Flute Concerto
Jeff Beal: Flute Concerto was written in 2016. The work was commissioned by and dedicated to the flutist Sharon Bezaly. The world premiere was given by Sharon Bezaly and the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä on May 3, 2018, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The composition of the Flute Concerto in 2016 occurred during a highly prolific period for Beal, marked by his immense success in scoring the Netflix series House of Cards (2013-2018).
A "House of Cards" Era: In 2016, Beal was leading the National Symphony Orchestra in the premiere of House of Cards in Concert at the Kennedy Center. His work on the series was earning him critical acclaim and Emmy Awards. The Flute Concerto was recorded in 2018 as part of a double SACD album, House of Cards Symphony, which included the concerto alongside his film music arrangements.
Beal collaborates closely with soloists, and for this piece, he drew on Bezaly's personal life experience, specifically the recent death of her mother, to shape the emotional landscape of the second movement, which explores catharsis and loss.
This period marked a deliberate transition for Beal, moving beyond film and TV scores to compose more concert music, creating substantial works such as this concerto and a guitar concerto around the same time.
Beal Jeff
Jeff Beal (1963) is an American composer highly regarded for his fluid blend of jazz improvisation, classical composition, and film scoring. A five-time Emmy Award winner, he is best known for his evocative scores for critically acclaimed films and television series, including House of Cards, Monk, and Pollock.
Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Beal began his musical journey with the trumpet, encouraged by his grandmother, an avid jazz fan and silent-movie pianist. His early exposure to jazz greats like Miles Davis instilled a deep appreciation for improvisation that has remained a hallmark of his music. At the encouragement of conductor Kent Nagano, he composed and performed a trumpet concerto with the Oakland Youth Symphony Orchestra while still in high school.
He studied trumpet and composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
After graduating, Beal initially pursued a career as a jazz recording artist in New York City, releasing albums on labels like Island Records and performing at venues such as The Blue Note and the Montreux Jazz Festival. In the mid-1990s, he transitioned to film scoring, where he gained critical acclaim for his "hypnotic combination of minimalist rhythmic drive and Americana" in the score for the 2000 film Pollock.
Beal's musical style is personal and intimate; he is noted for composing, orchestrating, conducting, and often performing on most of the instruments in his scores from his home studio.
Beyond the screen, Beal is a prolific concert composer with a catalog of over 35 works, including concertos for flute, violin, and string quartet.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2006, Beal manages his condition through a dedicated regimen of wellness, diet, exercise, and music-making. He uses his platform as a musician to advocate for the connection between music, mindfulness, and neuroplasticity, as highlighted in his 2024 solo piano album New York Études.