On Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 12:10 p.m., the Free Admission Glendale Noon Concerts program will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube. Flutist Ellen Burr and pianist Lorenzo Sánchez will perform works by G.F. Händel, Olivier Messiaen, Joaquín Gutiérrez Heras, Georges Enesco and Mike Mower.    

Ellen Burr’s multifaceted musical career has won her praise in performance, improvisation and composition. She had her solo debut with the Topeka Civic Symphony at age 16, and this past October played Michael Kibbe’s “Verdugo” with the Carson City Symphony.   

Burr has been improvising almost as long as she’s been playing and began teaching only two years after she began taking private lessons. Burr appears on more than 25 CDs and has received worldwide performances of over 50 of her compositions. Her improvisational card game “Ink Bops” is included in the graphic score anthology “Notations 21,” ed. by Theresa Sauer, pub. 2009.

She has been a featured performer/clinician for high schools, universities and festivals across the U.S., Canada, UK and EU. Burr held a year-long position as visiting assistant professor of theory and music composition at Wichita State University and was guest flute instructor for a semester at California Institute of the Arts.

Burr holds a Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance from Wichita State University, a Master of Fine Arts degree in music composition from California Institute of the Arts, and the Certificat de Stage at the Academie Internationale D’Ete in France. Her flute teachers have been Jean-Pierre Rampal, Jim Walker, and Dr. Frances Shelly.

Burr was the subject of a feature article, “Teaching Self-Awareness,” (Flute Talk, vol.17, no. 2), and has since contributed articles on the business of teaching. Most recently her article about teaching, “Obstacle or Opportunity,” was published in the MTAC magazine. Burr is a Yamaha artist.

 Lorenzo Sánchez, pianist, has enjoyed interpreting music of a variety of styles and nationalities in the United States, Mexico and Europe. Sánchez premiered Robert Guillory’s Concertino for Piano and Orchestra. His interest in Polish music led to him giving several lecture-performances at the Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles, California. He has performed for African-American composer George Walker and Japanese composer Mitsuru Asaka in Hawaii. He has played for several choirs touring Italy, The Vatican and several Filipino community celebration masses at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Los Angeles. Looking toward his own heritage, Sánchez has edited and helped publish piano works by Mexican composer Domingo Lobato. He has recorded two CDs of Lobato’s solo piano works and recently released a CD with clarinetist Virginia Figueiredo. All of his recordings are available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and others. Unfortunately, the global pandemic caused the cancellation of concert appearances in Brazil and Mexico this year. Sánchez holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California.

Glendale Noon Concerts is celebrating its 15th year of presenting free admission, and now streamed, concerts every first and third Wednesday for Glendale and the Southland community.

Upcoming concerts will be updated at http://glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com.