Cortona Sessions for New Music

A flutist for the 21st Century, Mary Fukushima has packed away her Mozart and Poulenc scores in exchange for wildly-adventurous and innovative contemporary music. Despite successful and immensely gratifying past performances of the traditional repertoire, including solo performances of Mozart Concerti with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mary’s passion and inspiration is fully focused on the works of living composers. Mary ventured fully into modern music for her 2006 Carnegie Hall debut, which was praised as a “powerhouse performance” by critics from NY Concert Review…there was no looking back.

 

Over 50 world-premiere performances later, she is still on a mission to seek out and commission new works for her flute/piano duo, DuoSolo, and to introduce them to new audiences and communities, particularly smaller communities in the Great Plains. These performances, as well as collaborative and chamber performances with ensembles such as the Manhattan Sinfonietta and the Gotham City Orchestra, as well as regular performances with friends and colleagues at the Cortona Sessions for New Music, are why she plays the flute. In addition, Mary still performs regularly with a number of regional orchestras in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. 

 

In 2008, Mary and her duo partner Michael Kirkendoll formed the DuoSolo Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the creation, performance, and education of new music. In 2010, the foundation presented the first annual Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy, bringing performers and composers together for two weeks of performance, study, and collaboration. The DuoSolo Foundation's educational programs have supported the creation and performance of over 300 new works since 2009.

 

Mary holds degrees from the University of Kansas (DMA), Manhattan School of Music (MM), and Long Island University (BFA), where her primary teachers were David Fedele, Linda Chesis, and Bradley Garner. In addition to her musical endeavors, Mary is also a yogi, teaching and practicing in Lawrence, KS. When she is not learning some crazy new work or practicing “Darth-Vader” yoga breathing, you will likely find Mary running with her dog Mr. Sam, or ‘hanging out’ on the rock wall at the climbing gym.