Come, watch and listen to the 2024 Francis Walton Competition chamber ensemble winners Duo Duoro—Arin Sarkissian, flute, and Kaitlin Miller, Harp—perform a free concert. It is at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, 6210 NE 181st Street, Kenmore, Washington.

All ages are invited. You do not need tickets to come to this free concert on September 8, 2024, at 6:00 pm.

The Ladies Musical Club of Seattle sponsors the Francis Walton Competition.

About the artists

Formed in 2022, Duo Duoro features harpist Kaitlin Miller and flutist Arin Sarkissian. Fusing “winds, strings, and percussion” into one, the flute and harp offer a vast and unique combination of sound worlds. The ensemble aims to showcase their instrument pairing through adventurous programs of undiscovered soundscapes and diverse musical identities.

Harpist Kaitlin Miller is an active musician in the Los Angeles area, performing in orchestral, chamber, and solo settings. Her orchestral pursuits include performances with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, and American Youth Symphony.

Holding dual residence in British Columbia and Los Angeles, Arin Sarkissian is the Principal Flutist of the Victoria Symphony. Recent orchestral appearances include concerts with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and Vancouver Symphony.

Duo Duoro has enjoyed performing throughout Southern California at the Colburn School, University of Southern California, Music Academy (Santa Barbara), and in private concerts.

Concert program by Duo Duoro

“Entr’acte,” Jacques Ibert

‘Intermezzo’ from Carmen, Georges Bizet

“Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune,” arranged for flute and harp (1894), Claude Debussy

“Vida Formosa,” Heitor Villa-Lobos

“Après une rêve,” Gabriel Fauré

Sonata for flute and harp, Op. 56 (1997), Lowell Liebermann

Song set by Claude Debussy

• “La fille aux cheveux de lin” for flute and harp
• “Nuit d’etoiles” arranged for flute and harp (1891)
• “Beau soir” arranged for flute and harp (1891)

7 Canciones populares españoles, Manuel de Falla

• V. Nana
• VII. Polo
• III. Asturiana

“Kamancha” (Armenian Folk Song arranged for flute and harp), Sayat-Nova

The Frances Walton Competition and Tour

For more than thirty years, the Ladies Musical Club’s Frances Walton Competition has provided a unique opportunity for classical musicians ages 20 to 35 to audition for an award package including the following:

• Generous cash prizes.
• A live performance on Classical KING-FM 98.1, one of the premier classical music stations in the U.S.
• An outreach and recital tour of locations throughout Washington State.

Applications open in November and close in March. The contest attracts talented musicians from across the United States, who compete in 7 solo categories:

• Brass
• Marimba
• Piano
• Recorder
• String
• Voice
• Woodwind

Or they can compete in a chamber ensemble category of 2-5 musicians.

Finalists are selected in blind adjudication rounds to compete in Seattle’s Frances Walton Competition weekend. These early round adjudicator panels are specialists drawn from LMC’s membership and occasional outside professionals. The competition is held the first weekend in June in a whirlwind of musical events that are all free and open to the public.

Solo and chamber ensemble finalists compete in Seattle all day on Saturday, and winners are announced in a short ceremony that evening.

Sunday, the winners perform a free public Winners’ Concert followed by a reception, then regroup in Seattle in September to embark on outreach tours across Washington State.