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Volume 18, Issue 2 Newsletter of the Rochester Flute Association Winter 2013
2012 RFA Flute Fair Guest Artist Marina Piccinini Dazzles Rochester
This fall the Rochester Flute Association was excited to host internationally acclaimed flutist Marina Pic-cinini as the guest artist for the 2012 RFA Flute Fair. Ms. Piccinini has built a well-deserved reputation of exquisitely polished and engaging concertizing, and her grand performance with pianist Araceli Chacon in Eastman's Hatch Recital Hall certainly did not disappoint.
Ms. Piccinini's recital was a true meeting of East and West. Focusing on the music of French and Japa-nese composers, she juxtaposed pieces of these seemingly disparate cultures to show just how much each has adapted from the other. One such juxtaposition came in Ms. Piccinini's back-to-back performance of Debussy's Syrinx and Fu-kushima's Mei. We often hear Syrinx paired with Edgard Varese's Density 21.5, but to hear it in a different context, next to the music of Fukushima, gave it a refreshing and inspired twist.
Another interesting juxta-position came between the inclusion of Andre Joli-vet's Chant de Linos and a set of popular Japanese folk songs transcribed for flute and piano. Whereas the folk tunes shone with simplicity and lyricism, Jolivet's music uses East-ern influences to create a harsh and otherworldly atmosphere. The anchors of the program, substantial sonatas by Yuko Uebayashi and Gabriel Fauré, illustrated how one young Japanese composer is looking to the French Golden Age to cre-ate neo-Romantic music that is as lush and beautifully melodic as its inspiration.
Throughout the evening Ms. Piccinini and Ms. Chacon dazzled the audience with their personal and engag-ing performance on stage. Ms. Piccinini's programmatic choices, furthermore, gave the many flutists in attendance much to think about in terms of making musical and cross-cultural connections. What a won-derful way to kick off the 2012 Flute Fair. Brava to these master artists on a beautiful and thoughtful re-cital!
-Emlyn Johnson
All Flute Fair photography by Angela Possemato - Light Touch Photos
Rochester Flute Association Newsletter Page 2
Page 2 Rochester
Flute
Association
Mission
♪ To promote the enjoyment and appreciation of the flute.
♪ To assist members in achieving musical excellence.
♪ To facilitate an exchange of ideas among flutists,
teachers, and flute enthusiasts.
Membership Rates for September 2012-August 2013
Corporate $80; Contributor $50; Family $30; Adult $20;
Student $10
Membership dues may be sent to:
Jo Lynn DeGolia,
Williamsville East HS Music
151 Paradise Road
E. Amherst, NY 14051
Elected Board Members
Appointed Committee Chairs
Flute Choir Director: Laura Lentz
Flute Fair Silent Auction: TBD
———————-
Kudos, Events, Classified Ads, and news articles may
be sent to the editor at the email address above.
Deadline for the spring issue is March 1.
The Rochester Flute Association is a registered
non-profit organization. Contributions are tax
deductible to the full extent allowed by the law.
2011-2013
President
Joanna Bassett
Program Chair
Anne Harrow
Education Director
Rebekah Valerio
Member-at-Large
Jen Trimble Ford
Membership
Jo Lynn DeGolia
2012-2014
Secretary
Meaghan McTammany
meaghan.mctammany
@gmail.com
Treasurer
Donna Mero, 352-8973
Publicity Chair
Alexandra Vasilius
Newsletter Editor
Julie Smith
Corporate Membership
Alexandra Barbato
Website Administrator
Laura Lentz
WWW.MURAMATSU-AMERICA.COM
Letter from the President Winter greetings!
I would like to offer thanks and congratulations to the many who participated in
Flute Fair weekend; we had a record attendance of 156 people at Marina Piccinini’s
recital and 231 flutists and guests on Flute Fair day! I know you’ll agree that Marina
was a fabulous guest artist, in her playing as well as her two sessions on Saturday.
[If you couldn’t attend her masterclass, you can read about it on pp. 3 and 6].
To our workshop presenters and performers, thank you for sharing your talent and
expertise! To our judges, accompanists, volunteers, Flute Fair Committee and
Board, we appreciate all of the time and effort you contributed. And to those who
played in the competitions and masterclass, bravo for your courage and artistry!
The exhibits are an essential part of Flute Fair, and we could not produce Flute Fair
without our Corporate Sponsors and exhibitors who come to Rochester to show us
the latest in flutes and piccolos – we appreciate all that you do! Our Silent Auction
raised a record $1128 this year, thanks to coordinator Kate Sussman, the special
donations from Wm. S. Haynes Flutes and all of our auction donors. Our sincere
appreciation goes
to those at
Brannen Flutes
who have
operated the
Brannen-Cooper
Fund for many
years, which has
co-sponsored
numerous RFA
events. Their
generosity has
helped flute clubs
all over the
country and we
will miss them.
