Contents

President’s Report 1

Flute Events 2-3

Flute Concerts 4

New Members 4

Event Report 5

Carolyn White MS 6

Australian Flute Festival

7

Music Review 8

Rae Stratfold 9-10

In Memorium 11

Flute Society Info 12

The Flute Society of South Australia Inc. www.saflutesociety.asn.au

Dear Members,

I have just returned from this year’s

Carolyn White Memorial Scholarship where I was excited to see such a high standard of performance amongst our younger players. With fourteen entrants this year the competition was very hot and our adjudicator, Leah Stephenson, admitted to having a difficult time choosing the prize winners. All players performed with poise and are to be congratulated on their excellent playing and for helping make it a very enjoyable afternoon’s concert. Special congratulations must go to Denny Majoros,1st prize; Nicole Pearce, 2nd prize and Yijie Yin, Honorary Mention. Our thanks must also go to Leah for taking on the difficult task of adjudicating and sharing her ideas and insights into what makes a performance a real winner.

Looking through my diary I can see

that from the beginning of August right through to the end of the year we have a busy schedule of flute related activities coming up. First up, on Saturday August 2, 4.30-5.30 pm, is Sing with your Flute Workshop with Peter Bartels, an event not to be missed by flute teachers and those more advanced players. The following day Peter is running our ever popular afternoon for younger flautists, this year with a jazzy theme – A Jazzy Fabulous Flute Fun Day – so don’t forget to get your applications in for these very special events.

The very next weekend (August 8-11)

is the Adelaide Flute Eisteddfod held at Rosefield Uniting Church, Highgate.

From the PresidentFrom the PresidentFrom the PresidentFrom the President All are welcome to come and listen to

the many and varied performances, ranging from the 10 years and under to the highly technically advanced performances of complete sonatas and suites.

Sunday, September 7 is a special day

for Barossa flautists when our very own Michal Rosiak is running an exciting workshop programme Barossa Flautissimo at the Barossa Convention Centre, Tanunda. See inserted brochure inside for more details. Then on Monday, September 15 Katherine Kemmler, professor at Louisiana State University, is visiting Adelaide and will run a junior masterclass as well as a recital late afternoon on that day. Wednesday, October 29 has been marked in the calendar for this year’s David Cubbin Memorial Prize for flautists aged 16 to 30, so keep that evening free for an outstanding concert performed by some of Adelaide’s very best flautists.

It is great to see that flute playing is so

alive and well here in Adelaide. There is something for everyone, from the humblest beginner to the most advanced of players.

Happy fluting !

Margaret CoventryMargaret CoventryMargaret CoventryMargaret Coventry

July, 2008

Founder

Professor David Cubbin

Patron

Alison Rosser

Vice Patrons

Elizabeth Koch OAM

Robert Brown

South Australian Flute News Print Post Pub. No. PP531629/00017 ABN: 96 991 331 922

SA FLUTE NEWS Page 2

Send your concert dates to the Editor for inclusion in this section.

SING WITH YOUR FLUTE WORKSHOP

Date: Saturday August 2, 4-30pm – 5.30pm

Venue: Beaumont Uniting Church, 100 Devereux Road, Beaumont

Special Guest: Peter Bartels Admission: Members free; non-members $10 Enquiries: Pauline Michelson, Ph. 8278-1756 For a brochure contact Robert Brown, Ph. 8431-0452

A JAZZY FABULOUS FLUTE FUN DAY

Date: Sunday August 3, 12-45 pm-4-30 pm

Venue: Beaumont Uniting Church, 100 Devereux Road, Beaumont That master of merriment, Peter Bartels, returns...! Closing date: Wednesday, July 23 Enquiries: Pauline Michelson, Ph. 8278-1756 For a brochure contact Robert Brown, Ph. 8431-0452

ADELAIDE EISTEDDFOD FLUTE DIVISION

Date: August 8/9/11 Venue: Rosefield Uniting Church, 2 Carlton Street, Highgate. Admission: $5 Enquiries: Robert Brown, Ph. 8431-0452. Please note that Competitors are required to fill in and bring with them completed APRA/AMCOS Forms 1 and 2 for each section they have entered. Visit the website at http://www.adam.com.au/sgarie/eisteddfod_g.htm to print these forms. For each section entered competitors are asked to clearly write their name and the names of the works and their composers on a sheet of paper ready to hand in to the booking-in person. This doesn’t apply to Sections F611 and F612.

