Folias Duo are “facile players who draw on tango rhythms and melodies sometimes, at other times they write with a scenic sensitivity” (Fanfare Magazine). They are “daring in self-written music” (American Record Guide).
Flutist Carmen Maret and guitarist Andrew Bergeron of the Folias Duo are a married couple whose unique interpersonal performer-composer collaboration of twenty years breathes new life into classical music. Folias Duo melds characteristics of European classical music with jazz, world music, and improvisation into the rhythms, contours, and textures of their meticulously crafted and scenic music. As composers and performers, they continue to test the technical and sonic possibilities of the intimate flute and guitar combination. “These two artists are top talents, almost singular within contemporary flute and guitar ensembles” (Flutist Quarterly).
Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Folias Duo is a self-managed performing group that presents to classical music audiences throughout the United States, South America, and Europe. Specializing in concerts for audiences who enjoy creative, artistic, and out-of-the-ordinary experiences, the duo has appeared at notable venues such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, Chicago Botanic Gardens, Wellspring Theater-Epic Center, St. Cecilia Music Center, Fairbanks Arts Festival, Albuquerque Museum, National Flute Association Convention, Bayfield Summer Concerts, Lick Observatory, and countless other listening rooms, library theaters, and guitar society meeting spaces.
Folias Duo’s self-booked 2022 summer tour included twenty concert performances throughout the western United States and recent Michigan performance highlights include performances for the Saugatuck Chamber Music Festival, the White Lake Chamber Music Festival, Scarab Club Chamber Music Series in Detroit, and the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s Classical Series. During the 2020-2021 season, Folias Duo broadcasted over twenty live-stream concerts from their home featuring original music, all archived on their YouTube channel.
Folias Duo has produced and released seven albums featuring original compositions and arrangements, including five albums on the Blue Griffin Recording label from 2004-2014. More recently, they released Dreaming to Live (2017) and Delicate Omens (2019) on their Folias Music label. Their forthcoming album Heartdance will be released summer of 2023 on the Folias Music label.
Maintaining a close artistic relationship with the great outdoors, Folias Duo continues to write music inspired by national parks and national forests. They served as Artists-in-Residence on Isle Royale National Park, gave concerts in the North Cascades National Park, and composed music about wild places such as Big Bend National Park for their Marufo Vega and Viewpoints albums. Since 2016, Folias Duo has sponsored their own “DIY composing residencies” in rustic national forest cabins in Colorado, Iowa, Ontario, Oregon, and Michigan.
Carmen Maret and Andrew Bergeron earned Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University and Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Grand Valley State University. Now, with over twenty years of experience as educators and entrepreneurs, Carmen and Andrew continue to nurture the growth of countless young musicians. They teach private lessons for flute, guitar, and composition through Folias Music School, and they are adjunct professors in music theory, music history, and music business at Aquinas College and Grand Rapids Community College.
Folias Duo Discography
2023
Heartdance on Folias Music
2019
Delicate Omens on Folias Music
2017
Dreaming to Live on Folias Music
2014
Viewpoints on Blue Griffin
2011
Tango and Snow on Blue Griffin
2008
Waterway on Blue Griffin
2006
Marufo Vega on Blue Griffin
2004
Tangos Metamorphoses on Blue Griffin
Want to know more about us?
Andrew Bergeron
Hometown: Holland, MI
Passion for: Homemade pizza.
What you would do for a living if not playing and composing music: Drive and listen to music.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why: Serra de Montsant National Park in Catalonia, Spain to backpack and drink Priorat wine!
Something you are proud of: I make white wine from grapes that we grow in our backyard.
Tea or coffee: Yes
Favorite time to practice: 9 to noon
When did you start playing music: When I was 4 years old on the Thompson organ.
Carmen Maret
Hometown (and other places lived): Lincoln, NE; Boise, ID; Kansas City, MO
Favorite Quote: “Close both eyes to see with the other” -Rumi
Passion for: Patterns on the modes of melodic minor.
What you would do if you won the lottery: I would curate a permanent local chamber music series and promote other groups to record on our label.
Who fixes up things around the house? You or Andrew: Me, of course.
What is your pre-practice routine: Vacuum the house.
Tea or coffee: Tea
No one would guess: David Lynch went to the same junior high school I did in Boise, Idaho.