Flutefest Northport Arts Coalition

Bios:

Originally from Selden, New York, Leslie A. Strait studied flute at Syracuse University with John Oberbrunner.  Other flute teachers include Harold Bennett.  She has performed with the North Shore Symphony Orchestra for more than ten years, and she has occasionally played with the West Islip Symphony Orchestra, too.  Her favorite composers include Poulenc, Beethoven, Bach, and Barber.  Ms. Strait's musical interests extend to singing as well, as she has sung with The Long Island Symphonic Choral Association, The Masterworks Chorus, and The Long Island Philharmonic Chorus.

Nancy Reycraft earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she studied flute with Mary Roberts Wilson and Emil Opava.  She has attended lots of flute master classes, including those of Jean-Pierre Rampal, Thomas Nyfenger, and Francis Blaisdell.  After studying music history at New York University, Mrs. Reycraft managed to complete a Master of Arts degree in liberal studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.  Having performed with The Staten Island Symphony, Staten Island Chamber Music Players and The Staten Island Musicians Society Concert Band, Nancy now plays piccolo for The Atlantic Wind Symphony in Sayville, NY.   On school days you can find her teaching classroom and choral music at Bellerose Avenue Elementary School in East Northport.

Deborah Sherman received a Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance from Ithaca College, as well as a Master of Science degree in library and information services from Long Island University. Her flute teachers included Leone Buyse of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.  Mrs. Sherman performs regularly in the pit orchestra for the Suffolk Y musicals and with The Northport Community Band.  She has also played with The Atlantic Wind Symphony and the Greece Symphony Orchestra.  Among her favorite composers is her husband, Don Sherman.

Sally Shorrock is founder and director of the publicly and privately supported Canta Libre Chamber Ensemble.  In addition, she oversees the Do-ing Music chamber music series in Northport, New York, furthering her belief in providing chamber music for an ever-widening audience.  She performs in chamber ensembles at Mannes College of Music regularly, as well as at The Bard College Now and Present Flute Festival.  Invited to Interlochen at a young age and touring Holland in high school, Ms. Shorrock solidified her career leanings to music.  After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy at Gettysburg College, Ms. Shorrock completed a music degree in Flute Performance at the State University of New York at Stony Brook under the tutelage of Samuel Baron, Carol Wincenc, Barli Nugent, Tara O'Connor, Judith Mendenhall and Jordan Vogel.  Purchase College Conservatory of Music has granted her a Master of Arts in Flute Performance.

Born into a musical family in Lebanon in 1959, Bassam Saba began playing music with formal studies at the Lebanese National Conservatory on the oud (eastern lute), nay (end blow reed flute) and violin.  In 1976 he moved to France where he received a Bachelor's degree in western classical music and flute performance from the Conservatoire Municipal des Gobelins in Paris.  In 1985 he moved to Moscow where he received a Master's degree in flute performance and music education at the Gnessin Musical Pedagogical Institute.  Completing these studies, he returned to Beirut and served as music director of the Beirut Symphonic Band.  During this time he continued to build his career as a performing artist by recording and concertizing with such Lebanese musicians as Fairuz, Majida al-Roumi, Sabah Fakhri, and Wadi al-Safi. He also worked with composers Ziad Rahbani, Marcel Khalife and Toufic Farroukh.  In 1991 Mr. Saba relocated to New York and continued to s.......

Mr. Saba's musical career is peppered with live concert broadcasts and radio interviews in France, Belgium, Lebanon, Japan, Canada and the United States of America.  In addition to teaching privately, he gives frequent workshops and lecture demonstrations at schools, universities and cultural centers.
 

A native of Northport and a graduate of Northport High School, Stephanie Gralow received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Crane School of Music at Potsdam and a Master of Arts from Queens College.  Her flute teachers have included Deidre Manning, Andrew Lolya, Claire Southworth and Kenneth Andrews.  Certified in the Suzuki method of flute instruction, Ms. Gralow studied those methodologies in Johnson City, Tennessee, and in Cooranbong, Australia.  She teaches instrumental music at Bellerose Avenue Elementary School and at Northport Middle School.

Addendum:  Some Photos from the Concert