Friday, August 8 Adjudicator: Peter Webb OAM Section F612, Complete Flute Sonata or Suite, 1-00 pm Section F618, Unaccompanied Flute Solo, Grades 5 to 8 Level, 3-15 pm Afternoon Tea, 3-45 pm Section F609, Grade 6 Flute Solo, 4-00 pm Section F606, Flute Solo 16 Years and Under, 5-00 pm

SA Flute Events

Peter Bartels

FOR SALE

Pearl 661E

open hole flute,

silver head-joint,

silver plated body,

pinless mechanism,

with case cover.

Excellent

condition. $800.

Contact Deb,

040-8088-198.

___________________

SA FLUTE NEWSPage 3

Adelaide Eisteddfod Flute Division ( cont. )

Saturday, August 9 Adjudicator: Lisa Gill Section F613, Flute Duet, Grade 4 and Under, 9-00 am Section F614, Flute Duet, Grade 5 and Over, 9-45 am Section F616, Flute Trio or Quartet, 15 Years and Under, 10-15 am Morning Tea, 10-30 am Section F604, Flute Solo 14 Years and Under, 10-45 am Section F608, Grade 5 Flute Solo, 12-00 noon Break, 12-35 pm

Sunday, August 10

Woodwind, Brass or Percussion Concerto, 4-30 pm Adjudicator: Peter Webb OAM

Monday, August 11 Adjudicator: Julia Grenfell Section F615, Piccolo Solo, 5 pm Section F607, Flute Solo 18 Years and Under, 5-30 pm Section F610, Grade 7 and 8 Flute Solo, 6-05 pm Break, 7-15 pm Section F611, Open Flute Solo, 7-30 pm

Saturday, August 23 Adjudicators: Peter Webb OAM and Bogdan Kazimierczak Sections M639 and S339, 25 Years and Under Wind and String Recital, 1-30 pm Venue: Salvation Army Citadel, 55 George Street, Norwood

DAVID CUBBIN MEMORIAL PRIZE 2008

Date: Wednesday, October 29, 7-30 pm Venue: Unley Uniting Church, corner Unley Road and Edmund Avenue, Unley Closing date: Friday, October 17 See inserted brochure and entry form

SPRING INTO SUMMER ENSEMBLE CONCERT AND AGM

Date: Sunday, November 9, 2-30 pm Venue: Unley Uniting Church, corner Unley Road and Edmund Avenue, Unley.

Annual General Meeting – 3-00 pm.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN FLUTE ENSEMBLE The South Australian Flute Ensemble is looking for new members. When: Mondays at 7-45 pm Where: Mitcham Community Centre, corner Belair Road and Grange Road, Lower Mitcham. 2008 Dates: June 30, July 14 and 28, August 11 and 25, September 8 and 22, October 13 and 27, November 10 and 24, and December 8. Playing standard: Grade 4 minimum ( low C up to top G ). Contact: Caroline Weatherstone on 0401-176-230.

MINI FLUTE FESTIVAL

Date and time: Sunday, November 23 2008, Masterclass, 2 pm-5 pm; Recital, 6 pm Venue: St John’s Anglican Church, 379 Halifax Street, Adelaide Guest Artist: Wissam Boustany, Lebanese flautist visiting from England The brochure will be included with the October issue.

SA Flute Events

ON OUR WEBSITE

• Membership information

• How to contribute to and advertise in this newsletter

• Links

• Helpful articles

• How to contact us

Adjudicator: Samantha Hennessy Section F601, Flute Solo 10 Years and Under, 12-50 pm Section F602, Flute Solo 12 Years and Under, 1-20 pm Section F600, Grade 2 Flute Solo, 1-55 pm Section F603, Grade 3 Flute Solo, 2-35 pm Afternoon Tea, 3-35 pm Section F617, Flute Study, Grades 5 to 8 Level, 3-50 pm Section F605, Grade 4 Flute Solo, 4-10 pm

Wissam Boustany

SA FLUTE NEWS Page 4

WELCOME TO OUR

NEW MEMBERS

Caitlin Lawless,

Jue Wang,

Sophie Mintz,

Stephanie Neale,

Crystal Ng,

Olivia Basheer,

Jemma Sheridan,

Cristina Blumberg,

Emma Burge

We hope you enjoy

being part of the Flute

Society and we look

forward to seeing you

at our events. Please

visit our website!

CONCERTS Send your concert dates to the Editor for inclusion in this section.

y Date: Sunday, August 3, 2.30 pm

Artists: Unley Symphony Orchestra, Conductor: Peter Webb Venue: St Augustine’s Church, Unley Road, Unley.

