UNO’s faculty ensemble XY Duo (Christine Beard, flute and Hannah Weaver, percussion) were joined by flutist Lisa Bost (University of North Dakota) and percussionist Ryan Pearson (Fort Hays State University) in the Kansas premiere of “Birds, Bees, Electric Fish” for 2 flutes and 2 percussion by Juri Seo at the 2024 Scheherazade Chamber Music Festival, held in Manhattan, KS from June 11-13, 2024. Invited to the festival via a national audition process, the quartet performed on 2 concerts, also showcasing 3 movements from John Luther Adams’ “Songbird Songs” for 2 piccolos and 2 percussionists. Visit http://www.scheherazademusicfestival.com/ for more info about the festival.

Founded in 2019, XY Duo’s name represents the eras in which both artists were born (i.e. gen X and gen Y). XY Duo will be embarking on a tour of the Dakotas in September and will perform at the 2024 FNMC New Music Festival hosted by UNO in October. For more info about XY Duo, visit the ensemble’s artist page on Facebook.