LEWISTON – In an unusual combination of artists and genres, three virtuosi of traditional ethnic flutes will present a concert of Klezmer, Irish and Japanese music Friday, June 27, in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library.

The 7 p.m. event is open to the public free of charge.

Performing will be the World Flute Trio consisting of Carl Dimow on bass flute, Nicole Rabata on Irish flute and Phil Nyokai James on Japanese shakuhachi flute. The ensemble’s repertoire features solo performances by each individual musician as well as group pieces that weave together the unique sounds of their three traditions.

“We are fortunate to be able to bring this trio into our cultural center for a program which promises to be educational as well as entertaining,” said Cindy Larock, LPL cultural coordinator. “From lilting Celtic melodies to the entrancing sounds of the Far East to the driving dance rhythms and emotional intensity of eastern European klezmer music, I expect the evening to be one which audience members of all ages will find captivating.”

Dimow is one of a handful of flutists nationwide who have been rediscovering a place for the flute in the klezmer (ethnic Jewish “folk jazz”) tradition where today the clarinet typically holds sway. Lauded for his use of extended techniques to create a unique klezmer flute sound, he performs with and does much of the arranging for the Casco Bay Tummlers klezmer band, which has been featured at festivals in Italy, Germany, Lithuania and Slovenia. An accomplished guitarist as well as flutist, Dimow is a longtime member of the applied music faculty at Colby College and teaches privately in the Portland area.

Rabata has performed in concert throughout Europe and the United States on both classical flute and the wooden Irish traditional flute. Recent appearances include the International Flute Festival of Lund, Sweden, and the Magic Flute Festival in Stockholm. She has also appeared on BBC Glasgow and French National Television as part of a European tour with the award-winning Irish group Devana. She completed her master of music degree and artists’ diploma in performance at Royal Northern College of Music in England in 2005 and now freelances and teaches in Portland as well as at Colby College.

James has been composing and performing for more than 30 years, both as a soloist and in collaboration with dancers and other performance artists. A licensed “shihan” (master) of the Japanese bamboo shakuhachi flute, he is one of only a few recognized American experts on this difficult instrument known for its haunting sound and meditative depth. His solo CD, “First Places,” was honored by Jazz Weekly as one of the best releases of 2002. Nyokai appears in concert throughout the United States and teaches privately in Boston and Portland.

The library is at 200 Lisbon St. in the downtown. For more information on the concert, call 513-3050. For more on the trio, log on to worldflutetrio.com.

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