Lizzo honoured to play alongside ‘king of flutes’ James Galway at 2023 Met Gala

Lizzo was thrilled to be able to play the flute alongside virtuoso performer James Galway at the 2023 Met Gala.

During the annual fashion event staged at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday night, the Juice hitmaker was joined by the Northern Irish flute player for a performance.

Reflecting on the duet in a heartfelt Instagram post on Wednesday, Lizzo gushed over getting the opportunity to sit and study with her musical idol.

“When my dad passed away I played Amazing Grace into Carnival of Venice at his funeral… it was my promise to never give up. Now, years later I had the honor to play beside Sir James Galway, and receive lessons from him and even play his alto flute,” she wrote alongside a minute-long montage of footage showing them rehearsing. “I can confidently say I wouldn’t be the musician I am today without his influence. Thank you for everything this week @sirjamesgalway! You are truly the King of Flutes and I can’t wait to play with you again.”

In addition, Lizzo recalled how she first discovered James’s work when she needed a “challenge” for her fifth-grade flute studies when she was 11 and that his The Man with the Golden Flute “changed the trajectory” of her life.

“I learned most of the songs by ear because the sheet music was too difficult to read at the time but eventually I fell in love with virtuosic flute music and memorized The Carnival of Venice (James Version) when I was 14. My father heard that and took my flute very seriously, he bought me lessons from university-level teachers and my parents eventually got me Sasha Flute to keep up,” the 35-year-old added.

In response to Lizzos post, a representative for James, 83, noted that he was “thrilled” to accompany the superstar and will always “treasure” the moment.