Two Part Invention with Nora Suggs & John Arnold

TWO PART INVENTION is a duo of flute and classical guitar, performing a wide repertoire ranging from Elizabethan ballads to modern commissioned works. Guitarist John Arnold and flutist Nora Suggs have performed together for over 20 years, and continue to plan new programs and explore new repertoire.

The Japanese bamboo flute known as the shakuhachi has captivated the minds and hearts of listeners for centuries, and for over 1000 years, has been the sound of Zen meditation. Paired with the music of classical guitar, it creates a fascinating mixture of past and present, East and West – music from around the world and across the centuries.

East & West features music for shakuhachi and guitar, as well as flute and guitar music from the Western classical tradition, in a blend of two musical cultures.

JOHN S. ARNOLD, guitarist, teaches guitar at Moravian University and Lebanon Valley College. In addition to numerous solo performances, he is an active chamber musician, performing with the Pennsylvania Sinfonia and Allentown Symphony Orchestras, SATORI, the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble, and the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Mr. Arnold holds an Artist Diploma degree from the Hartt School, and Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Guitar Performance and Guitar Pedagogy from Shenandoah Conservatory. He has also published a number of arrangements for guitar.

DR. NORA SUGGS, flutist, is a graduate of Houston’s Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. She is the flutist and Artistic Director of the Lehigh Valley’s chamber music ensemble SATORI, and has taught on the music faculty at Bethlehem’s Moravian College and at the Community Music School of the Lehigh Valley. Dr. Suggs also plays shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute, and has received Shihan (Master) level shakuhachi performance and teaching certification after extensive study both in Japan and the USA.