Mountain Song Tone Poem
for Flute Choir Harp (or Piano) and String Bass

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Premiere of Andrew Downes' Mountain Song for Flute Choir, Harp and String Bass, Colorado Flute Orchestra directed by Nancy Spidel, December 2003

PREMIERE:

20th December 2003
Vance Brand Civic Auditorium, Longmont, Colorado
Colorado Flute Orchestra
Kathy Moore, harp, and Chris Engleman, bass
Conductor Nancy Spidel

More information and sheet music

An account by his wife and publisher, Cynthia Downes, posted on January 28th, 2023

MOUNTAIN SONG Tone Poem for Flute Choir, Harp (or Piano) and String Bass Opus 84

As a result of the success of all Andrew’s works for Margaret Lowe and Carol Kniebusch Noe, Andrew was commissioned by Nancy Spidel, director of the Colorado Flute Orchestra, to compose his beautiful Mountain Song, for Flute Choir, Harp and String Bass.

Mountain Song was first performed in the Vance Brand Civic Auditorium, Longmont, Colorado on 20th December 2003. With Kathy Moore, harp, and Chris Engleman, bass, the Colorado Flute Orchestra were conducted by Nancy Spidel. They gave a repeat performance in Colorado the following year, then performed the work at the 2007 USA National Flute Convention in Albuquerque, and then again in 2009 in Colorado.

Memorabilia of Colorado performances:

Premiere of Andrew Downes' Mountain Song for Flute Choir, Harp and String Bass, Colorado Flute Orchestra directed by Nancy Spidel, December 2003

For the premiere, Andrew made a quick visit to Colorado in the Rockies. It was just before Christmas 2003. I couldn't go because I was busy: our daughter Anna was due to get married to Mike Price 2 days after Christmas! 

The Columbia Flute Choir, directed by Sharyn Byer, gave performances of Mountain Song at the Columbia Flute Choir Festival in November 2004 and at the USA National Flute Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in August 2006.

Columbia Flute Choir performances:

 Andrew and I went to the Pittsburgh performance and then drove via the beautiful Finger Lakes, staying in a gorgeous hotel en route, to Boston, Massachusetts, where our daughter Paula had organised a concert of Andrew's unaccompanied sacred choral music in King's Chapel. Andrew and I sang in this concert. Another unforgettable memory for me.

Our hotel at the Finger Lakes and the programme from our Choral concert in Boston Massachussetts:

The Texas Woman's University/Brookhaven Flute choir, conducted by Pamela Youngblood, performed the work at the Margo Jones Performance Hall at Texas Woman's University in October 2009.

Email exchange with he Texas Woman's University/Brookhaven Flute choir:

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