Follow Us

Menu
Log in


Log in

40th Annual GPFS Flute Fair 2024

Friday, April 12th, 2024 Evening Concert

Saturday April 13th, 2024 Flute Fair

In-Person! Location TBD

Guest Artist Marianne Gedigian - a Haynes Flutes Artist

All the usual activities plus some new ways to celebrate our community!

Wm. S. Haynes Co. is a co-sponsor of the GPFS 40th Annual Flute Fair.

Photo Credit: Chelsea Tanner

Marianne Gedigian is professor of flute at The University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music where she holds a Butler Endowed Professorship in Flute and is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor. She will join the faculty at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in the fall of 2023 as professor of flute.

Ms. Gedigian performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for over a decade, including several seasons as acting principal flute under Seiji Ozawa. As principal flute with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and acting principal flute with the Boston Pops, Ms. Gedigian has performed on dozens of recordings with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras, Evening at Pops public television broadcasts as well as the nationally broadcast Fourth of July specials.

She has also been heard on several John Williams’ movie scores, including Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List and can be seen in the film Blown Away. In the 2000 - 2001 season, Ms. Gedigian was invited by Mariss Jansons to perform as acting principal flute with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Her solo performances have taken her around the world, including recitals in Japan, Australia, China, Canada, Europe, and Armenia and she has appeared as concerto soloist numerous times with the Boston Pops Orchestra and with the Armenian Philharmonic performing her own transcription for flute of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto. 

During her years in Boston, she performed as principal flute with every major arts organization including the Opera Company of Boston, Musica Viva, Boston Chamber Music Society, and as a member of Boston Ballet Orchestra. She was featured with flutist and vocalist Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull fame in performance at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.  Ms. Gedigian has presented recitals, concerti, and master classes at numerous universities, conservatories, and festivals across the United States as well as in Australia, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, England and Austria. She won First Prize in the James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition and the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition and was later featured in the NFA Annual Convention Gala and Headliner performances in Pittsburgh, New Orleans, San Diego and Orlando.

She was founding member of the Boston-based Walden Chamber Players and was formerly a member of the Dorian Wind Quintet, one of chamber music’s pre-eminent and longest continuously active ensembles.

Her solo recordings include Voice of the Flute and Revolution, both with pianist Rick Rowley and chamber music for flute, strings and piano, The Evolution of the American Sound, a collection of music that explores the American voice during the early to mid-twentieth century, with the Walden Chamber Players. Ms. Gedigian authored an allegorical tale, Survival of the Flutist, with illustrator Patti Adams published by Flutistry Boston.

Summer festival appearances include Brevard Music Center, ARIA International Summer Academy, Round Top International Music Festival, the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Prior to her tenure at The University of Texas at Austin she was on faculty at Boston University College of Fine Arts and Boston Conservatory. She studied in Boston with Leone Buyse and Doriot Anthony Dwyer, and in Michigan with Clement Barone and Donna Olkowski.  

Her students are performers with ensembles around the world, heads of non-profits, arts administrators, educators, and creative citizens who support community building.

Ms. Gedigian has published her first children’s book, Survival of the Flutist, with illustrator Patti Adams published by Flutistry Boston.

She is a Haynes flute artist and plays a 14k gold, hand-crafted instrument.

This event is made possible by event sponsors and the loyal and generous support of our annual GPFS  Commercial Members and SponsorsPlease consider giving them your business and recommending them to others!

Register for Flute Fair 2024  

Link to register will open in the turn of the new year.


  • GPFS Members: Free! Students can have an adult accompanying them to fair for no charge, free.
  • Non-members: $25 per person, almost the same price as membership. You can join GPFS anytime for free entry to Flute Fair! Click here to learn about the benefits of joining. Consider joining yearly in the year to enjoy all the benefits of membership from 9/1/23 through 8/31/24.
  • Non-Member Students: $15 for full time students, the same price as membership. Includes one adult accompanying them free as well.  Click here to learn about the benefits of joining.


See What's On!

Workshops

See the Exhibitors

Vendors

Young Artist Competition

Check out Performances!

Performances

Plan Your Flute Fair!


Schedule

Sara Lasky Masterclass

Flute Fair is scheduled for Saturday, April 13th, 2024

What is Flute Fair? This is the GPFS flagship event that includes an internationally celebrated guest artist recital typically on Friday night, open to the community, and followed by a Saturday full of workshops by local pros, masterclasses, competitions, a seminar by our guest artist, and of course flutes, music, and gear for sale! Flute Fair is your chance to spend a weekend enjoying "all things and all people flute." 