Next up: Flutopia! This is a day for young flutists in grades 3-8, but also for everyone
who is interested in flute choirs or the largest members of our family! Paige Long is
a low flute specialist coming from Boston to share her talents with all of us - I hope
to see you there!
All the best,
Joanna BassettJoanna BassettJoanna BassettJoanna Bassett
Page 3 Volume 18 Issue 1
Marina Piccinini: A Masterclass in Review By Sally Ann Hart
I always learn so much watching an experienced teacher give pointers, tips, helpful suggestions, and new ideas to participants in a masterclass. Good guidance consistently results in the “student” improving his or her performance immediately. As teach-ers, we hope the lessons taught are learned by the audience as well. What a win-win situation for all! Marina Piccinini’s class at Flute Fair on November 10th was no exception. In fact, it was so full of skillful teaching that this write-up simply will touch on the highlights.
Here, in order by participant, is a review of the class.
Christy Kim, a performance and music education major from SUNY Fredonia, played the last movement of the Sonata in A Major, Allegretto poco mosso, by Cesar Franck. Ms. Piccinini realized immediately that the stage for the class was a very dead space. To help a per-former get the most out of a less-than-optimal environ-ment, she had Christy lower her music stand. This way her sound could project above it. Secondly, she helped Christy relax herself. With fewer physical movements of her body, Christy’s projection and music came through more brilliantly. A major accomplishment during Christy’s lesson was getting the flute to sound more reso-nant. Ms. Piccinini’s other pointer for Christy was to perform the beautiful sweet beginning of the movement in the more relaxed posture and stance. With her breathing more comfortable, Christy received praise for the love she conveys with the music. As a practice tech-nique for one passage, Christy was asked to play it entirely without tonguing, and then with flutter tonguing. Ms. Piccinini suggested another practice technique to be done at home: Lie on the floor and breathe, breathe, breathe!
Finally, to keep pitch from wavering, Ms. Piccinini made sure Christy held her head still. With a bit of outward rotation of the headjoint, and with the headjoint adequately pulled out, listeners heard steady, in-tune playing from Christy. In her final it-eration the pitch stayed on target and phrases sang!
Melissa Cheng, a high school student studying at the Juilliard Pre-College division, played Friedrich Kuhlau’s Divertissement, Op. 68, No. 5. Ms. Piccinini began by helping Melissa make the ending of the piece more attention-grabbing for the audience. When Melissa played the conclusion a second time, I could feel the audience relate to the louder, definitive coda and final ca-
dence. This was in keeping with Ms. Piccinini’s advice to be innovative and to use a musical nu-ance to hold the audience’s attention.
Melissa’s tone and phrasings were beautiful, Ms. Piccinini said. Overall Melissa was encouraged to be more fearless and to add a variety of ideas to her performance. In short, our professor-for-the-day suggested answering this question: “who are you, and what do you think you can do with this big ending?” Melissa tried visualizing different scenarios in the music: an opera diva in a big wig and fancy dress, for instance. The third time Melissa played the end, the audience gasped with appreciation for her rich sound and overall accom-plishment, and she won praise from Ms. Piccinini for living up to her potential!
Before finishing, Ms. Piccinini took Melissa back to the opening of the piece, where there is oppor-
tunity to apply the con espressione indication rather freely. Here the performer can take time to unwind the tale and share her imagination. This prepares the listener for the contrasting brilliant virtuoso sections that comprise the middle of this piece.
Continued on page 6
Rochester Flute Association Newsletter Page 4
Join the RFA at our upcoming spring event...
Flutopia!Flutopia!Flutopia!Flutopia! 9:00 am–4:00 pm
(Half-day option 9:00 am-12:00 pm)
A day of activities for flutists in grades 3-8 and
their families!
Flutopia is a day full of educational experiences and fun events. You’ll have a chance to meet and hear Paige Long, who special-
izes in playing the “BIG” flutes. We’ll also have a workshop where you can travel to different stations to try new flute sounds
with local teachers.
Flute Choir Flutopia!Flute Choir Flutopia!Flute Choir Flutopia!Flute Choir Flutopia! 1:00 pm-4:00 pm
An afternoon of flute choir activities for flutists of all ages!
Students in grades 3-8 can try flutes of all sizes, play through a solo with a pianist, and hear the Low Flutes recital and master-
class.
