Lapis is a flute/piano duo featuring pianist Stefan Paolini and flautist Barry Seroff. Collectively, their experience runs the gamut of contemporary music; from austere classicism to free jazz to brutal death metal, and everything in between. They have seprately performed on stages ranging from Lincoln Center to CBGB’s, from the Blue Note to the Burning Man festival. In their work together, this range of influences is filtered through their experiences both as classical players and improvising musicians, creating a unique sound world, often utterly different from the stereotype of the piano/flute duo. While influences are taken from an array of different sources, the connective tissue lies in two genres- classical and improvised music. Unlike much improvised music, which is primarily concerned with textures, Lapis Lazuli creates pieces with distinct themes that are developed over the course of the improvisation. The harmonic language draws strongly from the Russian school, with healthy influence from Shoenbe