Admission: $15 & $10 Program: Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Krommer and Prokofieff’s “Peter and the Wolf” ( flute solo – Michal Rosiak )

y Adelaide Eisteddfod Special Award Winners’ Concert Date: Monday, September 1, 7-30 pm,

Venue: Rosefield Uniting Church, 2 Carlton Street, Highgate. Admission: Adult, $8; Members/Seniors/Students, $6; Children under 16 free.

y Elder Hall Lunch Hour Concert Series

Date: Friday, September 5, 1-10pm Artists: Elder Conservatorium Wind Ensemble

Admission: $6 Program: Marches and moreN See www.adelaide.edu.au/events/concert/lunch/ for more information.

y MBS Young Performer 2008, State Final

Date: Sunday, September 28, 3-00pm Venue: 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide

Two prizes of $250 will be awarded to a singer and instrumentalist. One of these winners will be selected for the National Final in Sydney on November 22.

y Recitals Australia Wednesday Lunch Hour Concerts 2008

Date: October 15, 12-10 pm-2-00 pm Venue: Pilgrim Church, 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide

Artists: Baroque Stars, Louise Thomas, flute, and friends present Baroque music for flute.

Admission: Adults: $5, Concession: $3. Tickets at the door. Enquiries: Recitals Australia, Ph. 8266-4936 See http://www.recitalsaustralia.org.au/ for more information.

y Date: Sunday, October 19, 2-00pm

Artists: Mitcham Orchestra, Conductor: Mike Kenny Venue: Mitcham Institute, 103 Princess Road, Mitcham

Admission: $7

Flute concerts and events

Notes and News DAVID CUBBIN MEMORIAL FUND

Applications to the David Cubbin Memorial Fund for 2008 closed on June 3. The recipients of financial assistance ($275 each) are Max Winters from Helensburgh, NSW, to attend From Vienna to the Hunter at the Newcastle Conservatorium on July 5 and 6, and Naomi Leviton from Seaforth, NSW, to participate in the Bejing Olympic Orchestra 2008 from July 30 to August 13 in Beijing.

QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS

Diana Harris, President of the Music Teachers’ Association of South Australia and Secretary of the Accompanists’ Guild, was awarded an OAM for ‘service to Education in the field of Music.’ Diana has been associated with the Flute Society on a number of occasions. Keith Crellin, Head of Strings at the Elder Conservatorium, was awarded an OAM for ‘service to classical music and musicians through artistic leadership, and as an educationist and mentor’. It is good to see our leading music educators receiving recognition.

“Who would be loved

If he could be feared or hated,

yet still Enjoy his lust, eat well and play

the flute?”

Peter Porter: Soliloquy at Potsdam.

SA FLUTE NEWSPage 5

EXCERPTS PERFORMED ON THE

NIGHT Yijie Yin Capriccio Espagnol: Tchaikovsky (Grade 8) Jemma Sheridan Piano Concerto in G: Ravel (Grade 6) Carmen: Bizet (Grade 6) Both of these played on piccolo. Lucy May Symphony No 4 in F minor: Tchaikovsky (Grade 8) Aleksandra Olekalns Moldau: Smetana (Grade 6) Lisa Gill demonstrated Rosamunde: Schubert (Grade 7)

Recent Events – An Evening of Excerpts presented by Lisa Gill

Wednesday April 30, 7-30-9 pm

Colonel Light Gardens Uniting Church

A SUMMARY

by Lisa Gill

The Flute Society of S.A. recently decided to host an evening which focused on Orchestral Excerpts, particularly those included in the AMEB Flute and Piccolo Orchestral Excerpts Book. As Second Flute of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, I was asked to present this evening and the following is a summary of my general introduction at the event.

Orchestral Excerpts are one option for List D in Grade 6, 7 and 8 AMEB Practical Flute and Piccolo Exams. I believe that List D is quite difficult. Preparing three orchestral excerpts may seem like a lot of work but the Australian compositions, which form the alternative option for List D, are also quite complex. After preparing several other works with flute and piano accompaniment, as required by Lists B and C, I think it’s a great idea to encourage students to learn the excerpts for some variety as well as the following benefits: • The student is introduced to the

‘specialised’ nature of orchestral playing.

• The student becomes more familiar with wonderful orchestral music (through listening to recordings as part of their preparation).

• The student becomes more competent in certain areas of their playing (eg, double/triple tonguing and fast, technical playing).

