NATCHITOCHES – The WoodWired Duo will perform at Northwestern State University Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.
The duo, Hannah Leffler on flute and Cheyenne Cruz of clarinet, will be guest artists in residence at NSU on Sept. 19-21. They will work with the sound recording class and applied studios.
WoodWired is a contemporary duo based in Dallas. They regularly perform across the country, using live looping software and electronics. They perform contemporary and classical music, creating upbeat, fresh sounds that represent a fusion of jazz, classical and pop genres.
WoodWired is known for their groundbreaking use of live electronics in a chamber music setting. They are quickly gaining popularity in this genre, presenting a truly unique sound. The duo’s music is not only popular in concerts and residencies at universities and conferences around the country but also works equally well in more intimate informal settings.
Their debut album, “In The Loop,” was released in March under the University of Texas-Arlington Record label. Described as a “true virtuosic tour d’force” (Audiophile Audition), this album features almost entirely original compositions written by WoodWired. It was featured on multiple platforms, including being named Jazz Weekly’s “Ringer of the Week” and topping the Classical/Experimental chart on Stanford Zookeeper Online in July.
Cruz joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2016 as lecturer in clarinet and music theory. She was recently named a Buffet Performing Artist, and holds positions as the second clarinetist in the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and bass clarinetist in the Longview Symphony Orchestra. Previously, she was an adjunct clarinet instructor at Stephen F. Austin State University, and was the teaching fellow in chamber music for the University of North Texas. Cruz completed her DMA in clarinet performance with a related field in music education at the University of North Texas in 2015. She also holds a master’s degree in clarinet performance from the Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in music education from McMurry University.
Leffler, a Miyazawa Emerging Artist, has held flute faculty positions at Luther College, University of Northern Iowa, Northeast Iowa School of Music, the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Sounds of Summer Institute, and numerous high schools and middle schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. She recently completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in flute performance at the University of North Texas and worked as teaching fellow. She has been a featured guest artist and clinician at numerous schools and events across the Midwest. She performs frequently with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and has been a principal substitute flutist for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra and the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra.
