Oxygen is a multidimensional new piece commissioned by the NFA and composed by critically acclaimed composer, Pulitzer Prize winner, and MacArthur Fellow Julia Wolfe.
Written for twelve flutes, it will receive twelve premiere performances around the world. While the pandemic delayed many of the performances, the
ball has begun rolling with premieres in Nashville; Miami; New York City; Seattle; Omaha, Nebraska; Highland Park, Illinois; Denton, Texas; and Amsterdam.
In a recent Flutist Quarterly interview, composer Julia Wolfe shares, “There is a kind of kaleidoscopic quality to the piece, as each section
merges with the next, and then some resting places to breathe deeply. ... I was composing Oxygen during the height of the pandemic. I
had started it before, but then somehow my ideas changed as I went into isolation. Oxygen was my way of reaching out to the light. I wanted
the piece to be propulsive, alive, bright. It was my way of reaching out of the darkness.” (Members can read the full interview here.)
At the 50th anniversary NFA Convention this summer, Oxygen will receive an exhilarating 144-flute performance conducted by lauded flutist and conductor (and NFA Lifetime Achievement Award winner) Ransom Wilson. A full listing of all the
musicians taking part in this performance can be found below.