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CALLING ALL FLUTISTS

FLUTE FAIR CONCERT AND DAY - APRIL 4TH AND 5TH

Guest Artist Concert

Please join in for the 41st Annual Flute Fair Guest Artist concert with internationally renown Venezuelan flutist Marco Granados on 4/4/25 at 7 pm at Reed College - Spring Guest Artist Concert. Please too join us early on this same evening to enjoy a short pre-concert performance by the Portland State University’s Flute Choir – 6:20 – 6:50 pm - lead by Zach Galatis who is faculty of flute at PSU and the Principal Piccoloist with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Tickets range from $0 to $20.

Learn more and purchase your ticket in advance, ideally, or at the door: Spring Guest Artist Concert

Flute Fair Day

Saturday, Fair Day on 4/5/25 at Clackamas Community College, Oregon City - Flute Fair. FREE for members, and low prices for non-members.

Register in advance, ideally, or at the door:  Flute Fair

Flute Fair workshops and performances by members will be announced in February! There was a nice response to the call for presentation/performance proposals so the Fair promises to be another experience rich one!

Stay Tuned Using These Key Event Webpages:

• Flute Fair Schedule
• Flute Fair Performances
• Flute Fair Workshops
• Flute Fair Vendors
  

Artist: Our guest artist for the 41st Annual GPFS Flute Fair is globally esteemed flutist Marco Granados!

There will also be Exhibitor Showcases this year - short 20 minutes sessions from our vendors during which they will highlight flutes and other products/services.

Flute Fair is co-sponsored by the Clackamas Community College Music Department, and Altus Flutes. The event is also supported by an Oregon Arts Commission grant.

The Seattle Flute Society and the Greater Portland Flute Society invite you to the March First Tuesdays Online with GPFS

March 4th, 2025, TUESDAY, 7:00 - 8:00 pm (PST), Online, Free

Guest Artist Zart Dombourian-Eby Presents - Highlights of the Main Flute & Piccolo Orchestral Excerpts with Performance Tips

Zart will highlight some of the central flute and piccolo orchestral excerpts and provide some performance tips! Please bring your flute and/or piccolo as she invites you to play from music that will be displayed on screen share. You will play on mute as she provides her insights. She recommends you also bring the Baxtresser and Wellbaum excerpt books, if you have them.

No fee, no registration, simply use the Zoom link below to join in!

She anticipates covering these excerpts:

FLUTE

• Beethoven - Leonore Overture No. 3
• Brahms - Symphony No. 4
• Debussy - Afternoon of a Faun
• Mendelssohn - Midsummer Night's Dream scherzo
• Ravel - Daphnis and Chloe

PICCOLO

• Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra
• Britten - Young Persons's Guide
• Ippolitov-Ivanov - Caucasian Sketches
• Rossini - Semiramide
• Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4

ZOOM LINK: The Zoom link for the session can be found on the event's webpage - First Tuesdays

Composed – A Video Documentary

Here is another resource about performance anxiety shared with us by GPFS member Julie Rodgers. She recommends watching it, saying – “I wish I had seen this YEARS AGO, so good!”

Here is a link to the documentary's webpage and where to watch: Composed

Julie’s Summary: This is a documentary video about and by musicians. It includes the challenge of individual journeys. The following authors speak: The Inner Game by Barry Green; Musicians Way by Gerald Klickstein; Melodies of the Mind by Julie Nagel; and, blogger Noa Kageyama. The video covers the topic of practice as well as anxiety - all aspects and differing solutions (yoga, exercise, hypnosis, mindfulness, alexander's technique, meditation, beta blockers, etc. Many high-level musicians discuss their challenge and journey with anxiety for auditioning. Additionally, conservatory instructors and large city orchestra conductors give their thoughts.

“Through the lens of professional classical musicians, Composed explores the many ways we experience and can address performance anxiety. "ocumentary.com/)

Piccolo in Shadow, Light – A Recording by Piccoloist Zart Dombourian-Eby.

Still a fresh listen, highly recommend!

This is a recording by Zart Dombourian-Eby, Principal Piccoloist for the Seattle Symphony. Zart is also the guest artist for the upcoming March First Tuesdays Online with GPFS, brought to us by GPFS and the Seattle Flute Society. Zart was also our flute fair guest artist two years ago.

Piccolo: In Shadow, Light. This CD is available through Crystal Records, a Camas, WA based music business.  Crystal does also represent some other flutists. Here is a link to their flute/piccolo recordings.

Link:  Crystal Records Flute Pic Recordings

Special Announcement: Zart has been awarded the National Flute Association’s 2025 Achievement Award and Distinguished Service Award, the FIRST recipient to earn both! 

