta Sebastian Bell, with Kim McCormick in the United States, and with flutists Susan Milan and Julius Baker. She has also done residencies through the Rockefeller Foundation and was also a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar representing the UK in the US.
Falzon is a founding member and artistic director of Id-Dinja ensemble, Issa Sonus and 2Flutes. As well as maintaining an active concert schedule, she is a Music Professor at Columbia University Teachers College (since 2006) and at NYU (New York University). Other universities she has taught at include The City College of New York at the City University of New York (CUNY) and Yeshiva College, Yeshiva University.
International soloist
Falzon has featured as a soloist in recitals and concerts across Europe, Asia and the USA with performances in France, Portugal, Finland, England, Scotland, the Channel Islands, Malta, Greece, the US and India. In New York, Falzon has performed in venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Le Poisson Rouge, The Tank, Tenri and the DiMenna Center.
Described in the London-based Music & Musicians magazine as “an excellent instrumentalist”, she has appeared as a soloist with orchestras and ensembles including London’s Spectrum (dir. Guy Protheroe), St. Martin in the Fields Sinfonia, the British Rasumovsky Quartet (leader Francis Mason), Mimesis ensemble, Random Access Music, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra – the National Orchestra of Malta, Stockholm’s Curious Chamber Players, Orchestra of Our Time, Bleecker String Quartet, and Elekoto ensemble.
Collaborations & premieres
An ardent advocate and passionate performer of contemporary music, Laura Falzon has collaborated with composers from around the world on new works for flute in a variety of combinations, ranging from the conventional flute solo, flute and piano, and flute and orchestra, to works with electroacoustics, zheng, sitar, tabla, yoruba drums and tanpura.
Praised by the Musical Times for her “versatile technique”, and hailed as “fearless in tackling and promoting” challenging new works (PAN Magazine, British Flute Society), Dr. Falzon has commissioned and premiered many flute works, working with composers such as John Mayer, Eddie McGuire, Theodore Wiprud, Mohammed Fairouz, Shirish Korde, Charles Camilleri, Akin Euba, Carlos Jose Castro, Bushra El-Turk, Halim El-Dabh, Nickos Harizanos, Alice Shields, Dai Fujikura, Pamela Sklar and Geoff Poole.
Her collaborations include work with many musicians such as pianists Timothy Carey, Andrew Ball, Eric Moe, Max Lifchitz, Mark Ray, Steve Beck; percussionists Damian Harron of Backbeat, Doug Perkins of So Percussion; choreographers Sara Pardo and Tanya Bayona Poutiatine; harpist Zi Lan Liao; conductors Bongani Ndodana and Roger Zahab; sitarist Jonathan Mayer and John Mayer, tabla player Dibyarka Chatterjee and many others.
Ensembles
Falzon founded and manages various ensembles. One of these is Id-Dinja, presenting concerts of 20th century and contemporary music by composers from around the world. Another is Issa Sonus, examining music cross-culturally in context of an ever more connected world. Most recently 2Flutes, a collaboration with Pamela Sklar, performs an eclectic repertoire ranging from classical and contemporary works to rock, pop, folk, world, improvisational and jazz. Other music partners include Steve Beck, pianist; Daniel Beliavsky, pianist; Andrey Tchekmazov, cellist; and Edmundo Ramirez, violist.
Recordings
Falzon’s recordings include Charles Camilleri: Music for clarinet, flute and piano, with the acclaimed British pianist Andrew Ball and British clarinetist David Campbell which includes a selection of works from the extensive list of flute compositions that composer Charles Camilleri wrote for her. In 2019 she released New York Tapestries as part of her ensemble 2Flutes, a collection of contemporary works for two flutes by New York women composers specifically written or transcribed for the 2Flutes ensemble.
Her recordings have been broadcast on television and radio stations across Europe and the US. She has also performed in many International Festivals and Symposia, including Mediterranean Arts Festival (Council of Europe, Athens, Greece), Rescontres de la Mer (Council of Europe, France), “Musiques de la Mediterranee” (La Garde, France), Euro-Arab Summer Festival, “Crossroads” International Symposium on the Music of the Mediterranean Region , Malta International Arts Festival (Malta), International Festival and Symposium on New Intercultural Music (London), Bridge Across (Pittsburgh), Warwick & Leamington Festival (Warwick, UK).
Awards
The recipient of numerous awards, grants received include ones from The British Arts Council (UK), the Scottish Arts Council (UK), The Rockefeller Foundation (US), Hope Scott Trust (UK), Jersey Arts Trust (UK), Warwick Arts Festival (UK), The Centre for Intercultural Musicology, Churchill College, Cambridge University (UK), Rotary Foundation International (USA/UK), Sparkplug foundation (US), New York Women composers (US) & Columbia University (US).
