To read the prior issue, click here: Summer 2025 Portland Piper

(note there was no Fall 2025 issue)

The entire issue is below, simply scroll down.

Use the navigation links below to go to the "column" webpages which have the current issue's articles on this frontpage as well as

an archive of some past articles for that column.

News & Events

Flutist & Ensemble Profiles

Low to High Notes

Inside the Library Column (Reviews)

We Read (Book Reviews)

Archived Issues

Meet Our Commercial Members & Sponsors

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Arcturus Winds - with Zach Galatis on flute, perform Holst: The Planets

To Infinity and Beyond: 45th Parallel Universe Take You to Space!

WHEN & WHERE

Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 6:30-7:30 PM @ OMSI Planetarium, 1945 SE Water Ave, PDX 97214

PROGRAM

Arcturus Winds performs selections from The Planets and other iconic space-themed music, taking you on a delightful journey through the most celebrated sounds of space from the past 50 years —including favorites from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

• Samuel Barber: Summer Music
• James Shields: Anemos Arcturus
• Judith Weir: Airs from Another Planet
• Gustav Holst: The Planets (arr. Russell)

PERFORMERS

• Joe Berger, horn
• Zach Galatis, flute
• James Shields, clarinet
• Karen Wagner, oboe
• Kai Rocke, bassoon
• Maria Garcia, piano

TICKETS

www.45thparallelpdx.org/concerts/to-infinity-and-beyond/

You are Invited to Hear Brant's Mass in Gregorian Chant for 20 Flutists

20 Flutes!? In Gregorian Chant!? With flutists Adam Eccleston and Amelia Lukas and many more.

WHAT, WHEN & WHERE

• February 20, 7:30 PM
• Reed College Performing Arts Atrium

TICKETS

• $25 suggested donation (no one will be turned away for a lack of funds, please reach out for a ticket that fits your budget)
• ticketstripe.com/Looking-inward-spacing-out
• More details at FearNoMusic.org.

PROGRAM

"For Fear No Music’s February concert series, we celebrate collaboration and community, joining conductor Shohei Kobayashi, the Reed College Choirs, and flutists from across the region—including Reed College, Lewis & Clark College, Portland State University, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Portland Youth Philharmonic, and Portland Public Schools.

Featuring music by Henry Brant, Nancy Ives, Jukka Tiensuu, Pauline Oliveros, and Knut Nystedt, the program moves from quiet acts of attention to expansive, spatial sound—including Brant’s Mass in Gregorian Chant for 20 Flutists—inviting deep listening and connection."

New Releases for Flute

In September, our friends at Brotons & Mercadal message out some of their new releases for flute. Here are links to a few where you will also find descriptions. Note, Brotons & Mercadal, a GPFS Commercial Member, will also be at this year's GPFS Flute Fair on April 11th. Salvador Brotons is planning to do a presentation on his pieces.

• Guajiras, for flute and piano
• Pieces for solo flute: Nymph Dríope, Appearance of Pan
• Antequera (edition for flute and one for alto saxophone)
• Vientos por Levante, Melodic Buleria, for solo flute and playback
• Suite a tres (Suite for three), for flute, oboe and clarinet
• Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067 (Arr. for flute and flute ensemble) - also available for four flutes.

Flutist Karen Silverman

Meet Karen, a classically trained flutist (MM Flute Performance: Marianne Gedigian, Ellie Preble) who also worked as an engineer for many years. Other flute teachers include Zart Dombourian Eby and Paulina Fain. She has played with community orchestras, civic groups, dance bands and chamber music groups.

Read on to learn more about Karen!

Link to Profile: Musician Profile - Karen Silverman Winter 2026.pdf

 Flutist Clivia Ngan

New to the area, meet Clivia a classically trained flutist and pianist who is fluent in other genres. She's also had a very active professional life working with arts non-profits! Here profile is inspiring all around.

"The trajectory of my never-ending journey and curiosity in music started the same way as my dad’s, with our hands clutching a heavy pile of records randomly selected from each corner of a small record store where everything old was new and exciting to us, and everything new was never available. The only difference between our paths was that my hands eventually found their way onto a keyboard. (Thanks for paying for my music lessons dad!)" And then onto the flute!

