Sugar Hill Salon Live: Northstar Duo

• Seychelle Dunn-Corbin, saxophone
• Adrienne Baker, flute

Gamal Abdel-Rahim — Selected works
Gliceria González Abreu — Selected works
Talib Rasul Hakim — Selected works
Oliver Nelson — Selected works
David Baker — Selected works

About Sugar Hill Salon Chamber Music

Sugar Hill Salon is one of the first chamber music series and artistic collectives that centers on black and brown woodwind artistry in classical music. We are a black- and queer-owned organization that offers free public concerts in Harlem that showcase wind repertoire that lacks representation within "traditional" chamber programming along with uplifting black and brown musicians performing them. Through commissioning chamber works and monthly concerts featuring artists on the scene, Sugar Hill Salon is decolonizing classical music for a more equitable future for black and brown communities.

https://www.sugarhillsalon.com/

About Northstar Duo

Saxophonist Seychelle Dunn-Corbin and Flutist Adrienne Baker came together in February 2016, both passionate about works for winds and their accessibility to audiences and musicians alike. Through research, transcription and commission, they have exposed audiences to America's diverse legacy, whether it be cutting new contemporary music, championing the works by women or works by people of color.

Since their beginnings in the Greater Boston Area, NorthStar Duo has worked to expand the repertoire of their unorthodox instrumentation, showcasing the artistic and expressive capabilities of woodwind instruments. NorthStar Duo has given concerts in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York in addition to the Boston Sculptors Gallery, The Boston Copley Library in the Courtyard, as well as the group’s alma mater Longy School of Music. Through commission and call for scores, they have premiered works written specifically for them and their instrumentation, including Spirituals for Wind Duo by Anthony R. Green, Save One Life, You Save the World Entire by Aaron Jay Myers, and The Sky Is Green by Eliza Gelinas.

Believing in community and holding space, this past year saw the first year of their podcast NorthStar Duo and Keeping Score, a monthly podcast where they discuss current and historical contributions of musicians of color to the western canon of historic and traditional performance. Guests have included educator and administrator Jammie Phillips, Grammy Nominated flutist Kim Scott, and Educator and entrepreneur Alissa Gittens.

https://www.northstarduo.com/

About Seychelle Dunn-Corbin, saxophone

https://www.seychelledcorbin.com/

About Adrienne Baker, flute

Adrienne's background in music started as a toddler crawling around her mother's feet as she practiced Beethoven. Though active in her church as a pianist and singer, where her mother was Minister of Music, she eventually discovered her love for the flute.

She currently champions music influenced by artists of color and works to expose audiences to these underrepresented composers. A socially conscious artist, Adrienne strives to use her voice to help others find theirs. Through her collaborative duo with saxophonist Seychelle Dunn-Corbin, NorthStar Duo, they work to promote and expose audiences to works for woodwinds.

An arranger and composer, her original works include I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free with effects pedal and the Pug Suite for Flute and Cello. She has also commissioned and premiered works such as Just Passing and Running In Place by Peter Christian.

Adrienne doesn't only feel passionate about representation in the art form, but the artists themselves. As a worker-owner at Groupmuse, she is one of a dedicated cohort that brings together musicians and their communities to experience the power of chamber music together.

A passionate educator, she also works as a private educator and teaching artist. At New Jersey Performing Arts Center ArtsEd, she works as a Teaching Artist in the Jazz for Teens and RAMP (Recorder Arts for Musical Pathways) programs. She believes in first fostering a love of learning and appreciation for the craft, thereby supporting her students as they find their own voice.

https://www.theflutepursuit.com/