A QUICK LOOK AT CURRENT & UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

GPFS Upcoming Activities: REGISTRATION FOR EVENT OPEN! Looking ahead to the new 21-22 program year, we are pleased to announce the guest artist for the GPFS Fall Online Event  is  Mihoko Watanabe! Date: 10/23/21, currently scheduled for the afternoon, from 12:00 to 2:30. Events will include an online workshop on mindfulness and musicians, an online, pre-recorded recital by Dr. Watanabe and a brief, interactive Q&A session focused on Mei. To learn more and to REGISTER, please visit the GPFS Fall Guest Artist webpage.

GPFS Planning for 2021-22 Program Year: Further, the Board is going into planning mode. We will continue to have a mid-Fall event (maybe in-person and/or online), Flute Academy, Flute Fair, the Young Artist Competition, scholarship/study grant opportunities and probably some new online events which allow us to reach Oregon flutists more broadly. Please let us know what you would like to see offered. All ideas welcome. Contact president@gpfs.org.

Student Study Grants: Applications for these student study grants will be opening very soon. Please stay informed by checking this GPFS Study Grant webpage.

URGENT - GPFS Needs a Webmaster: This is a GPFS Board position that requires only modest web support to the association over the course of the year as well as participation in board meetings - approximately 25 - 30 hours a year. Only modest website skills are needed. There are no major web design or other such activities anticipated at this time. Interested should message president@gpfs.org.

Flutist Friends Worldwide - Upcoming Opportunities: As a benefit to our members, we keep track of some of the upcoming events and other opportunities from our flutist friends across the country and world. To peruse these, go to this GPFS Webpage: Opportunities Country and Worldwide

Keep us Posted on You and Others - Share What You Know: Remember, as a member, you can ask to have your upcoming events, publications or recordings posted to membership. Contact newsletter@gpfs.org. Generally, information provided by the end of a given month will be posted in the next month’s GPFS communication. Please too let us know what you are aware of going on anywhere in “the fluting world” that you think members might like to know about.

HOW YOU CAN HELP GPFS NOW

• Growing Student Memberships in GPFS - For this membership year (2021-22),  the GPFS board challenges itself and membership to sponsor 30 youth memberships - value $15 each. These memberships can be "purchased" at the time individuals join or renew their membership by simply choosing that membership option on the form. Or, one can similarly "donate" a Student  Membership by going to the "Donate" option on this GPFS website - Donate. 

• Help Support GPFS Scholarships for Youth and Other Activities: Please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to GPFS. Even a small monthly donation of $5 to $10 significantly supports the GPFS mission! Consider donating here: Donate

• Your Help Growing the Library: There is still opportunity for you to help grow our free music lending library by encouraging members to donate items.  We have a new “Sheet Music Wish List” as an option for selecting your donation.

LOOKING BACK ON THE RECENT PAST FOR GPFS

• GPFS NEWS: SUCCESSFUL 2021 FLUTE FAIR & COMPETITIONS - On April 10th and 11th, 2021, GPFS successfully held our 34th annual Flute Fair, virtually!

• Strong Participation, Extraordinary Guest Artist: 45+ participants listened to a selection of 14 workshops and performances, including a workshop, masterclass and performance by this year’s premiere guest artist, the world renown flutist and composer Valerie Coleman. Highlights from these sessions will be available via issues of The Portland Piper, starting with the June, 2021 issue. Members can access this issue by logging onto the Members area of the GPFS website.

• Inspiring Masterclass: Three extraordinary flutist performed for the masterclass with Valerie Coleman. Please find additional masterclass highlights in the current and coming issues of The Portland Piper. Members can access this issue by logging onto the Members area of the GPFS website.

• Highlights from the Performances & Workshops : Info coming soon via June, 2021 issue of The Portland Piper. Members can access this issue by logging onto the Members area of the GPFS website.

• Young Artists Competition: Last, but not least, Flute Fair once again embraced the GPFS mission of providing opportunities for aspiring young flutists and encouraging excellence. This year we celebrate these 2021 Young Artist Competition winners.

• 2021 Flute Fair Raffle: Raffle Winners. This event helps support the GPFS Student Study Grants program.

• Growing Online Strategies: While nothing will ever replace our historically vibrant, in-person Flute Fair, the virtual event demonstrated the capacity of GPFS to reach throughout Oregon and even nationwide. Like many flute societies/clubs across the United States, the circumstances of 2020 changed our perspective about what we as Pacific Northwest flutists can offer. In the coming years, we look forward to adding a couple online events to our routine annual programming and opportunities. We look forward to hearing from GPFS members about the kind of programming opportunities you would like to see, either online or in-person: president@gpfs.org.

• FLUTE ACADEMY 2021 A SUCCESS: This past February GPFS held the 3rd annual Flute Academy, based Salem at Chemeketa Community College, as a virtual event. This Academy represents expanded opportunity for high quality flute education in the state of Oregon by adding a GPFS winter event as well as pushing our outreach further south in the Willamette Valley. There were two sessions: Body Mapping Workshop with Dr. Lisa Marsh; and, Masterclass with Oregon Symphony Principal Flutist Martha Long. If you weren't able to attend or want a refresh, you can login to your GPFS Member Account to find video content in the members only section and see a summary in The Portland Piper - "Highlights from the Body Mapping Session."

• NEW WEBSITE - A BETTER RESOURCE EVERY DAY: Please remember to visit the new GPFS website as it continues to fall into place - https://gpfs.org/. Most importantly, please pass the link on to your flutist friends and encourage them to join GPFS.

• GPFS ONLINE PUBLICATION/NEWSLETTER: Login to your GPFS Members Only site to enjoy the  new fully online newsletter featuring a range of new readership columns and links to resources nearby and around the world. Provide your feedback, content ideas, news, articles, pictures or other input through newsletter@gpfs.org. We also welcome your contributions.  This member benefit is now published six times a year.

• LENDING LIBRARY/NEW PIECES: New pieces are added to the library routinely. These new additions are communicated in the GPFS newsletter The Portland Piper.  Remember too that borrowing sheet music from the library is easy and free.