Hailing from Austin, Chaski is a musical duo comprised of Adrienne Inglis and Shana Norton. Their music has spanned multiple generations reinventing the sound of a classical flute/harp duo with otherworldly compositions and performances since 1985.
Known for adapting compositions traditionally written for other instruments, Chaski creates original arrangements for the flute and harp while honoring the original work. Foundational to their 40-year history, Oceans of Space will incorporate works that reflect the natural world, women composers, spoken word, new music, and drawing from and blending different musical traditions.
The program will feature instruments many audiences have never heard before in live performance: instruments to include a wide array of panpipes, flutes, and whistles; an unusual harp; and folkloric percussion instruments. The instruments, the narrative, along with the video and still imagery invite the audience into an appreciation of other cultures and the natural world.
“Our goal is to immerse the audience in an unexpected and mesmerizing soundscape,” said Chaski. “To offer a mix of sounds and stories that invite listeners to suspend time and engage in the moment.”
Highlights of the upcoming Offbeat concert include "Nana’isanishinaam", an evocative piece by composer Adrienne Inglis that draws from her Ojibway heritage. The title, which means "Bring us Peace" in Ojibway, reflects a heartfelt call for healing and reconciliation. Composed in 2020 amidst the George Floyd uprising, the work emerged from an improvisation on Native American flute, blending the spirit of healing with a profound response to the tension between the Black Lives Matter movement and law enforcement. With its poignant melodies and deep cultural resonance, "Nana’isanishinaam" stands as both a musical and social statement, embodying the hope for unity and understanding.
The concert will also showcase a performance of "Yellow Birds," an original composition by Maeve Gilchrist from her suite The Ostinato Project. This enchanting piece, which alternates between a lively 6/8 and 9/8 meter, evokes the imagery of "starlings in the sky." Chaski’s arrangement of the piece offers an intricate interplay of multiple flutes, including bass and concert flutes, alongside the traditional Scottish clarsach, or lever harp. Shana will perform on a custom-made clarsach, crafted specifically for her following a visit to the Edinburgh Harp Festival, adding a personal touch to this vibrant and evocative work.
With its eclectic, genre-bending virtuosity, Chaski reinvents the sound of a classical flute/harp duo. Adrienne Inglis (flutes) and Shana Norton (harps) performed their first concert together in April 1985, in Kerrville, Texas. Since then, they have performed across miles and miles of Texas, from sea to shining sea, and occasionally in places that require a passport.
Chaski has honed a distinctive style that fuses its roots in classical music with a whole world of flute/harp traditions. Their concerts showcase an eye-popping array of instruments and a colorful mix of musical styles. You might hear a Bolivian huayño played on panpipes, a Scottish strathspey featuring penny whistles, the premier performance of a newly commissioned work, or a spoken-word piece that flows seamlessly into its musical counterpart.
Now celebrating their 40th anniversary season, Chaski’s shares programs from their time-tested repertoire, from newly written music, and from their own fresh settings of traditional tunes. The duo’s engaging musicality connects with audiences young and old, in venues from concert halls to coffee shops.
Pre-Performance Talk in the Miller Conference Room
Performance in the Draylen Mason Music Studio
New Music Mixer in the Coltman Shay Reception Lobby
