Valerie Johnson, a native of Texas, has been praised for her rich sound and inventive musical interpretations. Dr. Johnson is an avid chamber musician, a stimulating pedagogue, and a vibrant solo and orchestral performer. She is the winner of the 2012 Byron Hester and Myrna Brown Competitions, and has been featured as a guest artist and clinician at the Texas Flute Festival and the Houston Flute Festival. She holds degrees from Texas Tech University, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Frank Martin’s compositions offer a rich harmonic language and lush color palette. However, with the exception of the well-known Ballade for flute and piano, his chamber works for flute are virtually unknown. These works show the influences of the forms and sonorities of the ancient music, as well as the colorful orchestration of the early twentieth-century French Impressionist composers. In the early 1930s, Martin became interested in the 12-tone serialism of Schoenberg. Although he ultimately rejected the musical anarchy of serialism, he emerged from his experimentation a ‘master of total chromaticism,’ adding a third dimension to his compositional style. These three levels of influence combine to create Martin’s distinctive sound: a world of saturated color and chromatic tension. The Ballade for flute and piano is the most frequently performed of Martin’s works, and presents a challenge for both flutist and pianist. It was composed in 1939 for the inaugural Geneva International Music Competition. The title Ballade hearkens back to a form of Medieval and Renaissance narrative poetry. Despite the antiquity of the title, the chromaticism and harmonic tension in this work place it firmly in the twentieth century. The work begins with a slow, creeping build that moves into a high-energy vivace section with rolling triplets. A dramatic two-against-three section follows before escalating into an expressive cadenza. The vivace section returns faster than ever and pushes forward to the passionate ending. Featuring Suyeon Kim, piano. Trois Chants de Noël was composed in 1947 for private family use. It was premiered on Christmas day in 1947 in Amsterdam by Frank Martin (piano), his wife (flute), and his daughter (voice). The text was written by Martin’s friend, the Swiss poet Albert Rudhardt (1894-1944). Like the Sonnets, this work invokes the harmonies of the Renaissance, with emphasis on pure sonorities and smooth voice-leading rather than Classical chord function. Martin’s mature style is evident in the wandering melodies and carefully controlled dissonances. Featuring Halley Pearlstein, voice, Suyeon Kim, piano. The material for Pièce Brève is taken from Martin’s 1957 Le Mystère de la Nativité, a Christmas oratorio for nine solo voices, three choruses, and large orchestra, based on the Medieval mystery play, Le Mystère de la Passion, by Arnoul Gréban (1420-1471). In Pièce Brève, Martin arranged the material from the Prologue and Paradise sections of the oratorio for flute, oboe, and harp. The orchestration is reminiscent of Debussy’s Sonata for flute, viola, and harp in its inventiveness and rich color. This work is highly dissonant and very brief. A slow introduction leads into a bright, joyful dance section that is interrupted by a fleeting hymn. The dance-like section returns to end the piece triumphantly. Featuring Ciara Artem, oboe, and Kathryn Harms, harp. Sonata da Chiesa was originally composed for viola d’amore (a six-stringed baroque member of the viol family) and organ in 1938 and was transcribed for flute and organ in 1941. The premiere was played by Frank Martin’s wife (flute). The title, which translates to “Church Sonata,” is taken from the Baroque genre of the same name. This one-movement work contains themes of Baroque church sonatas, such as angst at the separation from God and joyfulness for redemption. However, Martin’s tonal language is decidedly modern. As with most of Martin’s music in his late compositional period, his use of chromaticism is subtle and incremental; and he often emphasizes a single tonic note in place of a key area. The work begins with a slow, mournful introductory section, followed by a calliope-like waltz played by the organ. The flute and organ play a tense musette before ending with solemnity. Featuring Michael McBride, organ. Quatre Sonnets à Cassandre was composed in 1921. The text below, translated by Peter Low, is from the poetry of Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585). The Old French poetry, combined with sonorous harmonies and controlled dissonances, evoke the music of the Renaissance. The unusual combination of instruments suggests influence of the colorful orchestration of Ravel and Debussy. Featuring Halley Pearlstein, voice, Amy Tompkins, viola, Mathieu D'Ordine, cello. The Ballade Duxième, or “Second Ballade,” was originally composed for saxophone, string orchestra, piano, and percussion in 1938, the year before the first Ballade was composed. It was commissioned by the great saxophonist Sigurd Raschèr, whose control over the altissimo register of the instrument was unprecedented. The high tessitura of the piece made for a natural transcription for flute and piano. It is unclear when this reorchestration occurred, as the transcription was not discovered until 2008. However, Martin’s label of Ballade Duxième, indicates that it was transcribed after the first flute Ballade was composed. Like the first Ballade, this work begins with a slow, dissonant build that leads to a high-energy allegro. A long, dramatic cadenza transitions back into the allegro, which pushes forward to the end. Despite the similarity of form and structure between the two works, the Ballade Duxième is approximately twice as long as the first Ballade. Featuring Suyeon Kim, piano.