After decades of performing in many of New England’s most notable symphony orchestras as soloist and section member, performing in and directing various chamber music groups and concert series, serving as educator and mentor for many now accomplished flutists, conducting master classes and directing flute choirs, Linda Bento-Rei’s versatility and passion for fresh and diverse projects lead her to record her first album entitled The Jongen Project, released in 2014, which contains the music of Belgian composer, organist and educator, Joseph Jongen (1873-1953). Following a series of acclaimed chamber music concerts which included Jongen’s, “Concert a Cinq” with the principal string players and retired principal harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bento-Rei was inspired to record Jongen’s relatively unknown music. A deep passion was born. After researching the composer, a number of pieces which include flute in solo and chamber music settings were unearthed. Her profound connection to Jongen’s music is brilliantly expressed in this extraordinary and masterful recording.
“The Jongen recording is just beautiful. Your playing throughout the CD is just beautiful and a pleasure to listen to. I wish all CD’s were this inspiring." - Sir James Galway
"I believe your performance in The Jongen Project is very elegant, refined into every detail and you play it in a beautiful intimate way. It sounds very natural and with a lot of "joie de vivre" - Robert Waelkens
Bento-Rei released her second CD, Invocation, in 2015, which is an eclectic chamber music collaboration containing the music of Peter Schickele, Andre Jolivet, Leos Janacek and Mike Mower. In 2016, she released Noel~ Reinvented Holiday Classics. This is a duo collaborative with Boston Symphony Orchestra Pianist, Vytas J. Baksys of traditional holiday tunes rearranged by composer, Robert Nieske.
“Invocation is an absolutely outstanding recording, which I will replay many times. The excellences one looks for in flute playing are here - Ms. Bento-Rei’s intonation is impeccable, as is her articulation. There are passages of dazzling virtuosity, especially in the Schickele. And there are other virtues present which are beyond the expected. Her tone in strong passages is rich and full while in softer passages, especially in the Janacek, has a nice delicacy. Her playing has, when she needs it, quite an extraordinary authority. And none of this comes at a price: there are, to my ear, no moments of compromise, no places where, for example, emotion is sacrificed for mechanical precision, or sound for speed. The playing throughout has great integrity: all its virtues are in the service of a larger musicality.” – Harry Schroeder, Key West Citizen
“Noel~Reinvented Holiday Classics” is the third CD recorded by flutist Linda M. Bento-Rei and pianist Vytas J. Baksys, and consists of arrangements by jazz composer, teacher, and performer Robert Nieske. The recording’s seven selections utilize multiple styles and strike a balance between the contemplative and extroverted aspects of Advent and Christmas. The playing of Bento-Rei and Baksys is beyond reproach, with admirable unity of articulation and phrasing. Their handsome performances are what win the day. This is a multi-faceted, well-played, and elegantly engineered Yuletide collection. – Geoff Wieting, Boston Musical Intelligencer
In 2020, Bento-Rei and Vytas J. Baksys released a duo collaboration entitled Un-Known, containing the repertoire of obscure and under - performed 21st century composers including a commissioned and world premiered “Sonata for Flute and Piano”, written by Robert Nieske, and a chamber music collaborative entitled Radically Traditional, which contains the music of Astor Piazzolla, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Andy Scott. All CD’s have been recorded at WGBH, Fraser Performance Studio in Boston by master engineer Antonio Oliart.
Bento-Rei has served as principal flutist with the Venice Symphony Orchestra (FL) since 2014. She also frequently performs with other Florida and New England orchestras. In addition to her recording and orchestral careers, Bento-Rei and her husband co-founded the non-profit chamber music organization, Sarasota Musica Viva in which Bento-Rei serves as Artistic Director and performer. Since 2015, she has organized and presented over fifty chamber music programs throughout the west coast of Florida and New England featuring nationally acclaimed, local and guest musicians.
Bento-Rei received a Bachelor of Music, cum laude from the Boston Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music in Performance as a Merit Scholar from the New England Conservatory of Music. Her principal teachers were Lois Schaefer and William Grass with additional coaching from John Heiss, Randy Bowman, and Fenwick Smith.
