Flute, piano concert set to mix it up

Local musicians will take listeners through tunes of all types and time periods during an upcoming Performing Arts Society concert.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Soldotna Christ Lutheran Church, pianist Maria Allison and flutist Tomoka Raften will serenade their audience with a wide variety of sonatas and other pieces. The duo has worked together since Raften moved to the area two years ago, Allison said.

The pair have performed before in Homer, Soldotna and Anchorage, but like to switch up their programs and music from concert to concert to keep it stimulating and challenging, Allison said.

“This whole program that we’re doing is a brand new program that we started working on this summer,” she said.

The concert will feature sonatas both traditional and modern as well as a slightly experimental flute solo.

Allison said those in attendance can expect to “be taken from one end of the spectrum to the other,” in terms of both history of music and the types of music they will hear.

Allison said she hopes those who attend will come out of the show with an appreciation for instruments as tools that require technique but also remember that the end goal is to make beautiful music with them. Those who have heard Raften play before will not be disappointed, Allison said.

“If they haven’t (heard her play) they’re just going to be completely amazed and impressed,” she said.

Tickets for the concert can be purchased at Northcountry Fair, River City Books, Already Read, Country Liquor or at the door the night of the show. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for children and students.

Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsula.com.