Read on to learn more about Clivia!

Link to Profile: Musician Profile - Clivia Ngan Winter 2026.pdf

From the Summer 2025 Issue - Welcome Flutist Alison Baker

Meet Alison who been working as a freelance musician and flute teacher for the past twenty+ years. She recently moved from Austin, TX to Portland, OR. As a freelancer, she has quite the range of  experience playing in orchestras, chamber music, orchestra pits, drag shows, Latin dance bands - you name it and she has probably done it!

Link to Profile: Musician Profile - Alison Baker Summer 2025.pdf

Practicing with Purpose - An Indispensable Resource to Increase Musical Proficiency (2017) by David Kish

This short article is an overview, review and highlights from this book - a book that remains solid with philosophies and very rich with strategies. It is standing the test of time.

Included are quotes from the book's section on overall "philosophies" of practice that stood out for this reader and flutist. This “philosophies” section of the book is then followed by a bulk of specific strategies for nurturing purposeful practice.

The entire book is very accessible. It is easy and worthwhile to read cover to cover, but individual sections are easily enjoyed and useful.

Hopefully, many of these philosophies are familiar to us as flutists. Yet, it is interesting how we all can thrive further with reminding and reframing.

Link to Article: Teaching and Learning - Practicing with Purpose by David Kish Winter 2026.pdf

Inspiring Flute Duets, (2025), Karen North, Allegro Music Publishing

As usual, North delivers with her choices and presentation. This collection of fifteen flute duet pieces, all commissioned by North from a range of contemporary composers, is perfectly suited to the solid intermediate to the early-advanced player.

As with her other publications, she continues to provide hard and digital versions. On her website, you will once again find for each piece an example of the score, and a link to a full professional performance.

Link to Article: Teaching and Learning - Inspiring Flute Duets Sheet Music.pdf

Irish Flute Playing for Classical Flutists

On February 3rd, flutist Alison Baker presented a First Tuesday's Online with GPFS on the topic of Irish Flute Playing for Classical Flutists.  She gave a brief and very interesting history of Irish music and then showed participants how to ornament traditional dance music using taps, rolls, bounces and slides. We even got to try these on a tune with the benefit of her example and coaching! Thank you Alison for your very lovely and useful presentation, including all the resources and local Irish music culture you tuned us into. Enjoy her presentation slides here.

Link to Alison's Presentation Slides: Intro to Irish Flute 

Unseen//Unheard Album (2025) – An Album of Duets for Alto and Bass Flute

On this first release for this low flute duo, an album of 21st century duets for alto and bass flute, Rose Bishop and Heather Neuenschwander perform ten works from ten composers that they commissioned over the last few years.

Unseen//Unheard is an engaging, generally joyful, sometimes intense listen performed by two excellent flutists who set on a path to substantially and uniquely grow the duo repertoire for the alto and bass flutes as well as expand the representation of composers from different walks of life that have typically been disenfranchised. They succeeded.

Link to Review: Music Review - Unseen Unheard Low Flutes Duo Album Winter 2026.pdf

From the Summer Issue - NFA 2026 Program Chair Daniel Pardo on Bass Flute

Listen to Daniel Pardo on bass flute - Into the Mist.

Be patient with the intro, stay curious. The piece is very cinematic in nature and Daniel delivers a very resonant, colorful, even bass flute sound.

New Librarian Judy Fischbach

Reminder Regarding Donations to the GPFS Lending Library

Thanks to your generous donations our library is currently at capacity. We do still maintain a wish list of music we could use to significantly improve the GPFS lending library’s modern music selections. If you wish to donate new or lightly used music from this wish list, this document will explain how to do this and a few of the pieces we are hoping to purchase or add to the library.

Do you have sheet music you would like to rehome?

If you have sheet music you are ready to part with and you want to give it to other members, we can help. We will put you in touch with members interested in free sheet music. Contact the librarian at library@gpfs.org.

Would you like to be included on the list of members interested in receiving free sheet music? Contact the librarian at library@gpfs.org.