Link: Awardee Announcement

Here is a lovely 2024 article about Zart written by the Seattle Symphony.

Link: Seattle Symphony Zart Feature

I Will Not Be Sad in This World by Eve Beglaria for Alto Flute (or Bass Flute) and Pre-recorded Audio

Eve Beglarian – an American composer – composed this beautiful, entry level flute and electronics piece for the solid intermediate to more advanced flutist. It is 6:30 in length. Published by Theodore Presser, the sheet music comes with an audio file.

Link: I Will Not Be Sad in This World Sheet Music

A few recordings of it by different flutists can be found on YouTube. Here is one option as performed by flutist Lindsey Goodman.

Link: Recording by Goodman

The recording is adequate, but does not quite fully sound the electronic vocal montage underpinning the electronics. The electronic accompaniment to the flute part is actually very detailed and rich in the moving lines and harmonies. The piece leaves a lot of room for playing along and, ultimately, improvising. It is very relaxing to play.

Link to Eve Beglarian’s website page on the piece, including links to performances: Eve Beglarian Webpage

“Based on an Armenian troubadour song, I WILL NOT BE SAD IN THIS WORLD is a uniquely beautiful work for alto flute (or bass flute) accompanied by a pre-recorded audio track made purely from the composer’s own singing. The result is a fluid interplay between the live flute and the composer’s multi-tracked and processed vocal sonorities. The work was created for Marya Martin’s “Eight Visions” collection (published by Presser), and is now available as a single publication.” (Theodor Presser website for the piece)

From The Portland Piper Archives - Move It, by Carlos Simon for C, Alto or Bass Flute

A piece written by now Composer in Residence at The Kennedy Center.

• Learn More About This Residency and Composer: Simon and The Kennedy Center
• Learn More, A GPFS Review: Low to High Notes Carlos Simon Move It June 2023.pdf

Composed in 2020 and commissioned by Brice Smith for the National Flute Association, this fun, engaging, energetic piece is a must play for the more advanced player that is willing to put it all out there and have fun with the moving tempo, sequential scalar runs, syncopated rhythms, overblown harmonics combined with sassy tremolos, rhythmic variance, interspersed soulful expressions, chromatic sounding fast elements, and tongue pizzicato. The piece is 3:50 in length with not a dull moment. It begins with the simple but serious instruction “with enthusiasm, quarter note = 120.” It is written in such a way that it can reasonably be played on the C-flute, alto or bass.

On 2/24/25, about his Kennedy Center partnership, Simon says - The Kennedy Center has always been a supportive platform for my mission as an artist-activist, and I will continue to use this platform without compromise. I don't know what to expect as I continue, but I will not waiver from my artistic integrity.

Musician/Ensemble Profiles

(GPFS needs volunteer writers for this and other columns. Contact newsletter@gpfs.org.)

Flutist & Educator Forrest Fisher to Present at the 41st Annual GPFS Flute Fair 2025

From 10:25 - 11:20, Forrest Fisher/Cascades Flute Choir, will present Principles of Jazz Performance for Flute. Swing jazz pieces can be challenging for flautists, particularly if their background hasn’t included stylistically correct instruction for playing in the jazz style. This session will help you sound like a jazz pro! Forrest Fisher, a jazz educator, composer and flautist, will lead this participatory session for playing in the jazz style. Bring your flute and play during the “hands on” learning times. The Cascades Flute Choir will be playing demonstrations and example pieces during this session.

Forrest J Fisher has a B.A. degree in Jazz Education and Performance from Millikin University and a master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois. He did jazz performance tours in Europe, Central/South America and India. Along with clarinet and saxophone, he is a performer on flute, piccolo and Alto Flute. He currently performs flute and Alto Flute with the Cascades Flute Choir and has written five works for Flute Choir. He also performs, directs and writes for Jazz Bands, Jazz Combos, Dixieland groups and symphonic bands.

Flutists of the Eugene-based ensemble - Flute Salad

From 11:45 – 12:15, Flute Salad of Eugene Plays the Flavors of Europe (With Some American Accents). “Thrilled to be appearing at the Portland Flute Fair this year, their performance will include works from Eugene Bozza, Sandra Howard, Thom Ritter, and George and Anne McGinty. A taste of Irish, Italian and French are all on the menu. Please come and join us for our European adventure!” Flutists of Flute Salad are Linda Bailey, Christina Steffen, Jim Turner, and Rhonda Bowen.

