Testimonials
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On 12 Nov 2007, Sophia Allani wrote: I, the non-musician who attended, th... read it
I, the non-musician who attended, thoroughly enjoyed the festival as many of the teaching techniques I was able to observe from masterclasses have universal applicability in diverse fields. I was astonished at how much I could apply to my own field very successfully.
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On 09 Nov 2007, Daniel Sakoulas wrote: I was so enthused to be able to part... read it
I was so enthused to be able to participate in a masterclass with Marianne Gedigian. Her energy and exuberance overwhelmed me with great excitement and inspiration for my flute playing. As a performer, her amazing ability and stamina kept me thinking about my future and what I can aspire to.
Daniel Sakoulas
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On 24 Oct 2007, Marianne Gedigian wrote: Dear David, Lyndie and Liz,
My mo... read it
Dear David, Lyndie and Liz,
My most sincere thanks to you for your contributions on behalf of all of us. I left Sydney with utter respect for the flute community. The level of playing was fantastic! and the character of people unsurpassed.
I am in awe of the other artists and feel so fortunate to have met and heard them. With a festival of this nature, the tone gets set from the organizers, and in this case, David, Lyndie and Liz, your generous hosting made for a warm and productive weekend. My heartfelt thanks for your dedication in furthering music and musicians in our world.
Until next time,
Marianne Gedigian
p.s.
When I returned home I discovered a 5 inch spider on the side of my home. All that worry in Australia...
p.p.s.
Peter and Juniors - I love vegemite, thank you!
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On 18 Oct 2007, Julia Grenfell wrote: Congratulations again on such a succ... read it
Congratulations again on such a successful festival over the weekend!!
I thought it was a fantastic weekend full of so many great things, it has definitely given me a shot in the arm and new inspiration... I even felt the difference when I was teaching today!!
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On 18 Oct 2007, Beatte Lackmann wrote: I had a fantastic time and found the... read it
I had a fantastic time and found the masterclasses all so inspiring!
What I will take home for myself will be that you have to try to say something about the music you are performing. Let the music tell a story to let the music come alive.
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On 11 Oct 2007, Virginia and Vernon wrote: Thank you David for your vision, wor... read it
Thank you David for your vision, work and financial support in believing in the need for a Festival of this kind for the flute community.
Thank you Liz for your untiring enthusiasm and artistic excellence in choosing and coordinating the Festival.
Thank you Lyndie for all your hard work behind the scenes and upfront.
Thank you all 3 for your smiles and friendship throughout.
Virginia and Vernon
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On 11 Oct 2007, Linda Ridden wrote: The festival. All I can say is, I ab... read it
The festival. All I can say is, I absolutily LOVED it!!! It was a fantastic experience. I am delighted to know that the festival will be on again in 2008. I'll be there with 'bells on!'.
Marianne Gedigian's performance of the Carl Vine Sonata, was just Awe Inspiring. That really impacted me. Also Virginia Taylor's rendition of The Great Train Race was amazing.
Thanks again for such a lovely 'flutey' weekend.
See you all next year.
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On 10 Oct 2007, Leah Channnon wrote: I thoroughly enjoyed the Sydney Flut... read it
I thoroughly enjoyed the Sydney Flute Festival 2007. It was a great opportunity to hear some phenomenal international players and open my eyes to new repertoire. The festival was so well organized, and there was never a dull moment! The atmosphere was fantastic, and the venue, stunning! I will definitely be coming next year!!
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On 10 Oct 2007, Aaron Rothemund wrote: Sydney Flute Festival was absolutely... read it
Sydney Flute Festival was absolutely amazing! I never learnt so much about the Flute and it's repertoire and various techniques in such a short amount of time! It was thoroughly enjoyable, each and every minute of it! I hope to come again next year!
There are some things I regret about the Festival though, like not applying to do any of the Masterclasses! A real shame!
Thank you so much for providing such an opportunity to Flautists around!
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On 10 Oct 2007, Alan Hardy wrote: Just a quick note to give you my hea... read it
Just a quick note to give you my heartiest congratulations on a superbly run festival.
