Duo Noire was formed while both Christopher Mallett and Thomas Flippin were attending the Yale School of Music as the first two African American guitarists in the to be admitted into the program. Recognizing their unique place in the world of classical guitar, Duo Noire has also been committed to musical outreach. Their name has a French translation of both "black" and "quarter note," and as part of their outreach commitment, they sought -and were one of the inaugural recipients of- a highly competitive Alumni Ventures grant from the Yale School of Music. This generous award allowed the duo to partner with Yale's Music In Schools Initiative and funded a 2009 inner-city tour across New England that had the duo performing, lecturing, and serving as role models for thousands of at-risk students with little access to the arts. They have also been invited twice as artists in residence to the St. Louis Guitar society where they performed throughout St. Louis bringing music to children in inner-city schools. Their program regularly consists of music written by African American composers. They have recently recorded the six movement work “Figments” by New York based composer Raymond Lustig which will be available in 2014. For more information about Duo Noire, please visit www.duonoire.com