Night Soliloquy, A

A Night Soliloquy
Composed by Ervin Monroe
For Flute Alone
Published by Little Piper

Notes from the Composer:
      The National Flute Association announced in 2016 that I would be presented the distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming 2017 National Convention to be held in Minneapolis. I was deeply moved to be receiving the honor and when the Program Chairperson called and asked if and what I would like to perform, I gave it much consideration. I returned the call and told him I would enjoy getting together with my friends and flute colleagues with whom I had performed during the last decade or so of my forty year career as principal flute of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. I held them all in great esteem and we had worked as a team so effectively, I thought a reunion would be a lot of fun. I got the go-ahead to schedule the recital and I contacted my friends.
      Jeff and Sharon were still performing with the Detroit Symphony and they were enthusiastic about the idea. Phil was now the flute professor at Vanderbilt and was filling-in as principal flute with the Nashville Symphony. He, too, was excited to get together again. 
      I asked them each if they'd like to play a solo on the program, and Phil chose to play Kent Kennan's Night Soliloquy. I had to chuckle when I heard Phil's selection. He often reminded me of our first meeting. Phil was a high school student playing for me at a master class in Ann Arbor. His selection was Kennan's Night Soliloquy. Phil used to jokingly mention that he was intimidated by me back then. How fitting it would be for him to show me his mastery many years later! I was looking forward to hearing him perform again, and to sharing in the recital. 
      Our reunion concert was not to be. Early in 2017 the cancer Phil had defeated years earlier came back with a vengeance. I held on to hope that he would push it into remission as he had done before, but the cancer was relentless. By early March it was obvious Phil could not share in our concert and on April 20, 2017 he passed. We were all in shock and felt a great loss. 
      I wrote this piece, A Night Soliloquy for flute alone, as a tribute to Phil. The work was inspired by Phil's fine flute playing and the outstanding piece by Kent Kennan we both enjoy performing. 
      Phil, you have left us with many fond memories and you will be sorely missed.
– Ervin Monroe