During their thirty year collaboration,SPARX - a flute and harp duo- has attained distinction for their sharply focused mission- to bring forth their music to all people,rather than the more classical approach of waiting for the people to approach the music. Listen and discover why Lowell Liebermann chose SPARX to perform the World Premier of his Sonata for Flute and Harp, Op. 56 (1996). SPARX bro
ad repertoire includes composers of the 20th Century such as Rodrigo, Saint-Saens and Faure and the exemplar works from time honored masters Mozart, C.P.E. Bios:
A performing flutist for most of her professional life, Joan Sparks holds music degrees from the University of Delaware and Temple University, where she studied with the legendary Murray Panitz. She has been a frequent substitute performer with the Philadelphia Orchestra, a member of the Delaware Symphony, the Bethlehem Bach Festival Orchestra and other freelance orchestras in the mid-Atlantic area. Sparks founded the flute and harp duo SPARX in 1986, and the duo has enjoyed both national and international acclaim. The duo is committed to seeking out new material written for flute and harp, and most notably commissioned the Sonata for Flute and Harp, Op. 56, from American composer Lowell Liebermann. Sparks maintains a thriving private studio, earning the Music Teacher’s National Association’s highest designation of Master Teacher. She opened The Flute Pro Shop (www.fluteproshop.com) in 2009 to realize her passion for helping fellow musicians find their own musical voice. “Launching The Flute Pro Shop has enabled me to truly incorporate my musical experiences toward serving each and every client, successfully guiding them in selection, maintenance and growth.”
Anne Sullivan began her career as a concert harpist at age twelve when she appeared twice as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. A native of the Philadelphia area and a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, she is in demand as a recitalist, chamber musician and symphonic soloist. Her orchestral appearances have included engagements with the Baltimore Symphony, the Delaware Symphony where she was principal harpist, the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. As a chamber musician, she performs regularly with SPARX duo with flutist Joan Sparks; Duo Parisienne with violinist Nancy Bean, former assistant concertmaster with the Philadelphia Orchestra; and the Easterly Chamber Players with Diane Gold Toulson, flute, and Smith Toulson, clarinet. Currently the harp instructor at the University of Delaware and at Swarthmore (PA) College, Ms. Sullivan was a member of the music theory faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music from 1982-2002. She is the author and arranger of numerous works for the harp and has published a series of ear training books specifically for the harp student. She presents workshops to harpists across the country and is the founder and director of Harp in the Mountains Summer Festival. Her online resource for harpists, the website arsmusicia.us has podcasts, articles, downloadable courses and sheet music designed for performers and harp students of all ages.
