DUPRASS (Philip and Shelley Martinson)

Duprass is the first album ever to exclusively feature trombone and flute duos. An unconventional name for an unconventional duo, the album's title is a nod to the fictional religion, Bokononism, from Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle. In Bokononism, a duprass refers to a group of two connected individuals intimately working together towards a great purpose. Committed to creating and performing new works for flute and trombone, Philip and Shelley Martinson have commissioned and premiered numerous pieces for this unique instrumentation, including all four compositions on this album. The Martinsons are both professors at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where Dr. Shelley Martinson is the music department chair. Shelley is also the co-founder/creator of the Flute New Music Consortium, a non-profit commissioning organization that has been operating since 2013. Dr. Philip Martinson is a tenured member of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic (second trombone), and also performs as principal trombone of the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra. This project was made possible by generous funding from the College of Arts and Sciences at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.