• Refining intonation. • Learning to play with precise rhythm

and a well-maintained tempo.

The following are all important considerations when performing orchestral excerpts: RHYTHM: the conductor and the rest of the orchestra do not wait or accelerate according to your own personal rubato or technical capabilities. Phrases must ‘lock in’ to music within other sections.

INTONATION AND QUALITY OF SOUND: intonation is vital when playing with so many other musicians as is the quality of sound and the ability to ‘blend’ with other members of the section (a variety of colours may be required in order to achieve this). Notes may need to be pitched differently depending on their placement within a chord.

DYNAMIC VARIATION: obviously marked dynamics should be observed. However consideration should be taken as to which passages are solo lines, in which case, dynamics need to be stronger (even if marked piano) and vice a versa.

TEMPO: suggested metronome markings should be observed but not necessarily down to the exact notch on the metronome. Conductors take pieces at varying speeds and I think what is most important is achieving the right character and style.

PHRASING AND PRECISE ARTICULATION: these two aspects will help to achieve the right style for the work from which the excerpt is taken. Clear articulation will also help the ‘flute line’ to be heard amongst the rest of the orchestra.

LISTENING TO RECORDINGS: this gives the student an idea of how the flute excerpt fits into the orchestral work (where solos occur, any traditional tempo changes that aren’t marked, etc.). If possible, listen to more than one recording to compare and in case the first is an obscure recording, for whatever reason.

Other points to remember when performing orchestral excerpts are: • It is very important to count rests

accurately, including whole bars of rests.

• Time should be taken where there are breaks in the stave or incomplete bars as these markings indicate that other music occurs before the next part of the excerpt.

Enjoy your orchestral excerpt preparation by making the most of listening to these stunning works and thank you to all who attended the recent ‘Evening of Excerpts’.

Aleksandra Olekalns, Jemma Sheridan,

Lisa Gill, Lucy May, Yijie Yin

SA FLUTE NEWS Page 6

.

Recent Events – An Evening of Excerpts

presented by Lisa Gill ( cont. )

Report by Lucy May

AN EVENING OF EXCERPTS

On Wednesday, April 30, at Colonel Light Gardens

Uniting Church, Lisa Gill, Second Flautist for the

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, held ‘An Evening of

Excerpts’ for willing participants. Excerpts played

were from the AMEB Orchestral Excerpts Book, and

included Smetana’s famous solo for Second Flute

from The Moldau, Rimsky- Korsakov’s Capriccio

Espagnol and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4 in F

minor.

Piccolo excerpts included Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G

and Bizet’s Carmen. Lisa’s experience and knowledge

of orchestral playing enabled the participating students

and captive audience to gain an insight into the art of

orchestral excerpt playing and all its intricacies.

Orchestral excerpts require the musician to play with all

the style, expression and rhythmic strictness that is

expected when playing in an orchestra. These

requirements are harder to convey when playing the

excerpts unaccompanied. Lisa’s advice and expertise

on this common problematic area saw an immediate

improvement in the participant’s playing and all who

were present gained valuable audition tips and practice

techniques.

Flute Society

Library

We have an

extensive library of

music that all

members are able to

use.

Please contact

Elizabeth Koch on

8303 5343.

___________________

Carolyn White Memorial Scholarship

Held: Saturday, June 21, Colonel Light Gardens Uniting Church Adjudicator: Leah Stephenson First Prize: Denny Majoros Second Prize: Nicole Pearce Hon. Mention: Yijie Yin Set Piece: Donjon: Offertoire Denny Majoros attends Tatachilla Lutheran College. His flute teacher is Lisa Gill. Denny plays in the Tatachilla Lutheran College Chamber Ensemble and is attending the 2008 State Music Camp. He won the 12 Years and Under Flute Solo and Grade 4 Flute Solo sections in the 2006 Adelaide Eisteddfod. He was the Second Prize winner in the 2007 Carolyn White Memorial Scholarship. Nicole Pearce goes to Temple Christian College, where she plays in the School Concert Band. Her flute teacher is Elizabeth Koch. Nicole won the following sections in the 2006 Adelaide Eisteddfod; 14 Years and Under and Grade 5 and Under Flute Solo sections and received an Honourable Mention for the Flute Study, Grade 5 and Above section. She received an Honorary Mention in the 2007 Carolyn White Memorial Scholarship. Yijie Yin is a student at Pembroke School, where she is a member of the Pembroke Symphony Orchestra. Her flute teacher is Elizabeth Koch. In the 2007 Adelaide Eisteddfod Yijie received a Third Prize in the 16 Years and Under Flute Solo and an Honorary Mention in the Grade 7 and 8 Flute Solo. She was awarded the David Cubbin Flute Award for the most promising flautist in the Open Flute Section.

