Louna Dekker-Vargas

Louna Dekker-Vargas is a flutist, chamber musician, improviser and educator. While completing her studies in classical flute at Peabody Institute her open, curious ears have led her into adventures with classical, jazz and experimental music, playing the flute and singing. Louna has served as a substitute flutist for the International Contemporary Ensemble, and is a regular substitute for the Broadway musical, Wicked. She also plays with NY jazz quintet Atlantic Extraction, led by bassist Nick Dunston. Her minimalist composition Ah was commissioned for chamber orchestra by Mind on Fire in September of 2018. Her duo, The Witches, with Ledah Finck combines classical chamber artistry with inquisitive free improvisations and their own compositions for flute, violin and voice. The duo has performed in the Evolution Contemporary Music Series, Spectrum, the High Zero stage at Baltimore’s Artscape Festival, the Red Room, Rhizome, Andrea Clearfield’s Salon Series, The Union Square Chamber Music Series (Baltimore), and at the Baltimore Art Museum. Their album project Behind the Curtain: New Music on Women was the recipient of a Johns Hopkins Research Grant. She is also a founding member of Trio Jinx- a flute, double bass and viola trio active from 2015-2018 performing residencies at the Sikta Chamber Music Festival, El Paso Pro Musica, the Mesa Performing Arts Center, and the Iowa Great Lakes ChamberMusic Festival.