Jagger Photography
New Work for Flute and Orchestra
Written especially for flutist Alejandro Escuer, this new 25-minute work for flute and orchestra is inspired by Escuer’s own unique playing style and techniques, and emphasizes rhythmic vitality, harmonic richness, and contrasts in orchestral color and texture. At times, the orchestra seems to emerge organically from Escuer’s playing, while at other moments soloist and ensemble engage in dialogue ranging from playful to dramatic.
About Charles Halka, composer
Charles Halka’s music spans the broad space between “energetic” and “crazed” (New York Times) and “haunting” and “reflective” (Houston Press). With performances and commissions from the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra led by Marin Alsop, Alarm Will Sound, Mivos Quartet, counter)induction, Callithumpian Consort, and ÓNIX Ensamble, among many others, his works have been heard internationally at venues and events such as The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Palau de la Música Catalana, ISCM World Music Days, and Foro Internacional de Música Nueva.
Recent honors include a Barlow Endowment General Commission and the Copland House Residency Award, as well as residencies at MacDowell and the M.K. Sarbievijaus Cultural Center in Kražiai, Lithuania. Further support has come from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the U.S. Fulbright program, and the Nevada Arts Council.
Halka earned degrees from The Peabody Conservatory and Rice University, and is Associate Professor of Composition and Theory at Western Washington University.
About Alejandro Escuer, flute
Alejandro Escuer (Mexico, 1963) is a Mexican multidisciplinary artist and flutist who has developed his own artistic and visual foundations on music interpretation and music composition, which have had an impact on his concerts and recordings. He is at ease performing as a soloist with symphony orchestra or solo recitals with piano, guitar, electronics, percussion, multimedia or ensemble. He has captivated audiences with his commitment to and delight in performing a unique selection of original works, ranging from the master pieces of all times to Latin American works and his own compositions and improvisations.
Alejandro Escuer has been a driving force in for the consolidation of new music in Mexico. He has been the artistic director and producer of more than one hundred and fifty concerts with more than 50 premieres from México, Japan, The U.S., Canada, Portugal, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Corea, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Australia, Denmark, among many others.
Escuer has received numerous prizes and awards, including a Rockefeller Foundation Award (1995), The National Interpreters Competition (first prize) 1986, 1987; The National Scholarship Award for the Arts (Universidad Naciona Autónoma de Méxicol) 1989, 1991, 1995; Líderes de México Honorary Award 1998, and many recognitions and fellowships from Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014).
He is also an active scholar (full time tenure faculty at the Escuela Nacional de Música of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), and as such he has been giving master classes and concert-lectures across the American continent. Currently he is a visiting Fulbright professor at Indiana University and he has been invited by Columbia University, New York University, CalArts, and many other relevant institutions. As a soloist he has been able to achieve a highly individual reputation, constantly seeking to broaden the interpretive, aesthetic and acoustical possibilities of the flute. These ambitious goals have been achieved through his own explorations and discoveries of new expressive instrumental techniques, the use and development of new technology, a unique use of resources such as circular breathing, his own double bass and sub-contra bass flutes and in general, an innovative incorporation of musical means offered by different culture and traditions such as Pre-hispanic and Latin American.
Alejandro Escuer holds degrees from Conservatorio Nacional de Música (B.A.) and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (B.A.). He obtained his soloist degree from Sweelinck Conservatorium Amsterdam in 1991 (M.A./Uitvoerend Musicus), and earned a doctorate in 1995 from New York University (Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy in Music Performance). He has recorded more than twelve albums as Artistic Director. As a soloist he has recorded five albums: Jade Nocturno, Aqua, Aire Desnudo (http://www.quindecim.com.mx/); Folklore Imaginario, Flying www.cero-records.com which earned The Independent Music Awards 2014 for the best album of contemporary classical music.
Work Details
• Score and parts will be available by October 1, 2026.
• The work will be available for programming after _______, 2026, the date of the work's first performance.
• The projected instrumentation is 2-2-2-2; 4-2-2-1; timp + 2 perc, hp, pno, strings
• Duration: ca. 25 minutes
Examples of Charles Halka’s Music
Fever Dream (2019) for sinfonietta (excerpts)
Por la fuerza las tierras (2010) for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
Scherzo (2008) for orchestra
Son of Scherzo (2023) for orchestra (excerpts)
Examples of Alejandro Escuer’s Performances
The Seas Between Us (2024) concerto for flute and orchestra by Eric Nathan (world premiere performance)
Lamento for solo bass flute by Mario Lavista