Link: GPFS Lending Library Webpage

Playing in the Currents - A duet for E-flat Flutes (with a C-flute version)

This two movement, colorful, coastally pastoral composition by Oregon composer Adrian Dee, is  one of several pieces for E-flat flute commissioned in recent years by flutist Dr. Linda Bailey. This piece is also available transposed for C-flutes. It was inspired by a particular area of the Oregon Coast – the Haystack Rock northern coastal line. Read on to learn more about the piece, listen to it and where to buy it!

Link to Review:  Music Review - Playing in the Currents Duet by Adrian Dee.pdf

From our friends with the NY Flute Club – Valentine Trills and More, the Flute Compositions of Composer Joan Towers

on January 29th, 2026, the NY Flute Club presented an online session about Joan Towers. “This program explored the flute works of Joan Tower, who is widely regarded as one of the most important American composers living today.” As part of this session, they offered a list of her solo and chamber works for flute which we are sharing is this issue of The Portland Piper as a hyperlink on the newsletter webpage. Read on to learn more about the NYC Flute Club and enjoy the links to the music of Joan Towers.

List from the NY Flute Club: Tower-flute-music-Jan-2026 from NY Flute Club.pdf

Link to Article: Music Review The Flute Compositions of Joan Towers from NYC Flute Club.pdf

GPFS Initiative Continues - Flute Repertoire from Regional Composers 

GPFS continues the work of shining a light on flute repertoire composed by Oregon and Pacific Northwest Region composers! We'll again have a table at the 2026 GPFS Flute Fair - this time making purchase options available. Our list is expanding as more composers are participating.

We will also have this repertoire represented at the 2026 National Flute Association convention in Portland, OR.

Link: GPFS PNW Composer's Webpage

The NJ Flute Society Invites You to Reading Resonance, An Online Book Club for All Flutists – Next Up Feb. 22^nd

Our flutist friends with the NJ Flute Society Book Club have been facilitating a Book Club to which we are all invited. They select books that focus on us as musicians, flutists, and creative people. The Club is coordinated by freelance flutist and community activist Juan Carlos Narvaez M.M.* Read on to learn more about their next selection and how to sign up if you wish.

Link to Learn More: We Read - Reading Resonance a NJ Flute Society Book Club.pdf

Your Brain on Art – How the Arts Transform Us

Written by Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross (2023)

The basic premise - “Simply by engaging our senses and fostering an aesthetic mindset, we can shift the aperture of our awareness to unlock a richer state of being where connection, curiosity, and creativity flourish.”

The book is fascinating. In many ways, one might say we as flutists are likely quite solidly in this zone already, but the book does provide a lot of insight on just how this all works in our brains and in life practice. It is science based but an accessible read that delicately but clearly presents the science. The practical explanations and suggestions for personal growth and wellness are forward and inspiring. You can read it cover to cover or appreciate sections of it. Read on to learn more.

Link to Article: We Read - Your Brain on Art Winter 2026.pdf

We Read - Women and the Piano: A History in 50 Lives

By Susan Tomes (2024, 286 pages, Yale University Press)

Acclaimed as a significant contribution to the historical accounting of women in music, Tomes brings the reader through history, illuminating the life, times, and challenges of fifty women pianists (many composers) - ranging in time from the early nineteenth century though the mid-twentieth. Included are the more familiar personages of Clara Schumann, Cecile Chaminade, and Fanny Mendelssohn. The other women are less familiar and as interesting and accomplished. The author herself is a concert pianist. She also wrote The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces. Read on to learn more about the book.

Link to Article: We Read - Women and the Piano Winter 2026.pdf

From the Summer Issue - The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocum

This was indeed a "riveting" as well as an insightful, inspiring, accessible mystery. In addition to being an engaging tale, it reminds one how important it is to be an active participants in making the arts inclusive and accessible.

"The riveting story of a young Black musician who discovers that his old family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius: when it’s stolen on the eve of the world’s most prestigious classical music competition, he risks everything to get it back." (author's website)

Link to Learn More: Brendan Slocum, The Violin Conspiracy