In the past, as example, our special guest artists have included Lorna McGee (2008), PROJECT TRIO (2009), Marianne Gedigian (2011), Jim Walker (2013), Ian Clarke (2014), Jasmine Choi (2015), Peter Sheridan (2017), Julien Beaudiment (2018), Trudy Kane (2019),  Valerie Coleman (2021), Gareth McLearnon (2022), Zart Domborian-Eby (2023).

Cost? Sponsored by the Greater Portland Flute Society and sponsors, access to all Flute Fair Day activities are FREE for GPFS Members! Non-members can attend for a low fee of $25 or $15 for non-member students, similar to the cost of membership. Learn more about the benefits of membership - Membership. When the annual event includes the Guest Artist Recital on the prior evening to Flute Fair, admission to the recital is typically $10 for members and $15 for non-members.

What else does Flute Fair have to offer? At Flute Fair, you have the rare opportunity to find all of the flutes and flute items you've been wanting—and then some! Conveniently see and play the many options for test flutes and headjoints, both new and used. There are flute accessories galore such as music stands, flute stands, tuners, metronomes, flute swabs, cleaning cloths, gig bags, etc. You can even have your flute checked by an expert repair person! How about flute music? We've got you covered. Need a flute gift? There are also flute T-shirts, flute notepads, flute pencils, flute coffee mugs, flute jewelry, and other flute items available for sale.

We also encourage you to visit our GPFS Commercial Members webpage for easy access to their offerings. Check the above links for specific information on vendors, workshops, performances and scheduling as it becomes available.

Flute Fair includes: 

  • Workshops on various flute-related topics in the morning.
  • Performances by GPFS members.
  • A Masterclass taught by our Special Guest Artist.
  • A Young Artist’s Competition for junior and senior high school students.
  • Vendors in our exhibit hall selling flutes and flute-related merchandise.
  • Opportunities to get to know others in your flute community

What kind of merchandise?

Flutes in all price ranges from student flutes to professional flutes and everything inbetween, including used instruments. In the market for a piccolo or low flute? We’ve got you covered at Flute Fair! Flute Fair is also a wonderful opportunity to learn about different brands and models, and play-test a variety of flutes side by side and possibly find a flute that’s just right for you! Most major flute manufacturers are represented, including Altus, Burkart, JL Smith, Jupiter, Haynes, Miyazawa, Muramatsu, Pearl Flutes, and Sankyo.  Flute headjoints from many of the flute manufacturers, as well as companies that only make flute headjoints, that you can try. There are many reasons you might want just a headjoint: you like your flute, but want to improve the way it sounds; if you can’t afford to upgrade the quality of your flute, it is a less expensive way to improve the way your flute sounds.  Flute accessories for sale, such as music stands, flute stands, tuners, metronomes, flute swabs, cleaning cloths, gig bags, etc. There will be flute t-shirts, flute notepads, flute pencils, flute coffee mugs, flute jewelry and other flute items to buy. And of course music!

Staffing & Credits

GPFS Flute Fair Committee

Manager:
All GPFS Board Members

Volunteer Coordinator:
BJ Nicoletti & Sue Bonfeld

Exhibit Hall:
Deborah Johnson

Flute Fair Program:
BJ Nicoletti

Communications & Advertising:

BJ Nicoletti

Performance Coordinator:
Amy Norton

Workshop Coordinator:

Sydney Carlson and Sue Bonfeld

Guest Artist Recital Coordinator:
Phyllis Avidan-Louke

Guest Artist Master Class:
Sandy Duffy Norman

Guest Artist Recital Program:
BJ Nicoletti, Sue Bonfeld

Stage manager:
Sam Louke & company

Signs:
BJ Nicoletti, Cheryl Thompson -Merrill, Deborah Johnson, Sue Bonfeld

Photographer:
Sam Louke

Membership Table & Roster:
Adrian Dee

Admission Table:
Adrian Dee and Rebecca Towers Olson

Young Artist Competition:
Emily Stanek

Food & Refreshment:  Cheryl Thompson-Merrill

GPFS would like to offer special thanks to the 2023 sponsors and participants:

  • Flute Fair Workshop Presenters
  • Flute Fair Member Performances

  • GPFS Commercial Members for their ongoing support of GPFS.
  • The Oregon Arts Commission for their Small Operating Grant award to GPFS!
  • The GPFS Board of Directors and Flute Fair organizers extend their gratitude to the cadre of volunteers who generously give their time and energy. In typical years, our volunteers get up early, stay late, miss a workshop, schlep food, shuttle instruments, lug chairs, peddle merchandise, advocate membership, and many other duties graciously accepted to create harmony and bring success to this annual event. We appreciate each and every one of you!


Fred Meyer Community Rewards

This program makes it easy for you to donate to the GPFS with the shopping you do every day!

To  connect your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to the GPFS,  CLICK HERE

3528 SW Gale Ave
Portland, Oregon 
97239
Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software