Indigenous instruments and western musical traditions seldom cross paths. Most people would probably consider them interesting artifacts and leave it at that. But thanks to Native American musician R. Carlos Nakai and composer James DeMars, the traditional Native American wooden flute has found a place in the concert hall. It hasn’t been easy, but Nakai has managed to bridge the cultural gap between Native American and European musical traditions.

The foremost performer of the traditional wooden flute, Nakai didn’t grow up playing it. “I actually started on brass in junior high school,” he said in a phone interview. The trumpet was his instrument and when he was in the military, he thought he would be able to get into a music school. But after an accident resulting in his losing his embouchure, Nakai gave up his dreams. “When I was 21, after I came home from the military, I started learning the Native American flute because it does not require an exacting embouchure for musical control. And I’ve been with it ever since.”

Nakai will be making his Utah debut on Feb. 24 with the University of Utah Philharmonia, under the baton of Robert Baldwin. Titled “Through an American Lens” the concert features music by 20^th century American composers. Besides DeMar’s Two World Concerto, which he wrote for Nakai, the program also includes John Adam’s “The Chairman Dances” and the suite from Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid.

DeMars’ concerto skillfully brings the traditional wooden flute into the parameters of a classical concerto. “It’s a well written piece that incorporates the Native American flute within the western European music tradition,” Nakai said.

He added that there are certain problems associated in pairing the wooden flute with a modern symphony orchestra. “I need a sound system, because the dynamic range of the flute is soft. It can be drowned out very easily.”

There are many different types of indigenous flutes depending on the tribe, Nakai said. “You can tell the difference among the flutes by their tunings. The tunings vary from one tribe to another depending on their vocal tradition.” Nakai, who lives in southeastern Arizona, is of Navajo-Ute heritage, and the instruments he plays are the ones that the Southwest and Central Plains tribes used. “The rest of the country and Mexico use flutes with different pitch tunings,” he said.

While there are many different tribal flutes, they do have one thing in common – all are made of some kind of wood. “Originally, flute makers used whatever wood was available,” Nakai said. “They used table legs, wagon wheel spokes and even shotgun stocks.”

In the 1930s and ‘40s some Midwestern tribes tried to bring the native American flute to a wider audience, but the attempt never really got off the ground. “Back then the situation was very different,” Nakai said. “American Indian culture wasn’t accepted.”

Things are fortunately a lot different today, but it’s important for Native Americans to find the right balance between understanding their past and coming to terms with it and surviving in the 21^st century, Nakai said. When he comes to a university he likes to meet and talk with Native American groups. “I usually meet with the student body in general and also with students in ethnic studies and American Indian law – my master’s training was in that. And sometimes I find a Native American group and I will talk to them about survival in the 21^st century.”

For Nakai that means leaving the past behind and looking towards the future. “I tell them to stop looking back. The past is moot. It’s the future that’s full of possibilities. You have to be in step with the world as it’s changing and change with it.

“Don’t make excuses. Set goals and do everything to achieve them.”

CONCERT INFO:

Location: Libby Gardner Concert Hall

Time and Date: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24

Tickets: $7 general, $3 seniors and students

Phone: 801-581-7100

Web: www.kingsburyhall.org