POCATELLO — Pocatello-based flute choir Suite 212 is presenting its 2024 holiday concert on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, located at 200 N. 15th Ave. in Pocatello. The concert is free and open to all ages.
The choir will perform flute choir pieces to celebrate the holiday season. The concert opens with 16th century round “Rose, Rose,” followed by “Canon,” by Johann Pachelbel, arranged by Richard E. Thurston. Pachelbel’s best-known composition is one of the most widely performed pieces of Baroque music, though not published until the early 20th century. Doug Burma will accompany the choir on piano.
Next to be performed is “Of Mountains, Lakes, and Mischief” by well-known flute choir composer, Phyllis Avidan Louke. This three-movement piece is a favorite of the choir and sure to be a favorite of the audience as well. The first movement, "Mountain Prayer," opens with a tender piccolo solo and expands to a lovely and reverent melody. "Eleven Cats," the second movement is a light-hearted look at what kind of mischief might ensue in a house with that many cats. The third movement, "Kayak on the Lake," opens with the morning birds chirping and singing followed by a gently flowing melody as the kayaks glide across the lake.
The final piece to be performed will be six movements from Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky’s fairytale ballet, “The Nutcracker,” as arranged for flute choir by Michael Axtell. To be performed are the "Miniature Overture," "March," "Danse of the Sugar Plum Fairy," "Arab Danse," "Danse of the Mirlitons" and "Chinese Danse." The ballet’s title comes from a story "The Nutcracker And The Mouse King," written in 1814 by the German fantasy writer E.T.A. Hoffmann.
Suite 212’s musicians for this concert are Kathy Albano, Elizabeth Bolinger, Kristina Cochrane, Sarah Jackson, Celia Kampwerth, Jill Kirkham, Kathy Kirkham, Terry Lewis and Charity Staggs. Jackson, the choir’s director, invites everyone to “take a break from the cold and holiday rush and enjoy the sounds of the season.”
Suite 212 includes piccolo, C flutes, alto flutes, and bass flute and was started by former Pocatello resident and nationally known flutist and teacher Patricia George in 2001. George was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the National Flute Association in 2023.