Biographies

Individually Karmen Suter and Kela Walton are both accomplished musicians; together they founded the Breve Duo in August of 2004.  Through their performances of new compositions and arrangements, the duo is committed to promoting new repertoire for the captivating combination of flute and harp.  In May 2005, the duo presented the Austin premiere of Stella Sung's Dance of the White Lotus under the Silver Moon for flute and harp.  The duo was chosen by the College Music Society to perform and premier new compositions in recital at the 49th National Conference in September 2006.  The Breve Duo is dedicated to promoting music education and appreciation, and they perform regularly for the holiday brunches at the Driskill Hotel.  Their varied repertoire spans centuries, cultures, and styles.

Karmen Suter holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan in flute performance where she studied with Amy Porter, former principal flutist of the Atlanta Symphony.  In 2002 she completed a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California, Flora. L. Thornton School of Music in music education.  There she studied with Gary Woodward, principal flutist of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra.  Before attending the University of Michigan, Ms. Suter spent a semester at Indiana University where she served as an associate instructor in the music education department while studying with flutist Kathryn Lukas.

Ms. Suter has performed with groups such as the Camerata Orchestra in Bloomington, Indiana, and All Rivers at Once, a Michigan based new music concert series.  Ms. Suter has also performed with several university ensembles and countless chamber ensembles throughout the country.  She is a musician dedicated to the music of our time and to exploring new and unique performance styles.  Ms. Suter's latest position is that of Artistic Director for Audio Inversions, Austin's newest chamber music concert series, whose mission is to perform new great music in downtown Austin.  Ms. Suter has recently commissioned several composers to write new compositions for flute and string trio, and she is also currently collaborating with several composers to create new compositions for flute and electronics.

Ms. Suter performs and teaches in the Austin, Texas area where she lives with her husband, composer Anthony Suter.

Kela Walton holds a Master of Music in Harp Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Houston Moores School of Music where she studied with Houston Symphony principal harpist Paula Page.  She also holds a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance from the University of Texas at Austin where she studied with Gayle Barrington.  Additionally, she is an alumnus of the Salzedo School in Camden, Maine where she studied upon invitation with Alice Chalifoux, retired principal harpist of the Cleveland Orchestra.

A native Texan, Ms. Walton has been performing and teaching professionally in the central and southeast Texas since 1998.  She actively performs as a freelance harpist in the Austin area and is versatile as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician.  Currently Kela is the harpist in residence for Audio Inversions - Austin's contemporary chamber music concert series, and during the summers is a member of the harp faculty at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan.  Her orchestral credits include a one year acting principal harp position with the Waco Symphony for the 2005-2006 season, as well as several guest appearances with orchestras throughout Texas including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, and Temple Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Walton enjoys living in Austin where she teaches harp students of all ages.