Greetings, friends! My name is Dr. Brice Smith. I am proud to launch a GoFundMe campaign to commission a new work for solo flute by composer, Dr. Carlos Simon. This piece will be premiered as part of the 2020 National Flute Association Convention’s Summer Series project. My goal is to showcase incredible talent by underrepresented composers, particularly African American/Black composers, as well as help create opportunities to compensate Black artists for their work. Black musicians and composers have been an integral part of our music history, dating as early as the 16th Century, including some origins from ancient Northern African regions. Despite this presence, documentation of the importance of Black musicians is sparse.  The recent events of police brutality has stricken the Black community with extraordinary grief. However, this violence is nothing new; these precious lives are just a few of the many Black lives lost at the hands of systemic racism and violence. The intent of this new flute solo is to offer peace, hope and represent tangible action on the path of equity and inclusion for underrepresented voices in the flute and classical music communities. I hope you can join me on this mission to expand the breadth and diversity of flute repertoire, and share the message of unity. We are so grateful for your time. Sincerely, Brice Smith For all donations $10 and above, donors will receive a social media shoutout. For all donations $25 and above, donors will additionally be listed under the thank you credits at the conclusion of the video.  For all donations $50 and above, donors will additionally receive a signed copy of the score.  For all donations $75 and above, donors will additionally receive an accompanying audio file of my flute performance.  For all donations $100 and above, donors will additionally receive an accompanying HD video file of my flute performance. *All donations that surpass the $1500 goal will be donated to the Black Lives Matter Denver chapter (5280). Brice Smith Biography <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl4NwZ1u0B4DsGzHKP-DzsyNmkqn2wq-4"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl4NwZ1u0B4DsGzHKP-DzsyNmkqn2wq-4" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl4NwZ1u0B4DsGzHKP-DzsyNmkqn2wq-4</a></a> Brice Smith has a deep passion for teaching and community engagement through classical music. He completed a Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Colorado Boulder, Master of Music in Flute Performance and a Master of Music in Chamber Music at the University of Michigan, Performer Diploma at Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance, Violin Performance and German language at the University of Arkansas. He has performed in several professional bands and orchestras, including the Colorado Symphony, New World Symphony and National Repertory Orchestra. As a soloist, Brice has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center, with the Arkansas Philharmonic and University of Michigan Camerata Symphony Orchestra. He has performed at the National Flute Association's Convention as a member of the Colorado Flute Orchestra, and is scheduled to premiere solo flute works this summer for the National Flute Association Summer Series and Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music “Gig Thru COVID.” As a collegiate music instructor, Brice has taught masterclasses and lessons at the University of Arkansas, Adams State University, Siena Heights University and the Crescendo Detroit program for young students in the performing arts. Administratively, he currently serves as an executive board member for the Texas Flute Society, has held the position of Artistic and Development Assistant for the Crested Butte Music Festival, and Student Engagement Specialist for the Entrepreneurship Center for Music at the University of Colorado Boulder. Brice is a founding member of the Boulder Altitude Directive (BAD Ensemble) new music ensemble, conducted by Dr. Carter Pann. Carlos Simon Biography <a href="http://coliversimon.com"><a href="http://coliversimon.com" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://coliversimon.com</a></a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuiOdLN5T_Y&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;fbclid=IwAR03c-I0ktF7bFZpE4xYApVytmwZawvPDsSPnaEFZFr9BKMx6nxb6_nnies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuiOdLN5T_Y&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;fbclid=IwAR03c-I0ktF7bFZpE4xYApVytmwZawvPDsSPnaEFZFr9BKMx6nxb6_nnies" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuiOdLN5T_Y&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;fbclid=IwAR03c-I0ktF7bFZpE4xYApVytmwZawvPDsSPnaEFZFr9BKMx6nxb6_nnies</a></a>  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pnft2XJgfk&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;fbclid=IwAR2ut1ITbooKcRBeYZvoGOSdI3mlllgfW2UHr56ZfJRhepYolFOtKc5vHXY"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pnft2XJgfk&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;fbclid=IwAR2ut1ITbooKcRBeYZvoGOSdI3mlllgfW2UHr56ZfJRhepYolFOtKc5vHXY" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pnft2XJgfk&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;fbclid=IwAR2ut1ITbooKcRBeYZvoGOSdI3mlllgfW2UHr56ZfJRhepYolFOtKc5vHXY</a></a> Simon’s latest album, MY ANCESTOR’S GIFT, was released on the Navona Records label in April 2018. Described as an “overall driving force” (Review Graveyard) and featured on Apple Music’s “Albums to Watch”, MY ANCESTOR’S GIFT incorporates spoken word and historic recordings to craft a multifaceted program of musical works that are inspired as much by the past as they are the present. As a part of the Sundance Institute, Simon was named as a Sundance Composer Fellow in 2018, which was held at the historic Skywalker Ranch. His string quartet, Elegy, honoring the lives of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner was recently performed at the Kennedy Center for the Mason Bates JFK Jukebox Series. With support from the US Embassy in Tokyo and US/Japan Foundation, Simon traveled with the Asia/America New Music Institute (AANMI) on a two-week tour of Japan in 2018 performing concerts in some of the most sacred temples and concert spaces in Japan including Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Simon earned his doctorate degree at the University of Michigan, where he studied with Michael Daugherty and Evan Chambers. He has also received degrees from Georgia State University and Morehouse College. Additionally, he studied in Baden, Austria at the Hollywood Music Workshop with Conrad Pope and at New York University’s Film Scoring Summer Workshop. <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/48565356_1591597035663485_r.jpeg" alt="48565356_1591597035663485_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" />

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NFA 2020 Flute Solo Commission - Summer Series

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