Leah Stephenson, Denny Majoros,

Yijie Yin, Nicole Pearce

The Flute Society Program is broadcast on Monday evenings at 7 pm. 5MBS is located at 99.9 on the FM Band.

Monday, August 11 Music for Flute and Percussion,

featuring Marc Grauwels, flute and Marie-Josée Simard, percussion;

includes music by Piazzolla and Shankar.

Monday, October 13 Listen to selections from visiting Lebanese flautist Wissam Boustany’s

CDS Wandering Winds, Vivaldi’s Children and Sounds From Within.

The theme music used for the Flute Society Program is Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, played by Sir James Galway, flute, with Hiro Fujikake, synthesizer.

Flute on Radio 5MBS – presented by Robert Brown

SA FLUTE NEWSPage 7

You may think we’ve been quiet, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy! Over the last few months we have been looking at how best to move forward with the Sydney Flute Festival. As we have had significant international interest in the festival we have decided to change the name of the Sydney Flute Festival to the Australian Flute Festival. We then began to think about whether Sydney was in fact the most central city to host the Festival.

After much deliberation, it was decided that the 2009 Australian Flute Festival would be held in Adelaide, at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide from Saturday 3 to Monday 5 of October.

Next we set about inviting our International artists. We are very excited to have secured Jean Ferrandis from Paris, Tara O’Connell from New York and Uwe Grodd from New Zealand.

You will find Jean Ferrandis is a wonderful flautist and teacher. At the Ecole Normale Superieure de Paris, he teaches the art of living through music, as much as he does the subtleties of the flute. Jean performs regularly all around the world and is a prolific recording artist. Check out his website http://jean.ferrandis.free.fr. It’s well worth the visit!

Tara-Helen O’Connor lives in New York. She is a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, awarded to only a few woodwind players in its 25-year history. Tara is flute soloist with the Bach Aria Group, performs with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and

Bargemusic, and made her debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival in 1999. She records for Arcadia and Koch International and is Professor of Flute at the Purchase College Conservatory.

Many of you will know Uwe Grodd. He is New Zealand based but performs, teaches and conducts regularly internationally. Uwe is Associate Professor of Conducting and Flute at the University of Auckland.

Over the next few days we will be making some changes to the website. The URL will change to www.australianflutefestival.com, but we will maintain a link from sydneyflutefestival.com.au to the new address. We will post the list of Australian guests as they get confirmed and keep you updated on the Professional Development Day for teachers that we are planning. We are hoping to get the repertoire for all the competitions up soon, so that you have ample time to study and practice the pieces, so be sure to visit the site regularly. THE AUSTRALIAN FLUTE FESTIVAL COMMITTEE Elizabeth Koch OAM - Artistic Director; elizabeth.koch@adelaide.edu.au

David Leviston - Director; david@leviston.net Lyndie Mostert - Director/co-ordinator; lyndie@leviston.net mobile 0424 504 104. PO Box 190, Northbridge, NSW 1560.

The Australian Flute Festival by Lyndie Mostert

Jean Ferrandis

Photo: Cyril Bailleul

Tara-Helen O’Connor

Uwe Grodd

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM)

is the world leader in the provision of graded music exams with over 650,000 candidates annually in 95 countries. ABRSM is a non-profit organization, all proceeds go back into teacher support, developmental projects and research. 2008 DATES: From 2008-2013 there are new set pieces for classical Flute and Clarinet. Jazz Flute exams are now available.

Exam syllabuses available at no cost or obligation - discover interesting and refreshing repertoire!

PRACTICAL entries (including Diplomas) Second session: due 25 July (for Oct/Dec) exams.

THEORY entries Third session: due 1 September for 6 November exam.

JAZZ entries One session only: due 25 July (for Oct/Nov) exams.

