When playing the flute, Ned focuses mainly on creative projects and he has collaborated with Aka Moon, Derek Bermel, Gabriel Bolkosky, George Brooks, Oguz Buyukberber, Larry Coryell, Oene van Geel, Stephen Gosling, Dr. Marshall Griffith, Wiek Hijmans, Rozalie Hirs, Guus Janssen, David Kweksilber, Dr. Gregory Oakes, Erkan Ogur, Keiko Shichijo, Fahrettin Yarkın, mime-ist Virag Dezso and Zapp 4 in addition to many renowned Indian artists. He has also performed with the Asko Schönberg, musikFabrik, Slagwerk Den Haag, Beethoven Academie, the Erie Philharmonic, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Non Sequitur, Axyz Ensemble, Spinifex Orchestra and his own quintet Hexnut.
His specialty is also the contrabass flute, where he often performs solo and teaches both privately and in workshops. Ned is Pearl Artist, playing on a Pearl contrabass flute. In 2008 he composed the first concerto for contrabass flute and orchestra. Premiered at Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra, he “proved there’s still plenty of life in old-fashioned virtuosity with Bantammer Swing, a playful, athletic concerto for his unwieldy contrabass flute,” according to Steve Smith of the New York Times. He has composed often for flute and also for recorder in solo and chamber ensembles, and in 2016 composed both the competition piece for the National Flute Convention High School Soloist Competition and a work for the Grammy winning Eight Blackbird. Also in 2016, he released his album The Art of the Contrabass Flute, an album dedicated solely to this amazing instrument. “A phenomenal technique and flawless feeling for rhythm and sound, he knows how to use it perfectly in his compositions.”, saidLuister Magazine, “Fantastic album! Beautiful artistic playing with rich low flute tones. A most unique and worthy album for sure.”, said Peter Sheridan. Fluit Magazine even called him “A master on the contrabass flute”.
One strong facet of Ned’s influence is the Carnatic music from South India. Over the past decade he has collaborated and performed regularly in India and Europe with Indian musicians Dr. Mysore Manjunath, Mysore Nagaraj, Dr. Suma Sudhindra, Pravin Godkhindi, Jahnavi Jayaprakash, Ronu Majumdar, B.C. Manjunath, M.K. Pranesh, Anoor Anathakrishna Sharma and Ghiridar Udupa. “What fascinates me is the Carnatic use of rhythmical complexities developed through a tradition of performance.”