It was a great honour and pleasure for me to be part of it and to rub shoulders with such phenomenal artists as Marianne and Michael. I told Marianne that her performance of the Franck was absolutely the best I had ever heard and Michael's encore, the 2nd movement of the B Minor Sonata (JSB) was so utterly sublime it will stay with me forever. He is the most exquisitely refined of players. Great fun also to work with Virginia and Vernon. He seems to be getting younger. Alexa's soft top notes and mellow Bach with her wooden headjoint were to die for. I also loved her Zoom Tube(so to speak). Not only is Jane Rutter a consummate flautist but she demonstrated what fun playing the flute can be. ...especially when in a partnership with someone of the calibre of Simon Tedesci.
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On 10 Oct 2007, Paul Rasmussen wrote: Thank you so much to your entire tea... read it
Thank you so much to your entire team, for your efforts with the junior flute festival activities. My daughter has enjoyed the last two years immensly and always asks when the next one is immediately when it ends. Once again she made a new friend and has already exchanged emails with the other little girl. You all do a wonderful job and it is appreciated!
Please continue to grow the junior activities as you have over the last two years and realise that you will continue to have repeat customers.
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On 10 Apr 2007, Monique Shephard wrote: "Eliza (student), Genevieve (teacher... read it
"Eliza (student), Genevieve (teacher) and I (parent) attended the Melbourne events and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Paul is a wonderfully talented flautist and his accompanist Jamie Cock was amazing. Paul both entertained and informed his audience at all levels of knowledge and his repertoire was both challenging and accessible. We all left the recital exhilarated and exhausted after the Prokofiev work and the two encores.
Anne and her team at the venue were also marvellous".
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On 10 Apr 2007, Anne Polden wrote: "Just to say thank you and let you k... read it
"Just to say thank you and let you know how much we enjoyed Paul's workshop and recital. What an amazing guy - humourous and extremely talented. We thoroughly enjoyed his performance".
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On 10 Apr 2007, Barbara Johnston wrote: "Thank you for a highly successful v... read it
"Thank you for a highly successful visit from Paul Edmund-Davies. Paul was one of the gang whether student, teacher or performer. My year 4 Scotch Boys were enthused. The teacher's forum covered a range of topics in effective detail. Congratulations also to Anne Rose for her cheerful organisation of Paul's Melbourne visit".
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On 13 Nov 2006, Keryn Burns wrote: I arranged for my daughter and 3 of ... read it
I arranged for my daughter and 3 of her friends from Mimosa Public School to attend the Sydney Flute Festival this year. All of them gained so much from your festival and I thank you all for your effort. My daughter was on the verge of giving up but your day turned that around and she is still loving her flute.
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On 11 Nov 2006, Felix Renggli wrote: Congratulations to all organizers, s... read it
Congratulations to all organizers, staff and everybody who helped to make this first Sydney Flute Festival so wonderful!
An interesting mix of concerts, masterclasses and special events, besides the exposition of instruments offered quite a wide panorama of different aspects about the flute and flute-playing. I enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere, open, friendly, interested, meeting flute players from Australia and New Zealand and I just can hope that this initiative will have a succession.
Felix Renggli
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On 10 Nov 2006, Gioconda Augimeri wrote: I was pleased the Sydney Flute Festi... read it
I was pleased the Sydney Flute Festival was organised during the Term 2 holidays. It gave flute players of all ages an opportunity to attend a variety of organised sessions which were interesting and most beneficial to players of all standards. Watching young students playing with little bottles which they adeptly stuck together to make types of flutes on which they could blow a tune, was a very happy session for me.
Working with a large group of young players was lots of fun albeit exhausting, until they all congregated to perform in a large flute choir and the sounds that emanated from that group was exhilirating.
Masterclasses held by Felix Renggli and Emily Beynon were inspiring - their playing was heavenly.