National Co-ordinator for syllabuses, entry forms and information: Tel: 1300 132 811 Email: abrsm@iinet.net.au Fax: 08 9386 2658 Website: www.abrsm.org

SA FLUTE NEWS Page 8

Music Review by Annie Oates

15 Fun Pieces by Paul Van Ross Music Allsorts, 2007 (www.musicallsorts.com)

If you are looking for more than is in the AMEB Syllabi,

this is the book for you! 15 Fun Pieces by Paul Van Ross is a vibrant, modern flute book which provides a great addition to the standard flute repertoire, exposing flautists to a wide variety of styles, with particular note to jazz. With a play-along CD, you have the fun and thrill of playing with a professional ensemble! The CD provides both a demonstration of the song, as well as the play-along backing without the melody. Hearing the melody helps you to learn the songs more easily, and then playing with the backing track gives you an exciting experience of being the flute soloist!

It’s a little disappointing that the first eight

demonstration tracks have another instrument playing along with the flute. This makes it difficult to distinguish the flute sound and nuances. However, despite this, it is still fantastic to be able to listen to the tempos and rhythms and begin to understand the style of each piece. By A Stroll In The Park, it is only the flute performing each piece, which gives you a fine example of inspired flute playing! Take your time to listen to the recordings before you play along to them. Some of them count in with a different number of beats so you will need to be sure of this first. The first thing I loved upon seeing the book, were the exercises that precede each of the songs. They are a wonderful and fun way of encouraging one

to work on the technical aspects of flute playing and for learning how to problem solve specific areas of difficulty within each of the individual works. Once you can play them as written, it is easy to be creative with them by playing faster and slower, with different articulations and as duets with your teacher.

I highly recommend 15 Fun Pieces by Paul Van

Ross. It has been an extremely popular book amongst my students. Here are some comments from a few of them… “The songs in the Paul Van Ross book have been fun to learn and play. I’ve played jazz music before but enjoyed working the variety of different basic styles. With a whole range of standards, you can choose a piece that is easy and fun to learn or you can choose a song that provides a fun challenge. The exercises were great as they helped me to learn the rhythms and fingerings for the song”.Caitlin Harvey, Year 11, age 16 “This book introduced me to jazz music. I love this style of music now and have quickly learnt many of the songs. I’ve even practiced more because I enjoy the music so much and love playing with the backing track. Some of the songs are too fast for me at the moment but not for long!” Chris Sanders, Year 10, age 15 “This was my first experience with jazz music and I really got into it! Because some of the songs were easier for me, I was able to focus on discovering the feel for jazz. I discovered that I love this style of music and I’m looking forward to learning the harder songs further on in the book”. Michelle Simpson, Year 9, age 14

EXCUSES FOR NOT PRACTISING!

My uncle ate a snail.

I got called in early for tea.

Mum says it is dangerous! I grazed my knee. I don’t know. Dad kept calling me. Mum wouldn’t let me for some reason! My Aunty was in Sydney. These excuses have all

been used! Teachers – send in

more excuses!

SA FLUTE NEWSPage 9

Rae Stratfold was President of the Flute Society of South Australia from 1983 to 1985 and was active as an AMEB Examiner. She was Exhibits Co-ordinator and music arranger for the 7th Australian Flute Convention.

At 70!!!!!!! At oh no, I feel 29, but my knees tell

me otherwise. I’ve just had a knee reconstruction. All that mountain climbing, up the 700 steps of the Eiffel Tower, bush walking, basketball, netball, tennis and organic gardening have caught up with me. Maybe I should have stuck to more flute and piano practice! I’ve made a list of things I am not going to do again! I hiked the Inca Trail to celebrate my 60th Birthday and the Overland Trail in Tasmania up Cradle Mountain and Mt Ossa for my 50th Birthday and then followed up by climbing Mt Snowdon in Wales! Also climbed St Mary’s Peak three times and trails in New Zealand in 2007! In Greece I climbed up Tsambika on Rhodes (700 steps) (Mothers who want to have a baby hike up Tsambika on their knees!).

I didn’t have to do that because I’ve got three children, Heather, Mike and Jenny, and two step-daughters, Sarah and Jennifer. One grandchild is arriving in December and I also have two step-granddaughters.

What a coincidence! My knee surgeon’s

daughters play the flute and I heard them practising when he rang me up to see how I was progressing when I came home from hospital. Good practice habits are so important. You can learn from your teacher and form a good routine. Warm up with long notes to improve your tone and work on breathing exercises. Maybe the big book on the tummy when you are lying on the floor will help. Remember to support your head and keep your knees up so that you do not strain your back. Breathe slowly and make sure to not do this for too long because you can hyperventilate (feel dizzy). The flute is hard when you first begin because so much air passes over the mouthpiece. You need to build up stamina, i.e. sport, etc.

