Our wonderful flautists, were invited to the USA for the 52nd National Flute Association (NFA) Convention.
They were selected to perform a program of works on Friday 2nd August at one of the world’s largest flute events, ‘Flauta Mundi: Global Voices of the Flute’ (August 1-4) at the Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas.
“We had to audition but our 45 minute program was accepted. We were so thrilled about it as it is tough competition with 100’s of ensembles entering and not everyone getting through to perform.”
Attending the convention has inspired and motivated our students, by witnessing and learning from world famous flautists, and also by participating in some massed flute ensembles at the Convention. The Trade Hall was also an experience of a lifetime, with everything flute from wall to wall.
“We had eight students go and they were all extremely excited to perform overseas. It was an incredible opportunity for them to rehearse and perform at a high standard. The ensemble have improved significantly from the challenge of performing the program of modern flute ensemble works.”
The repertoire was a challenging program of works by living composers and included a world premiere by our own Head of Music Theory John Spence. The program was: ‘Steel City’ by Gareth McLearnon, ‘For the Beauty of the Earth’ by John Rutter, ‘Waltzing the Boiling Billy’ by John Spence, ‘Zig Zag Zoo’ by Ian Clarke, ‘Rainforest Counterpoint’ by John Spence (world premiere), ‘Bamburia’ by Wil Offermans and ‘Ruckus’ by Nicole Chamberlain.
“The piece ‘Rainforest counterpoint’ was conceived by contemplating the sound of multiple flutes. The sonority of a unified texture provides the opportunity for exploring close counterpoint and its effects. What emerges are contrasting harmonic fields of sound relating to various echo textures pivoting around common notes. This idea develops into a cycle of notes which takes the listener deep into the world of forests and its cycles. Beginning on a Bb, the counterpoint lines traverse until they reach an A#, and then towards the end of the piece, soaring arpeggios rise but gradually flatten into repeating notes. The return to the final Bb resolves to a satisfying calm.”
Hear from our Students:
“Having the opportunity to play in Texas was very exciting and something I never thought I would do. I’m excited to do something out of the box for myself. It is an honour to represent Australia and be given the opportunity to learn and listen to many other talented flute players.” – Neha Kumar.
“I was so excited to play overseas as it was a new opportunity to gain performance experience, learning from others and completing some of the master classes there. The repertoire chosen for Texas was difficult and we worked on a time frame to get the pieces perfect. The opportunity was amazing.” Sofie Polozani
‘It was an incredible opportunity with a chance to learn from inspirational flautists. It was also a really amazing chance to experience another part of the world and meet new people.” Tiffany Brisbane.
Our Fundraiser
The annual National Flute Association Convention was four full days of flute performances, masterclasses, competitions, and workshops. With thousands of flutists in attendance, it was a once-a-year opportunity to hear world premiere performances and learn from favourite flautists.
We set up a fundraiser to support participating students. Thank you to all who donated.
Photos: Chelsea Caligari
