Flutist Jim Walker excels at both jazz and classical music. You’ve heard his solo and ethnic flutes featured on the soundtracks of major motion pictures such as Anna and the King, Titanic, The Patriot, and hundreds more. On this In Performance at the Governor’s Mansion, he treats a home crowd to two pieces: Kennan’s “Night Soliloquy” and a work written especially for Walker, “American Flute Salute.”

Walker exemplifies what this “on-the-road” edition is all about—the talent of Western Kentucky. Walker is originally from Muhlenberg County and graduated from the University of Louisville School of Music. Here he performs with another university music group, the Murray State University Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dennis L. Johnson. The orchestra also performs Nicolai’s “Merry Wives of Windsor” and two movements from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.

Janet Cunningham, a vocalist from Central City, takes the stage to sing “Three American Gospel Songs” by Luigi Zaninelli. And members of the Governor’s School for the Arts 1999, 2000, and 2001 vocal music ensembles perform two Mozart works with Dr. A.T. Simpson directing. The all-star cast ends the program with “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Sky Yancey hosts the performance, taped in 2001 at the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts in Madisonville.

Seasons 2-5 were made possible
by a generous grant from Ashland Inc.