You need to form good habits. Always clean your

flute and put it away and make sure you have clean teeth before practice. There is nothing worse than a flute smelling of garlic or a ‘forest of yuck’ in the head-joint. Remember you can wash the head-joint in warm water. Always check your posture and little fingerings. Many beginners neglect the right hand little finger. On for C and off for D. It is so important for balance.

Tuning can be tricky. When you are nervous it is

sometimes hard to sort it out. A good way is to pull the head-joint a long way out. Play the flute A and then the piano A and you should be able to hear that it is flat. Then gradually push the head-joint in until it sounds right. Also make sure the flute is warmed up. Take time to tune up and don’t let the piano player keep banging out the A. You need silence to hear the difference, and the flute should play the A first.

Choose a good accompanist. This is so

important. Grandma or Pa may play the piano but in an exam I have heard some well-meaning folk leave their foot on the pedal for a whole piece because they are so nervous. Lots of accompanists don’t listen and take off and you have to catch up. This is like driving on a speedway! Some accompanists thump out the accompaniment and you have to go into battle to be heard. I have done this and it’s not much fun. I remember Noreen Stokes and Jessica Dix who accompanied me for A.B.C. Young Australia recordings. They had such fantastic sensitivity it was a joy to play with them.

Competitions and exams can be exacting. Not

everyone can get 1st place or the magic A. Do your best and maybe next time you’ll make it. Every one stuffs up. I heard James Galway do a ‘stuff up’ big time. He played the Bach Courante from Partita in A minor. He started so fast I thought, ‘How is he going to get through that bit in the second half?’ Well, he didn’t! It was a great fumble and afterwards at a party he said to me, ‘I wish I’d played Syrinx tonight instead’.

Be aware of the adrenalin rush and excitement

and try to focus on all the things you can do at home so well. Take time for a big breath before you play to clear your mind. Don’t think about the audience or examiner and start at the tempo you are most comfortable with. There are books like the inner Game of Music by Barry Green to help you concentrate. I remember getting to the last page of a piece and thinking, ‘Oh, this has gone well’, and soon as that happened I made a mistake. In a recording you can do it again.

Dynamics are so important. The flute doesn’t

have a huge range. Some flute players think they are playing a trumpet and almost blow you out of the room. Aim for subtle contrasts and tone colour. Listen to your sound and practise long notes. Phrasing is so important. Aim to shape a musical sentence with the colour of the mood. Silence is so important. Many professional players even forget this. Listen to the silence and don’t rush on.

My Life as a Musician by Rae Stratfold

Rae Stratfold

Photo: Robert Lamp

Rae Stratfold, left, Alison Rosser, right, with celebrated

American flautist Julius Baker at a party held during the New York Philharmonic

Orchestra’s visit to Adelaide in 1974.

SA FLUTE NEWS

Page 10

For an exam or performance make sure that

your flute is in tiptop condition. Lots of folk don’t check that the head cork is in the correct position. Use the ring on your cleaning rod to check this. The ring must be in the middle of the embouchure hole. Get your teacher or flute repairer to help you.

Competitions and exams can aid your

achievement but remember the flute has a long history. The shepherds played the flute for fun; the primitive folk used it for ceremonies to dance around the campfire and the Incas for ceremonies to please the gods and to party. I saw a party on Tequila Island in the middle of Lake Titicaca in Peru and it was panpipes, dancing and homemade brew. It lasted for several days. I didn’t join in, but I bet they got a headache! The flute has given the Ancient Egyptians, the Pygmy tribes and other cultures, reed flutes, nose flutes, bone flutes, bamboo, wood, silver and gold flutes. What a history!

Highlights of my career include playing in Elder

Park in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for the Royal Visit. The Queen arrived on Popeye the Royal Barge! Concerts for the Australian Youth Orchestra and at the Elder Conservatorium. David Cubbin was my principal teacher. Russell King and Joe Brunovsky were fun to work with in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

Solo performances in the Adelaide Town Hall

for the National Council of Women and Lets Save FM radio. Down a cave at Bordertown was like playing in a bathroom. On top of a hill on the Isle of Erraid in Scotland on full moon, and the big mass at Taizé in France. They invited me back to record music but I was travelling on with a very sick husband (Denis). He was dying of an aggressive form of cancer and we were off to Canada to visit friends before returning home in 1993. Playing the flute in Cradle Mountain National Park by Lake St Clair I thought I was alone and a whole busload of Americans descended on me. I thought I was alone but the flute carries for miles, especially across still water.

