Fanwood Musician Finds Calling on Baroque Flute

A typical day for professional musician Susan Graham consists of walking her two children to school in the morning, practicing the flute and "staring at her music stand" for several hours, helping out with homework and after-curricular activities, teaching private music lessons—and more often than not, performing in concerts such as this Saturday’s Fanwood Cultural Arts Performance Series at the Kuran Arts Center.

The self-taught baroque flutist has performed at various venues in New York City and New Jersey for over 15 years. This Saturday’s event will be the first hometown concert at "The Carriage House" for Graham, a Fanwood resident, and Queens-based harpsichordist Nancy Kito, two of Ensemble Leonarda’s baroque music quartet. The concert will also feature the Outreach String Chamber Ensemble of the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra.

Ironically, Graham’s musical beginnings did not involve the baroque flute, a period-piece instrument that dates back to the 1600s. On the contrary, the talented performer first “screeched along” on the violin and later dreamed of playing the clarinet with her friends. It was her mother who thought Graham should play the flute, and when the instrument subsequently “appeared” in their house, that’s what she did.

“I remember very distinctly being the worst flutist in my class,” Graham said. “I could barely get a sound out, and everyone else was so far ahead of me. But by the end of fifth grade, none of my friends were even playing anymore. I was the only one left, and I was still going strong. I didn’t have private lessons. I played at school and on my own with the encouragement of my parents. My parents were not musicians, but they have a great appreciation for music. There was always music of an amateur nature in our house.”

By eighth grade, Graham knew her calling was to play the flute. She talked her parents into allowing her to attend the public high school, which had a music program instead of the Catholic school, which did not.

Graham went on to graduate from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where she met two influential people in her life: her trumpet-player husband, Lorne, and Ensemble Leonarda member Kito.

“At the time, I wanted to be in an orchestra. I kind of liked baroque music, but I liked playing it on my modern flute,” Graham said. “It wasn’t until I was getting my masters degree in music at Rutgers that I really started to play the baroque flute. I had a harpsichord teacher who was giving a history class called ‘Performance Practice’ which basically was a class on how to play baroque music in the proper style. We sometimes had to play in class, and she told me that I should play baroque flute because I have a really good sense of the style. I love history, and baroque flutes were relatively cheap compared to modern instruments. So I bought a baroque flute and taught myself how to play it.”

Graham currently plays the traditional "C flute," the baroque flute, the piccolo, the alto flute, and the bass flute, which she fondly refers to as “the monster truck of flutes.” She performs publicly year-round—from sponsored concerts to private functions to music lessons for students of all ages. Graham was first approached by Kito about starting a baroque music group on the receiving line at her own wedding.

“Nancy’s very persistent, and that’s how Ensemble Leonarda got started,” explained Graham. “We were four women originally, and we named ourselves Ensemble Leonarda after Isabella Leonarda, who was one of the only female composers.”

Graham, who also serves on the subcommittee of The Fanwood Arts Council, credits the genesis of the Performance Series to director David Blechinger. Blechinger worked on the Carriage House renovation, and it was his brainchild to hold concerts there. The series kicked off to a full house in April, and each concert includes at least one local musician or musical group. The venue also highlights the work of local artists, painters, and photographers.

“This Saturday will be our first classical concert,” Graham said. “Previous concerts have featured folk groups, jazz, and bluegrass bands. We’ve been getting very positive feedback. We’re really just looking to bring music to this area. You can’t beat the price, there’s free parking, and it’s right here in town. You don’t have to take a train or pay for a tunnel or anything like that, and you can get just as good a concert here as in New York. It’s a really good thing—not only for Fanwood, but for the surrounding areas—to draw people in and potentially support our local businesses. I’m very excited to be a part of it and performing in it.”

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Fanwood Cultural Arts Performance Series:

Saturday, Oct. 10, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Kuran Arts Center, 75 North Martine Ave., Fanwood. Featured performers are Outreach String Chamber Ensemble of the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra and Ensemble Leonarda. Tickets cost $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.

Saturday, Nov. 14, from 7 to 9 p.m. Performers to be announced.

Ensemble Leonarda’s upcoming performances:

Nov. 1,  at 4 p.m. at the French Church du Esprit, 109 E. 60th St., New York City.  The concert will run for one hour, no intermission. The cost is $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. 

Nov. 17, at 1:15 p.m. at St. Batholomew’s Church, 325 Park Ave. (at 51st St.) in New York City. The weekly early music series is called “Midtown Concerts” and will run 45 minutes, free of  charge.

Susan Graham’s upcoming performances:

Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. at the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, Plainfield. The Plainfield Musical Club’s annual concert will benefit the Good News Community Choir, a group based in Plainfield, directed by Mark Miller. The cost for this concert is $10.

Nov. 22, at 3 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Westfield. The Westfield Musical Club’s annual scholarship concert will feature a flute quintet made up of local flutists: Susan Graham, Jenny Cline, Clarissa Nolde, Flora Alexander, and Helen Bartolick. There will be an admission charge.

For all of these performances, tickets can be purchased at the door.

For more information about performances, music lessons, or private functions, contact Susan Graham at (908) 322-7490 or lsgraham@verizon.net.