Program notes on “Caged” – music by Jean R Perrault. Commissioned by Dr. Paula Gudmundson for the 2020 National Flute Association Summer Series. “Caged” is about the victimization, the dehumanization of individuals because of the color of their skin, their gender, their country of origin, their ethnicity, their religion, their rank or place in society… “Caged” is about the dominant group’s systemic and systematic use of its power to subjugate, persecute, prosecute, oppress and abuse others. It is about the suffocation of another being, simply because you can. There is no shortage of reasons or “excuses” that have been used to victimize other human beings… I can’t breathe. In composing this piece, I used the 12-tone system. As is well known, all 12 notes are to be used before a single note can be used again. This very rigid system proved the perfect vehicle to demonstrate the limitations forced upon non-dominant groups of individuals to choose freely, to thrive without fear of retribution, to freely express an opinion, to sing and be lyrical within the restrictive guidelines. Additional restraints were added. In the first half of the piece, as a tribute to George Floyd and the movement that ensued, each new set of 12 notes began with G, then began with E, then F, and finally D, to bookcase the name GeorgE FloyD. The second half of the piece follows the same system, with the word CAGED, for the thousands of kids at the Mexican border who have been thrown into cages, like wild animals. The piece breaks free of its 12-tone shackles in the final notes of the piece with a question CAGEFD (CAGE FloyD): Is the genie out of the box? This piece can be performed by solo flute (in honor of the solitude of quarantine forced by Covid-19) or with accompanying Double bass. The bass part serves two purposes. It is sometimes an ally understanding the dilemma but not experiencing it, and other times a foe taunting, and reminding the flute player of this elusive freedom, the ability to roam free… My deepest gratitude to Dr. Paula Gudmundson for asking me to write this piece, giving it voice and sharing it with others. The process of writing this piece has been quite therapeutic in this era of fueled division, and intolerance in our society. This piece is dedicated to all the victims of dehumanization.- Jean R Perrault 2020 © All rights reserved.

Meet a talented transplant to Duluth, a flute player & instructor who is making a difference in Duluth, Minnesota. Paula Gudmundson teaches at the University of Minnesota – Duluth and founded the UMD Flute Choir. Duluth, MN

Making it up North- Season 1: Talented newcomers bring fresh eyes and their passion to northern Minnesota. Learn about the migration, what lures them north, and the creative results. Featuring musicians Ryan & Jesse Dermody of Brothers Burn Mountain, gallery owner Joe Nease & his artist/partner Karen Nease, painter Paul LaJeuness and flute-player Paula Gudmundson.

Suite for Flute and Piano, Op. 33 · Paula Gudmundson · Tracy Lipke-Perry · Laura Netzel Breaking Waves – Flute Music by Swedish Women Composers ℗ 2019 Paula Gudmundson