High school, college, and adult flutists will join in a flute choir reading session, hear Guest Artist Paige Long in a Low Flutes
Recital, and listen to or participate in a Flute Choir Masterclass
(extra fee to perform).
Saturday, April 27, 2013
French Road Elementary School
488 French Road, Rochester, NY 14618
Admission:
Grades 3-8: $10 morning; $15 all day (parents free)
High School/College/Adults: $15 afternoon
Visit www.rfaonline.org for more details and
registration forms!
Thomas’ Flute Library Donated to the RFA
John Thomas, a revered teacher at the Eastman School and Eastman Community Music School for 44 years, passed away on February 15, 2012 at the age of 89. Remembrances of Mr. Thomas may be seen in the Spring and Fall 2012 issues of the RFA newsletters. Through the generosity of his children, Mr. Thomas’ library of flute music has been donated to the Rochester Flute Associa-tion and will be housed at the Hochstein School of Music & Dance so that it may be used by future flute students. Sally Ann Hart is in the process of cataloguing the music so that it may be circulated; more information about the collection will follow in future RFA newsletters.
RFA Statement of Activities
Year-end as of August 31, 2012
2011-12
Revenues Program Flute Fair $5,278 Spring Event $1,611 Workshops, Others $ - Grants $1,300 Association Membership/Corporate $4,180 Dues/Contributions
Total Revenues $12,912
Expenditures Program Flute Fair $5,537 Spring Event $4,718 Mock Solo Fest, $75 Workshops, Others
Association
Newsletter $974
Mission related $200
(Commissions, Instruments)
Total Expenses $12,914
Increase (Decrease) in Assets $(2)
General Program Support $543
Association Expenses $1,410
Page 5 Volume 18 Issue 1
RFA’s Kathryn Scarbrough performs with chamber group ensemble.twenty.21
Eastman's Women in Music Festival / Hochstein Spotlight on Faculty Concert Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 7:00 pm Hochstein School of Music: Performance Hall
Winners of the 2012 RFA Flute Fair Competition from left to right: Jennifer Zhang (High School Piccolo), Grace Ju-Yeon Wang (Emerging Artist), Johanna Gruskin (Collegiate Piccolo), Hayley Miller (High School Performance) Not pictured is Rita George Simmons, (Adult Performance)
ensemble.twenty.21, Upstate New York's premiere new music ensemble, is the Resident Faculty Contemporary Music En-semble at the Hochstein School of Music & Dance in Roches-ter, NY. Formed in 2006 by faculty from the Hochstein School of Music and Dance, Nazareth College, Roberts Wesleyan College and by members of the Rochester Philhar-monic, ensemble.twenty.21 is committed to the performance of new music from the late 20th and early 21st centuries, from which it derives its name. The members of the group have performed at the Eastman School of Music and its Women in Music Festival, “Live from Hochstein” (WXXI NPR Rochester), National Flute Association Convention, BGSU New Music Festival, and Percussion Rochester in the 2011-2012 season.
Why Are YOU a Member? We are looking for member testimonials for the RFA website. Let us know how the RFA has been important to you!
• How has the RFA been important to you as a flutist or teacher in our community?
• Have you taken part in the competitions or attended the Flute Fair?
• Have you gone to RFA-sponsored performances or master classes with world-class artists?
• Have you been active as a board member or ever volunteered for RFA events?
• Do you play with the RFA Flute Choir?
• Have you made good friends at Flute Camp?
Help us keep the RFA growing and let others know how important the RFA is to our commu-nity! Please submit your testimonials to: [email protected] with the subject line, "Why I Am a Member."
Rochester Flute Association Newsletter Page 6
Masterclass Review, continued from page 3
Julia McGhee, who studies at Oberlin Conservatory, played Cantabile et Presto by Georges Enesco.
Ms. Piccinini began by praising the ensemble playing of flutist and pianist. They had little time together, as they met only to rehearse and play at this class. Julia was taken through the cantabile again to make more connection with the accompaniment. This music is an example of writing where it is important to recognize that the piece stands as a true flute-piano duo. For chamber music in this style, flutists need a different approach from, say, a band flute part or a solo etude. In the music, the initial entrance of the flute presents an interesting ensemble opportunity because it is not a main treble melody, but a support part. The player should give the sound a color change to enhance this. The andante ma non troppo marking was an indication Ms. Piccinini joked about. Sometimes we do encounter something ambiguous like this: we are “walking” (a true translation), but then we are asked to be “walking - but not too much” (an awkward thought!). When she demonstrated the melodic line, Ms. Piccinini conveyed her interpretation of cantabile. It’s singing – akin to what a mezzo soprano might do. The beautiful song must keep going with its own energy, in a light-hearted way, not too seriously. She asked Julia to be careful about deter-mining her phrasing breaths, and suggested reducing the number of breathing spots. Ms. Piccinini used the term “make the
lace” so Julie would move forward and weave the sing-ing. In the presto section, Julia was encouraged to truly speed along and dig in.
