麻豆影院

CU Presents鈥� landmark 80th-anniversary concludes with a concert starring the flutist and living legend Sir James Galway. On Wednesday, March 22, the world-renowned star plays alongside his wife, Lady Jeanne Galway, and other friends.

Between his classical credits, his star-studded collaborations with the likes of Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell and Sir Elton John听and his bestselling recordings for The Lord of the Rings听films, Galway is the premier flutist of our time. Together with Lady Galway, he鈥檒l demonstrate his virtuoso chops in style at Macky Auditorium with a program of hidden gems from the 18th and 19th centuries鈥攆rom Briccialdi鈥檚 鈥淚l Carnevale di Venezia鈥� to an arrangement of Kreisler鈥檚 鈥淪ch枚n Rosmarin.鈥�

The Galways鈥� visit to 麻豆影院 is part of a month jam-packed with flute events at CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 . The concert comes on the heels of , a festival of talks, concerts and workshops for students, alumni and flute enthusiasts in the local community.

Once a听Flutist host Christina Jennings says she couldn鈥檛 ask for a better festival closer than Galway. 鈥淗e鈥檚 obviously an iconic name in flute playing,鈥� she says.

CU Presents Executive Director Joan McLean Braun, a flutist herself, says she was drawn to Galway not just for his fame but also for his efforts to champion music education in classrooms everywhere.

鈥淗e鈥檚 provided children with a fun and healthy way to learn the flute with workshops and with his own academy,鈥� Braun says. 鈥淗e really approaches music with joy and fun, and I think people respond to that.鈥�

It鈥檚 undeniable that Galway鈥檚 refusal to take the instrument too seriously has contributed to his ubiquity across countless genres. While so many classical virtuosi stick to the style for which they were trained, Belfast-born and conservatory-educated Galway has unapologetically reached across the aisle to perform and record with Celtic, rock and pop acts.

As a result, he has sold more than 30 million records, received a handful of prestigious lifetime achievement awards and a knighthood and earned the moniker 鈥淭he Man with the Golden Flute.鈥�

After four decades of performing, you鈥檇 think both Galways would have slowed down by now, but they tour and play as if they鈥檝e only just begun. At a recent concert in the U.S., a reporter for the Chicago Tribune noted听Galway鈥檚 signature 鈥渢winkly repartee with the audience鈥� hadn鈥檛 faded.

The , 鈥淭he nonchalant virtuosity and sterling musicianship that have kept Galway's solo career going strong for nearly 40 years were readily apparent . . . Galway's playing remains a marvel.鈥