News

Peter Flint and Bachtopus – Halfway

Here’s a live performance of Peter Flint’s Halfway, by the Bachtopus Accordion Ensemble, April 11, 2024 at the Third Street Music School Settlement, NYC.

Performed by Mayumi Miyaoko, Rob Duncan, Peter Flint, and Jeanne Velonis.

Halfway was originally written by Peter Flint and Ben Kaplan for accordion, guitar, and electronics as part of a suite of instrumental music they wrote called Sheetflow Songs, inspired by the Everglades art of Dorothy Simpson Krause. The Halfway creek is one of the rivers that feeds the Everglades.

New Video – Precursor (an excerpt)

This is an excerpt from a longer structured improvisation I created and performed in November 2019 for the 50th anniversary of Oberlin Conservatory’s TIMARA electronic music program. It is an homage to all the creative people who came before me and helped shape who I am. All sounds generated live with accordion and electronic effect pedals.

This version was created for William Schimmel’s summer 2021 seminar concerts for the American Accordion Association.

Precursor (an excerpt) – Peter Flint from Peter Flint/Avian Orchestra on Vimeo.

The Waning Moments of Raphus Cucullatus

 

Buy now on Bandcamp.

“The Waning Moments of Raphus Cucullatus” is a musical narrative of the last moments of the last dodo bird. The piece was inspired by a passage in journalist/author David Quammen’s fascinating book, “The Song of the Dodo”, which imagines just such a moment and meditates on what extinction really means.

The last living dodo was seen by a marooned Dutch sailor on an islet near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean in 1662. The species likely went extinct shortly thereafter.

Written for accordion, bass accordion, and electric guitar, the original composition was created in 2013, and recorded in 2017.

Released November 17, 2020

Peter Flint, accordion and bass accordion
Ben Kaplan, guitar

Mixed and edited by Peter Flint.
Recorded at the Barn at Flint Woods, Delaware, 2017.

La Familia ReggaeSon at The Shrine

November 23, 2019
10:00 pmto11:59 pm

La Familia’s run at La Cubana in Chelsea has come to an end for now as the restaurant has closed at least until January. 

But that doesn’t mean we won’t be performing elsewhere! Next gig is this week. We’ll be playing our signature mix of Cuban Son, Colombian Cumbia, and Reggae, adding a few new tunes for this gig. The Shrine is always a great party on Saturday nights! Come out and get your dance on!

Saturday, Nov. 22
10pm-Midnight
at
The Shrine
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd
New York, NY

Kaleidosonic Music Festival Nov. 16

November 16, 2019
7:30 pmto11:30 pm

Finney ChapelOn Saturday, November 16, 2019, I will be participating in the Kaleidosonic Music Festival in Finney Chapel on the Oberlin College campus, as part of a year-long celebration of Oberlin Conservatory’s TIMARA electronic music program. I’ll be contributing a segment of improvised music for solo accordion and electronics, with long complex drones and squawky chaos on top of it!

The Kaleidosonic Music Festival is a FREE event on Saturday, November 16, 2019.  It will start at 7:30 pm in Finney Chapel and run continuously for approximately 4 hours.

The festival will be an exciting evening-length event with musicians representing a wide array of styles: Gospel, classical, rock and roll, jazz, early music, marching band, serious, funny, and avant-garde!

Over 250 musicians will perform in a single extended musical collage: Imagine a brass fanfare alongside taiko drumming, and then organ alongside bagpipes, and over 16 speakers surrounding the audience for a fully immersive sonic experience!

Just a few of the local groups include Oberlin Choristers, Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra (NOYO) musicians, the Oberlin College Black Musicians Guild, the Obertones a capella group, and many faculty, students, and alumni from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music.

Audience members can come and go as they wish and there will be 3 food trucks from 7-10 pm in the parking lot of Finney Chapel – so you can listen to music, take a break to grab a slice of pizza or a bagel sandwich, and return for more music.

For more detailed information, please visit Kaleidosonic Music Festival or the TIMARA website.  I believe the event will be live-streamed. Look for details in the previous links. 

High Summer:Brood V

Here’s a video of my latest piece for the Bachtopus Accordion Ensemble. Performed live at St. Peter’s in Chelsea, NYC on October 9. It was inspired by the annual emergence of the cicada broods in the summer. Performed by Rob Duncan, Denise Koncelik, Mayumi Miyaoka, Jeanne Velonis, and myself. Enjoy!

Video: Dance Dance Dance in Havana, Cuba

I had a fantastic trip to Havana to hear the Camerata Romeu, conducted by Zenaida Romeu, perform the premier of my piece Dance Dance Dance for String Orchestra. The orchestra played wonderfully and really nailed the tough rhythms I had in there. The concert venue, the Basilica de San Francisco in Vieja Habana, was effectively sold out, with about 400 people in the audience, most of them Habaneros. I was truly honored to have my music played by such a great group in a unique setting.

There was a professional video and audio crew there so hopefully I’ll get access to their edited versions eventually. For now, here’s a link to some video I made of the third movement of the piece. I’ll have all the audio up shortly. Enjoy!

Music Piano and Electronics

towardthecurveA fantastic new recording of my piece, ElectroSonata:Spontaneous Combustion, has just been put out on the Oberlin Music record label as part of the Towards The Curve cd, bluray, and digital download release. The incomparable Thomas Rosenkranz plays the heck out of it in an absolutely pristine sounding surround and stereo recording. If you buy the CD, you get both it both formats, a great deal.

In addition to my music, there are fabulous pieces for piano and electronics by Tom Lopez, Peter Swendsen, Aurie Hsu, Michael Klingbell, Pierre Jalbert, and Alex Christie; all tied together by lovely improvised piano interludes by Tom Rosenkranz himself. It’s really one of the best compilation records I’ve ever heard, and it really hangs together as one artistic statement. Check it out!

You can find it on Naxos Direct here or on Amazon here.

Sheetflow Songs recording available!

Check out my latest project – accordion, guitar, and electronics, collaborating with my friend Ben Kaplan. A pretty different and exciting new direction for me. Available now for streaming and download on Bandcamp.com.

 

Ten-Thirteenths

A short piece for tenor saxophone and piano, originally written for and premiered by Andrew Sterman in 2005.  Recorded by Andrew and Mick Rossi, piano at Sear Sound, NYC, 2007.  It was intended as concert opener, but works great anywhere on a program. Score and parts available for purchase.  (Use the Contact link at the top right of the page.)

Ten-Thirteenths is, for a limited time, a free download, available through the links below.  A gift to the fans! (Click the “I” below to download.)