Chelsea Tanner, a student at Ohio State University, played Georges Hue’s Fantasie. Chelsea immediately received a compliment from Ms. Piccinini, who ex-claimed, “you know the music!” This was followed by suggestions to do more. The beginning phrases can be made longer if the performer takes fewer breaths to reduce any choppiness. There are enough breaks in the musical motifs to replenish air, or pause for a little space. Ms. Piccinini also made certain Chelsea took breaths in her tummy. This keeps the shoulders from rising and eliminates any “elbow English.” Ms. Piccin-ini stressed that if players have excess body move-ments, they may detract, but certainly do not add any-thing to the music. She helped Chelsea find her center of gravity and use it to bring a strength and power.
This made her music float. It was a very refreshing result.
In the middle section of the piece, Ms. Piccinini suggested applying a variety of vibrato speeds and depths. When adding vari-ety to sequential phrases, any written-in monotony is overcome, and the music will gain charm by being less predictable. Over-all, Ms. Piccinini allowed Chelsea to enhance her performance with longer phrases, adding variety to repeated motifs, and pro-jecting from her center of gravity.
Phil Nash, a former RFA Board member, played Pan from Al-bert Roussel’s Joueurs de Flûte. Ms. Piccinini appreciated the performance of this lovely French music, and began by talking with Phil about making his love of the music show through even more. The audience heard again Ms. Piccinini’s suggestion about breathing in more air. Here she elaborated and said that keeping air pressure steady will keep up the pitch and result in more fullness of tone. We heard the analogy of making a pot of water boil by standing next to it. She wanted Phil’s music to “boil,” and therefore she stood next to him. When he played again, that magic happened, and we heard increased tone qual-ity and momentum. Subsequently, where the music is less active, she encouraged him to go ahead and relax so the listener could appreciate the musical changes. This can be like a game of contrasts: Now play with lots of pressure! – Now play with less! This approach allowed Phil to add a great deal of variety to the music, especially in the lighter places.
When the class ended, I was sure the observers, like me, would take home Ms. Piccinini’s recurring advice to sing the musical phrases with strong breath support! What an afternoon of wonderful lessons for all of us - taught by this year’s Flute Fair spe-cial guest.
Page 7 Volume 18 Issue 1
☺ Amanda Stafford was inducted into the National Honor Society at Victor Senior High on November 14th.
☺ For subscribers of Flute Talk magazine, Annette Farrington and East Rochester native, Cristina Ballatori, were contributing writ-ers for an article on practicing secrets. A web version of this article is available at www.flutetalkmagazine.com.
Teachers are encouraged to submit student kudos to the newsletter editor. Deadline for the spring issue is March 1. Bold face indicates RFA member.
Looking for a fun summer camp?
RFA/HOCHSTEIN FLUTE CAMP
July 8-12, 2013
9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Make music with fellow flutists through group lessons, workshops, master classes, and flute ensembles!
Debbie Parker and Jeanine Beahan, Directors For students entering grades 6-12, NYSSMA Level 3-6
Hochstein School of Music & Dance
50 North Plymouth Avenue, Rochester NY, 14614 www.hochstein.org
FOR SALE
Haynes flute, C foot, closed hole, made in 1932. Recently overhauled by Thomas Music in Irondequoit; excellent condition. Asking $2495, please contact Roger Hill, (585) 594-1221 or [email protected]
♫ Events Calendar ♫ Thursday, March 28 7:00 p.m. ensemble.twenty.21 performs at Eastman’s Women in Music
Festival: Hochstein Spotlight on Faculty Concert
Hochstein School of Music Performance Hall Hochstein School of Music 50 N. Plymouth Avenue North, Rochester Visit ensembletwenty21.com for ticket information
Saturday, April 8 8:00 p.m. Carol Wincenc performs with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra World Premiere of Geoffrey Gordon’s Flute Concerto
Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle Buffalo, NY 14201 716.883.3560 or tickets.bpo.org for tickets
Saturday, April 27 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Flutopia! and Flute Choir Flutopia! French Road Elementary School 488 French Road Rochester, NY 14618 See rfaonline.org for more details
Bold face indicates an RFA-sponsored event. Teachers and performers are encouraged to submit events and performances to
the newsletter editor. Deadline for the winter issue is March 1.
Rochester Flute Association PO Box 10173
Rochester, NY 14610