Flute ensemble work was fun playing with the

Adelaide Flute Consort. We had many changes of members with Alison Rosser, Elizabeth Koch, Sue Hackett, Christine Draeger, Marie Blackman, Sharon Heylen, Jean Hill, Maria Foot and Carolyn White. I hope I haven’t left anyone out. Country concerts with workshops and the Sydney Flute Convention were part of our performing life.

Students from far and wide I admired were

the country students Claire Kilgariff (Darwin), Maryln Terlich (Broken Hill) and Lies Reiter from Mt Gambier. They were so dedicated to improving their qualifications. I remember teaching Joannes Roose in short pants(!) and many others. If I located them all for a concert it would last for weeks including my piano students.

Attending the First Flute Convention in 1998

in Nice, France, was amazing. The program changed every day and almost every hour. So many talented French flautists, with egos so wide, all trying to impart their skills! It was exhausting! With the siesta of the Riviera the concerts went well into the night with all of these French men wanting to play. It was unreal. How they loved to celebrate and join in to have fun. Oh wow! Alain Marion, Michelle Debost, Peter Lukas Graf, András Adorján, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Trevor Wye, Maxence Larrieu and many others. The flute makers Albert Cooper (U.K.) and John Lehner (Australia) were represented as well as many others from Japan and the U.S.A.

Back home often playing the flute on

Sundays at Pilgrim Church in the city formed a great part of my life. I won the Music Teachers’ Association prize for piano and flute scholarships for two years at the Elder Conservatorium. The associates in schools, AMEB examining, and TAFE Colleges of Advanced Education (now University of S.A.). I have enjoyed my time.

Music is so important it can sustain you

through the great occasions and the tough times. KEEP UP YOUR PRACTICE. Set some goals: practice your scales first from memory and do warm-ups. Finish off with your favourite pieces and don’t annoy your Mum and Dad or the neighbours. They are probably tired. Most of all enjoy your music. That’s what life is about.

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY TO RAE FROM THE TO RAE FROM THE TO RAE FROM THE TO RAE FROM THE FLUTE SOCIETY OF FLUTE SOCIETY OF FLUTE SOCIETY OF FLUTE SOCIETY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA !!SOUTH AUSTRALIA !!SOUTH AUSTRALIA !!SOUTH AUSTRALIA !!

My Life as a Musician by Rae Stratfold

Rae Stratfold with Akira Aoki, left, and Shozi Adachi, right, members of the Tokyo Flute

Ensemble, during their Adelaide visit in

1984.

Photo:

Robert Lamp

Photo:

Robert Lamp

SA FLUTE NEWSPage 11

In Memorium

Gabor Reeves, clarinetist in the University of Adelaide Wind Quintet, died on

May 4, 2008, aged 80 years. The University of Adelaide Wind Quintet was formed in 1964 at the instigation of Prof. John Bishop. The other foundation members were David Cubbin, flute, Jiri Tanibudek, oboe, Stanley Fry, horn, and Thomas Wightman, bassoon.

Patrick Brislan replaced Stanley Fry in 1970. All of the foundation woodwind players are now deceased. The University of Adelaide Wind Quintet was recognised as one of the finest ensembles of its kind in the world.

Gabor Reeves was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1928. He studied at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, and arrived in Australian in 1948. He undertook further study at the Sydney Conservatorium, and in 1951 he became Principal Clarinet in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

Three years later he was appointed Principal Clarinet of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. After freelancing in Europe (1960-63) he became Principal Clarinet in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 1963 and moved to Adelaide in 1964.

The University of Adelaide Wind Quintet toured extensively throughout Australia, USA, Canada, Britain, Europe and South-East Asia. After 10 years in Adelaide Gabor Reeves returned to Sydney to found the Sydney Wind Quintet and was appointed Professor and Head of the Wind Department at the Sydney Conservatorium. In 1995 he was awarded an AM for ‘his services to music and as an educator’. He returned to Adelaide and by late 1996 Parkinson’s Disease had forced him to stop performing and teaching.

University of Adelaide Wind Quintet

George Winunguj, didgeridoo with

University of Adelaide Wind Quintet

(David Cubbin, flute, Jiri Tancibudek, oboe, Thomas Wightman,

bassoon, Patrick Brislan, French horn, Gabor Reeves, clarinet), recording

George Dreyfus’ Sextet for Didgeridoo and Wind Instruments in

1972. Photo: Michael Jensen, nla.pic-vn3304842.

SA FLUTE NEWS

Page 12

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