Jane Rutter was warm and very generous with the younger players; the recital by Janet Webb and Jocelyn Fazzone was unforgettable; Emma Sholl enthralled us and classes on Body Mapping helped me find where my arms really start in my body - I was glad to find them!!
I was glad to find the person responsible for the magazine Flute Focus present and I happily subscribed to the magazine for the next twelve months. Receiving a flute magazine in the mail helps me stay up to date with fluting from around the world.
I understand the Flute Festival will be an annual event and I look forward to the event in 2007. Welll done organisers and all concerned who made it a success.
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On 08 Nov 2006, Emily Beynon wrote: My very first trip "down under" in J... read it
My very first trip "down under" in July 2006 as a guest of the Sydney Flute Festival simply couldn't have been more of a pleasure!
I loved the enthusiasm and energy with which everyone played, listened and learnt; a thoroughly inspiring atmosphere where I got to hear great flautists, work with wonderful pianists and young players, all in a beautiful hall with terrifically enthusiastic audiences!
A thoroughly enjoyable, flute-y gathering!!
Emily Beynon
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On 23 Oct 2006, Jane Rutter wrote: The Sydney flute festival is a wonde... read it
The Sydney flute festival is a wonderful opportunity for professional and student flute players to gather and compare notes, to inspire each other and (sometimes) catch up. This is an invaluable opportunity, beautifully organised, with all sorts of chances for improvement and inspiration. Just being in contact with some of our finest local players and international players, gave me a really creative shot in the arm.
The festival is an essential part of being a serious musician. To participate in a festival of this quality, run by professionals for professionals ....but also for all types of students, is essential for those who want to feel alive about their music... and isn't that everyone??!!
Get your head out of the sand! Don't miss it !"
Jane Rutter
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On 20 Oct 2006, Mark Xiao wrote: I was very excited when I first hear... read it
I was very excited when I first heard that there was going to be a flute convention this year in Sydney. The chance to meet professionals in the industry as well as peers from around the country and in some cases around the world was for some people a once in a lifetime opportunity. The last flute convention I attended was the 2002 Australian Flute Convention held in Melbourne. I was only fifteen at the time, but felt (and probably looked) more like an eight year old. Everywhere I looked, there were better and far more experienced players than me, not to mention professional flautists whom I had only seen on the face of CD covers. It was a little intimidating but more importantly, it was extremely inspiring! I think that's one of the key benefits to these events, to inspire younger players and in turn drive the industry forward.
This year at the 2006 Sydney Flute Festival, I was a little more grown up, a little more experienced yet the feeling of awe and excitement remained. Hearing players from around the world like Emily Beynon and Felix Renggli as well as our very own Geoffrey Collins and Jane Rutter live was once again inspiring. Not only that, but to hear all my peers gathered at the same spot performing in the masterclasses and in the competition was also very stimulating, it reminded me that I can never stop practising!
The workshops held during the festival were all very helpful. They tackled a lot of the problems that many people tend to overlook in regular lessons such as breathing techniques, posture positioning and many more fundamental flute playing basics. After playing the flute for almost a decade, I found myself surprised by my gradual lack of awareness for these fundamental rules; it was certainly a great jolt to get me back on track.
Other workshops like the 'How to play using Extended Techniques' was not only helpful but extremely important. I believe that we live in a fast changing time. We simply cannot be satisfied with playing Chaminade, Mozart, Prokofiev etc. Ms. Christine Draeger led the workshop and she constantly reminded us that we should not be afraid to tackle this new style of writing and performing. When I was looking at the set pieces for the Solo Competition, I was not aware that List C consisted entirely of extended technique pieces. I kind of left things to the last minute and you can imagine my shock and horror when I found out that there was no easy way out! I have to learn extended techniques! I had never approached this field before and was close to pulling out of the competition thinking that it just simply was not my cup of tea. When I was finally convinced to sink my teeth into Ian Clarke's Zoom Tube, I did find it difficult initially but also very interesting and fun. I was able to learn it eventually and perform it during the competition. I would have probably approached the piece with more optimism and confidence though if I had sat in Ms. Christine's workshop beforehand!