Linda Bailey lives in Scottsdale, AZ. BM, Portland State Univ.; MM, Univ. of North TX.; DMA and theory certificate, Univ. of WA. She teaches & freelances in the greater Phoenix area; performs with DEF Project (Chamber, Fl.Choir & Com. Choir), Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra & the NFA Professional Flute Choir (2013-2024).

Christina Steffen enjoys a diverse career as a musician and educator. She is the founder and Artistic Director of Desert Echoes Flute Project and teaches flute at Mesa Community College.

Jim Turner, BM GSU, He is a member of Desert Echoes Flute Project. He has played with The Atlanta, Washington, and Southern Crescent Symphonies.

Rhonda Bowen, MM, Michigan State University; BS, Northern Arizona University. She performs with Gilbert Symphony Orchestra, DEF Project (Chamber and Fl. Choir).

From 10:45 - 11:15 - Dr. Linda Bailey will also be presenting, Quirky & Delightful, Northwest Premieres for E-flat and C Flutes. Experience Northwest Premieres in a whirlwind performance of three newly composed works featuring E-flat & C flutes. Enriching programming with inclusion of the unique and often overlooked E-flat Soprano flute. E-flat flute is not just for admiring on a shelf of cute collectibles or playing a few measures in flute choirs. Dr. Linda Bailey loves sharing the timbre and challenges of the pitch of the E-flat flute. Due to Eb flute solo & chamber repertoire being limited she began with commissioning two ensemble works and has continued to augment the solo/duet repertoire with an additional four commissions (coming in late 2025). She works with composers as they write to bring about delightful, joyful works intended to be under ten minutes in length, performed on E-flat flute while simultaneously published with transpositions for C-flute—so all works are accessible to E-flat performers as well as anyone with a C flute. Come hear the beauty of these Northwest premieres by A. Dee, K. Medina & A. Molnar-Suhajda.

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

African American Music Appreciation Month

In 1979 Jimmy Carter decreed June as African American Music Appreciation month. In this spirit, we point to a few Piper issues from the archives.

• Music Review Brian Nabors Flute Sonata June 2023.pdf
• Music Review Coleridge Taylor Perkinson Flute Sonata June 2023.pdf
• Music Review More Coleridge Taylor Perkinson Fall 2023.pdf

Also, here are a few flute literature resources to remember. 

• This YouTube playlist curated by Jessica Banks a flutist and music educator in the Baltimore area. Link:  Flute Music by African American composers.

• This webpage curated by Nicole Pualani Flute whose webpage motto is “I’m here to share stories about music history from perspectives you don’t cover in school." Link: From Nicole Pualani

• Remember too the National Flute Associations Flute Repertoire and Study Guide, an online database which can be searched by several variables including race/ethnicity of the composer, gender identity and LGBTQIA2S+. Link: NFA Repertoire Guide

Mehrdad Gholami’s CD and Sheet Music Release, 14 Persian Folksongs for Two Flutes

18 songs, 40 minutes, 2024

The CD, This Vast Sky – This CD was recorded by Mehrdad with flutists Shauna Thompson and Natasha Costello. Dr. Mehrdad Gholami – an Iranian flutist and educator - is the Assistant Professor of Flute at Western Washington University.

Link to CD: This Vast Sky

Learn More: Mehrdad's Website

“This album is a continuation of a dream to have a vast body of flute repertoire by Iranian composers, representing different levels of performance ability and combinations for the next generation of flutists walking the same steps I once took back in Iran.” (Mehrdad)

• Learn More:  Iranian Flute Music Project

his editor highly recommends this collection of fourteen Persian folksongs, which is part of Mehrdad’s mission to have more Iranian flute music recorded and accessible to learning and performance by the flute world. The collection is available both in sheet music form and recording.

This was clearly a very personal and well achieved journey for Mehrdad. He arranged the folksongs for two flutes, ranging from 47 seconds to 2:30 minutes each. They are based on Iradj Sahbai’s (b. 1945) folksongs for piano. In addition to an innate attraction to the source music, as Mehrdad started arranging the collection in the form of duets for two flutes he realized, in addition to the dissonants, he could “add a third dimension, which is flute’s ability to hold a note and create a difference tone.” “Eventually, each movement became an etude on the flute’s extended techniques.” These are very “folk” music derived and rhythmically and harmonically interesting little pieces - each engaging and challenging in its own way. Any flutists interested in playing duets and having some fresh and unique repertoire with a global/folk music edge to it will find these worth trying. By design, they also serve flute teachers by offering their more advanced students an opportunity to approach a very different style of flute music, some contemporary techniques, some unusual rhythmic characteristics, and difference tones.

