Performed by Olivia Abernathy
Recorded by Jeff Francis
Born on this day in 1842 in Macon, Georgia, Sidney Lanier was a writer and flutist who was interested in exploring the interrelationship among music, poetry, and nature. More well-known for his poetry, he was a professor of literature at The Johns Hopkins University. Lanier wrote “Wind-Song” in 1874 for his audition with conductor Leopold Damrosch in New York. This piece effectively displays the many facets of virtuoso flute playing in a short, one movement format, ideal for an audition setting.