(Flamenco Duo | Photo courtesy of Sunriver Music Festival)
To kick off its 50th anniversary season, Sunriver Music Festival will present Rim of the Well in concert on Saturday, September 19, at 7pm at Sunriver Christian Fellowship, 18139 Cottonwood in Sunriver. The performance will feature Steve Mullins on flamenco guitar and Doug Walter on marimba, bringing together two distinctive instruments for an evening of flamenco-inspired music.
Rim of the Well has developed a sound unlike that of any traditional flamenco ensemble, blending guitar and marimba in what the duo describes as Flamenco Fusion.
The group takes its name from the writings of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, who portrayed art and the creative process as requiring risk and a willingness to dance on the “rim of the well.” The duo performs original compositions by Mullins rooted primarily in Spanish flamenco while incorporating influences from Eastern European and Latin American music, jazz, classical music and other traditions.
Renowned marimba and vibraphone artist Doug Walter has been with Sunriver Music Festival since its early days, making this concert the perfect way to launch the Festival’s 50th Golden Anniversary Season.
About the Duo
A versatile percussionist, Dr. Doug Walter has developed an international reputation as a marimba and vibraphone artist in both the classical and jazz fields. He is the only keyboard mallet artist to win a first-place prize in the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York City.
Walter has performed over 300 solo recitals and concerts in New York City, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, and 40 U.S. states. He is emeritus director of percussion, drum set and jazz vibraphone studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, working with undergraduate percussion students from around the world.
Walter’s achievements in the jazz world include the North Texas State University recording, LAB 75, the first university recording nominated for a Grammy award, the Keystick Duo (vibes and piano), The Modest Jazz Trio (vibes, bass, guitar), and Jazz Asylum (University of Colorado faculty jazz quintet). His unique solo improvisations on the marimba and vibes have received accolades from both fellow musicians and audiences.
Also an accomplished orchestral musician, Dr. Walter has performed with the Dallas and Santa Fe Operas, Fort Worth, Oregon, Colorado Ballets, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Boulder Philharmonic Symphony Orchestras, and the Colorado Music Festival, among others. He has toured for over 20 years with the Westminster Brass.
Dr. Steven Mullins is an accomplished composer, multi-instrumentalist, and ethnomusicologist. He is on the faculty of the college of music at the University of Colorado where he earned his doctorate in ethnomusicology. His doctoral dissertation Flamenco Gestures: Musical Meaning in Motion, delves into aesthetics in Spanish flamenco.
Mullins has performed as guitarist with many well-known flamenco artists including Chuscales, Marisol Moreno, Rene Heredia, Jeanette Trujillo, Lia Ochoa, Sali Gutierrez, Maria Vasquez, Daniel Pelegrino, Mina Fajardo, Juan del Valle, Jesus Muñoz and Pablo Rodarte.
Steve has been featured in a cover story in World Rhythm Magazine and has been a columnist for Mandolin Magazine since its inception in 1999. His compositions have been heard in television commercials, documentaries, national public radio, silent movies, multi-media flamenco shows and dancing horse performances at the National Western stock show. He has performed with the Colorado Music Festival orchestra, the Boulder Philharmonic, the Longmont Symphony, Denver Brass and the Boulder Maher Festival Orchestra.
Dr. Mullins has received grants and commissions to compose for dance productions and other events, including a flamenco suite for orchestra, and has performed in Mexico, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and throughout the United States, including performances at the Newman Center, the Lincoln Center, Boettcher Concert Hall, Chautauqua Auditorium and the Arvada Center. He is also the author of the first-ever banjola instruction book.
Sunriver Music Festival is thrilled to open its 50th Golden Anniversary Season with this extraordinary musical partnership. The vibrant rhythms of flamenco guitar paired with the rich, resonant sounds of marimba promise an evening unlike any other in the Festival’s history. Tickets are available now to experience Rim of the Well – a celebration of music, creativity and the spirit of taking artistic risks that has inspired the Festival for 50 years.
Tickets at sunrivermusic.org or by calling 541-593-1084
