Keith/Larson
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About
The Keith/Larson Duo aims to explore and expand the horizons of the flute and guitar world through the commission and performance of new works and unique original arrangements of orchestral repertoire. The Duo formed in 2012 while studying new music at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and has since performed across the United States and in Canada. Recent performance highlights include several U.S. Tours, as well as being featured performers at the Omaha Under the Radar, Oh My Ears!, Canadian Flute Convention, and National Flute Association Festivals, the Oscillations Concert Series in Chicago, Illinois, and the Second Inversion Radio Program on Classical KING FM, Canadian Flute Convention. Their latest recording, Dawn Till Dusk, features music from the 20th and 21st centuries for flute and guitar by Joaquín Rodrigo, Christopher Caliendo, and Toru Takemitsu. In 2015, the Duo launched a performance project entitled New Music - New Horizons, which features newly commissioned works by current composers and has since been concertized in several major U.S. Cities.
Leanna Keith
Leanna Keith is a freelance flutist and composer in the Seattle area. Equally comfortable on stage as a soloist and in an ensemble, Ms. Keith had served as principal flute in the Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra from 2011 through 2014. In 2012 she became a founding member of the University of Nebraska's first modern music ensemble - Ensemble 768 - which focuses on complex music of the 20th and 21st centuries, and enjoys bringing their unconventional styles to a wider audience. Ms. Keith currently performs regularly with the University of Washington Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Harry Partch Ensemble, Inverted Space (New Music Ensemble), and Taiko Drumming Ensemble.
Ms. Keith is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in flute performance at the University of Washington in Seattle with Donna Shin. In 2014, Ms. Keith received a Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance under the tutelage of Dr. Christine Erlander Beard at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She had additional studies of orchestral repertoire with Erica Peel of the Omaha Symphony.
Zachary Larson
Currently based in Denver, Colorado, Zachary Larson is an ambitious guitarist dedicated to exposing audiences to the rare and under-performed music in guitar literature. His advocacy for chamber music drove him to become an original member of Ensemble 768, a modern music ensemble that aided in the formation of the Keith/Larson Duo. He also performs in several modern music ensembles, with the Chimaera Guitar Trio, and in improvised Broadway-style musicals.
On multiple occasions he has been a soloist with concert choir, chamber orchestra, won prizes in the Lamont Chamber Competition, and had performances broadcast on 90.7 fm KVNO. In 2016 he became the first prize laureate of the inaugural Shark Tank Entrepreneur Competition in Denver.
Zachary holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a Master of Music degree from the University of Denver. His main instructors have been Hadley Heavin, Jonathan Leathwood, and Ricardo Iznaola. He has had additional studies in flamenco guitar with René Heredia.
Press
"The Keith/Larson Duo is a contemporary music team who bring every ounce of their creative energy and technical skill to their collaborations with composers... and their creative and technical skill are formidable indeed!" - Sarah Perske, Composer (full text)
"The joy and interest both musicians bring to the music is truly an exciting thing..." - Daniel Sabra, Composer (full text)
"[it takes] dedicated and skilled performers to make work come to life... the Keith/Larson Duo brought that knowledge and skill to an amazing collaborative experience." - Kevin Baldwin, Composer (full text)