Guitar, flute concert marks new arts endeavor

Musicians Tracey Schmidt-Jaynes and Matthew Slotkin will perform a concert on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Moose Exchange in downtown Bloomsburg. The performance is the first event sponsored by Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts. The show is open to the public free of charge.

The duo draws inspiration from popular and dance music from Spain and the Americas. With Schmidt-Jaynes playing flute and Slotkin on guitar, they will play a variety of music, from re-imagined Appalachian folk music to tangos.

Schmidt-Jaynes is assistant professor of music at Bloomsburg University. She has studied and played music throughout much of the United States, including a solo performance at the National Flute Convention in Chicago. She is a member of the MidSouth Flute Society’s advisory board and chairs the organization’s young artist competition. In addition to teaching, she is a piccoloist for the Williamsport Symphony.

Slotkin is an instructor and director of the guitar program at BU. He has performed in a variety of settings, including solo performance, chamber music, and as a soloist with an orchestra. He has played music worldwide, with his most recent tours bringing him to Australia, Greece, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. He has given numerous master classes and worked with several prominent chamber ensembles. The American Record Guide applauded him for his “musical sensitivity and technical control” on his album, “Twentieth Century Music for Guitar.”