Rose City Pride Bands Upcoming Events - Tickets Available Now

Did you know there are 17+ flutists across the Rose City Pride Bands!? They say – “We have an army of flutists!” Indeed, an awesome troupe de flute! Here are their upcoming events to know about.

Our New World

For the first time ever, the Rose City Pride Bands will join with the Portland Lesbian Choir and Portland Gay Men’s Chorus for a spectacular celebration of queer music and community at the iconic Schnitz.

• Sunday, March 30 at 4pm
• Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
• $25.25 – $67.25
• Tickets: Our New World Event

Selections include:

• Leonard Bernstein's Overture to Candide
• Omar Thomas' Of Our New Day Begun
• Gustav Mahler's Finale from Symphony No. 2

Old Wine in New Bottles

• Sunday, April 27 at 3pm
• Patricia Reser Center for the Arts
• $14.50 – $34.50
• Tickets: Old Wine in New Bottles Event

In this concert, the Rose City Wind Symphony will explore the evolution of musical traditions, much like the progression of Old and New World wine styles. The program celebrates how cherished classics are reinterpreted, creating fresh experiences that honor their roots while embracing innovation.

Selections include:

• Gordon Jacob’s Old Wine in New Bottles, a playful reimagining of traditional English folk melodies
• Gustav Holst's First Suite in E-Flat, a masterpiece of British band music that draws from the rich traditions of orchestral writing
• Antonin Dvořák’s Finale from New World Symphony, a work inspired by the composer's journey to America, where Old World symphonic traditions meet New World influences.

 Noteworthy - This column for The Portland Piper was conceived and developed by GPFS member Sue Bonfeld.

It is a short list of curated videos, interviews, podcasts and performances of interest to musicians of all levels, but outside the scope of GPFS’s curated Flute Resources webpage.

Note, this robust webpage is updated regularly and all suggestions are welcome – please just email us at newsletter@gpfs.org.  

The United States Marine Chamber Orchestra presents Concerto for Flute by Zhou Tian – featuring Mimi Stillman on flute

Link: MiMi Performs Tian Concerto for Flute

For the piccolo players out there! 

The first movement (Allegro, Flowing) from Amanda Harberg’s Sonata for Piccolo and Piano featuring Peter Verhoyen.

Performance Link: Verhoyen Performs Hardberg Sonata for Piccolo

Link to Composer's Notes: Sonata for Piccolo

“The Sonata for Piccolo and Piano was a consortium commission spear-headed by Regina Helcher Yost and supported by twenty four distinguished piccoloists. It is in three movements: 1. Allegro, Flowing, 2. Moderato, Dreamy and 3. Vivace, Driving, Playful. Helcher Yost and Harberg premiered the sonata at the Orlando National Flute Convention in 2018. The Sonata for Piccolo and Piano is dedicated Jeffrey Yost."

Beginners Mind, by Yo-Yo Ma, A Free Audio Book Download

“I realize, perhaps for the first time that I had to learn the cello to become a musician, and that it was only through decades of musical exploration that I came to understand my responsibility as a human being.”

This newsletter editor recently listened to Beginner’s Mind by Yo-Yo Ma, released in April, 2024 by Audible. I highly recommend this short, but deeply rich listen – about two and a half hours.

Read by Ma, this is the journey of his life as a person, musician and cellist from his childhood, teenage years, college study, summer music festivals, friendships, collaborations, passions and philosophies, global exploration and so much more.

Also enjoyable, this audible story is infused with recordings of his playing. The musical selections beautifully illuminate the elements of the story. This book is part of Audible’s ‘Words + Music’ initiative.

Learn more about the book and listen to it FREE here or through Audible.

Link: The Beginner's Mind.

You can also listen to his interview about the book with NPR.

Link: Ma Interview with NPR.

We Watch - The Only Girl in the Orchestra

Highly recommended video documentary – The Only Girl in the Orchestra.

2023, 34 minutes

Winner Critics Choice Documentary Award, Best Short Documentary

Grammy Award Nominee for best short documentary

Link: Documentary's Official Website

“Trailblazing double bassist Orin O’Brien never wanted the spotlight, but when Leonard Bernstein hired her in 1966 as the first female musician in the New York Philarmonic, it was inevitable that she would become the focus of much interest and fascination.

Now 87 years old and recently retired, Orin looks back on her remarkable life and career, insisting that a fuss should not be made, much preferring to play a supporting role to the family, students, friends, and colleagues that surround her.

In the delightful short documentary, THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA, filmmaker Molly O’Brien beautifully captures her aunt Orin’s prodigious contributions as a musician as well as her unique philosophy that the key to enjoying life is to play second fiddle.”