Although I had a fever throughout most of the festival, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Sydney Flute Festival 2006. The opportunity to be around some of the best in the industry as well as to learn from your peers around you is just too good to miss. Thanks to everyone who participated in the festival and especially thanks to the organisers. If you are a flute player then you owe it to yourself to attend the next event. See you there!
Solo Competition winner 2006
Mark Xiao
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On 20 Oct 2006, Georgia Holland wrote: The Sydney Flute Festival for 2006 w... read it
The Sydney Flute Festival for 2006 was lots of fun, I met new people who also loved playing the flute.
We got to make our own instruments, that was LOTS of fun. We also met and received an autograph from Jane Rutter.
I will definitely be going next year.
Georgia Holland
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On 19 Oct 2006, Linda Pirie wrote: Sydney Flute Festival Report -
by ... read it
Sydney Flute Festival Report -
by Linda Pirie
As members of the Adelaide-based Kshema flute Quartet, Karen Fletcher Alana Probert, Annie Oates & I arrived at Sydney Conservatorium ready to perform & compete in the Sydney Flute Festival ensemble competition. After an inspiring opening concert by Sydney Symphony Orchestra players Emma Sholl & Janet Webb, Linda Vogt presented a tribute to the late, great Neville Amadio. Various workshops & classes followed, and our Quartet had the exciting opportunity of performing in the beautifully refurbished Verbruggen Hall to a receptive audience. After a successful performance featuring bass & alto flutes, the adjudication was presented, whereupon we were announced as the winners of the inaugural Flute Ensemble Competition and awarded a new Sonare alto flute.
The excitement continued when Alexa Still, the Convener of the Festival, as well as the Senior Flute Lecturer at Sydney Con approached us to perform on ABCFM live to air after she was interviewed about the Festival activities. We were also able to have a private lesson with Christine Draeger of the Sydney flute ensemble Tucana quartet which provided us with valuable information regarding stylistic considerations, clarity of articulation and judicious use of vibrato in a quartet setting. We were also able to share new repertoire we had discovered for quartet, which was useful, too.
As well as these personal highlights, the various overseas & interstate presenters provided us with much inspiration & food for thought.
Highlights included masterclasses & concerts with Welsh-born Emily Beynon from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, and Felix Renggli from Basel, Switzerland. They presented a joint concert, where Emily demonstrated extraordinary dynamic scope, and Felix showcased his dance-like, glistening playing.
Body-mapping classes were very informative, prompting the thought that every musician should study anatomy to fully understand the workings of the most important part of their instrument – the body. The gala concert on the final day finished off the Festival beautifully, with more spectacular and inspiring flute playing, this time by the incredible Alexa Still, Geoff Collins and James Kortum, before everyone was encouraged to join in for a massed flute item, sending us all off humming, and keen to practice to apply all of the many new skills we had learnt!
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On 19 Oct 2006, Mary 'O Brien wrote: The Sydney Flute Festival is an even... read it
The Sydney Flute Festival is an event not to be missed! Recently I attended the Inaugural SFF and spent 4 days totally immersed in an abundance of wonderful concerts, workshops and master classes. The choice of artists were excellent. It was great to catch up with so many other flutists and I would like to wish the SFF team all the best for many more successful festivals to come.
Mary O Brien
Chief Editor, Flute Focus
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On 19 Oct 2006, Robert Brown wrote: The Sydney Flute Festival 2006 showc... read it
The Sydney Flute Festival 2006 showcased leading international and Australian flautists. These flautists presented talks and masterclasses on a wide variety of subjects and gave recitals during the Festival.
Younger flautists were catered for with special sessions designed just for them! Additional sessions that included body mapping and the orchestral masterclass, provided additional information about important matters that are of benefit all flautists.
The trade stands are another important aspect of the Festival. I encourage all flautists - beginner, intermediate, advanced, amateur, professional - to attend the 2007 Sydney Flute Festival. You will be well rewarded.
President
Australian Flute Society
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