As part of our Competitions 2024 programme, we’re hosting an event for amateur players to come together, play flute ensemble music, and have the opportunity to perform to a friendly and supportive audience. It will include:

• Ensemble playing

• An optional opportunity to perform (either as an individual or with an ensemble you’re part of) and receive constructive feedback from our workshop leader, the fantastic Carla Rees, Professor of Low Flutes and Contemporary Flute at the Royal Academy of Music in London and Programme Leader at the Open College of the Arts

• A chance for questions and discussion about all things flute!

It’s open to non-professional players of any standard aged 25 and over. While everyone who signs up will take part in the ensemble playing, performing is not compulsory - you can choose to watch, support and enjoy the performances instead if you’d like.

The event takes place in conjunction with our Competitions 2024 competitive categories - so there will also be a chance to watch performances from talented young players and browse trade stands with an array of flutes, accessories and sheet music - a great chance to find your next flute, upgrade your kit or discover some fab new repertoire!

Booking will close on Sunday January 14 at 11:59pm GMT. For full details and to register, please visit the event page below:

It is often said that flute players can improve their playing by learning about singing, but what does that mean? What are the similarities between singing and playing the flute and what are the differences? 

How can learning more about the voice enhance your flute playing and help your vocal health? 

In flute playing, we are focused on things that we can see and feel easily like the lips and fingers, but what happens in the larynx and the vocal tract is also very important for your sound.

This fun, interactive workshop aims to begin to demystify the voice for flute players in the context of Estill Voice Training (EVT). 

EVT offers voice users solutions to realise their full vocal potential. It’s a scientific approach with emphasis on training structures of the voice in isolation for maximum artistic freedom. 

Although EVT's primary focus is singers and speakers, many of its concepts and several of its structures are also useful for flute players. 

Stefan Holmström has created and developed this innovative workshop from his unique perspective as a classical flute player, opera singer and Estill Master Trainer.

The information presented in this session complements traditional teaching of the flute by empowering flute players with practical knowledge of the voice. It is a safe space for exploration with opportunities for some individual coaching (but there's no pressure to participate!).

What you'll learn:

• How your voice works with a brief overview of the Estill Model, including vocal anatomy, physiology and acoustics

• How the flute works

• Similarities and differences between flute playing and speaking/singing

• Explore and begin to train the true and false vocal folds

• Breath behaviour in voicing versus flute playing

• Vocal health awareness for flute players

• Crossover practice strategies - what singers and flute players can learn from each other

Stefan Holmström, MFA and Estill Master Trainer (EMT), is a professional opera singer and voice teacher who originally trained as a classical flute player.

Following a career performing at Glyndebourne, Grange Park Opera, Opera Holland Park and as a member of the Phantom of the Opera Company at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, Stefan offers expert vocal training and workshops to a wide range of singers and speakers from his studio in central Brighton. He has also taught at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and at Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. 

Ticket prices

£75 Early bird: £65 (book before 31 March 2023)

Booking/ information link

Join us for a day packed with interesting sessions, inspiring performances and the chance to connect with other players!

Tickets are £7.50 for BFS members and £10 for non-members; the 12pm AGM session is free to attend.

PROGRAMME:

10am - How to Create a Great Video Performance

Led by Carla Rees, this session will share expert tips and advice for creating a video performance, particularly how to get the best sound when recording your flute. Carla will be joined by Simon Hall, who will be sharing his technical expertise as a recording engineer and educator. An invaluable session if you’re thinking about entering our Competitions in 2022!

Carla Rees is an innovative flute player, composer, arranger, improviser and teacher. She combines an international performing career as a soloist, chamber musician and recording artist with academic roles as Music Programme Leader at the Open College of Arts, Professor of Low Flutes & Contemporary Flute at the Royal Academy of Music and visiting teacher of flute at Royal Holloway University.

Simon Hall spent many years as a “classic” portfolio musician, combining work as a music producer, recording engineer, composer and bass trombone player with teaching, education and academia. He is currently Head of Music Technology, as well as Interim Vice Principal, at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, UK.

11am - Performances and Catch Up with the 2021 BFS Competition Winners

Watch specially created video performances by our 2021 Competition winners. Hosted by Lisa Nelson, find out what they’ve been up to since winning the competition and any tips they have for a prize winning performance!

12pm - AGM session

Join us free for the BFS AGM meeting 2021. Please note this session will be run via a separate Zoom link.

1pm - Lunch

2pm - Lea Pearson - Body Mapping

Rockstar Warm Ups! - Have you ever noticed how comfortable rock stars are in using their bodies, yet classical musicians tend to have a lots of physical tension? Join Lea for some fun movement activities that will get you playing like a rockstar! (don’t forget to bring your flute!)

A leader in pedagogy, Lea Pearson trains teachers to help students prevent tension and pain, and to centre the body in learning.  Author of Body Mapping for Flutists: What Every Flute Teacher Needs to Know about the Body, Lea is a DMA, Ohio State, Fulbright Scholar, and Licensed Body Mapping Educator.

3.15 pm - Rachel Wolffsohn from the OHMI Trust - Adapted Instruments

The OHMI Trust is a charity that works to remove the barriers to music-making faced by people with physical impairments. Virtually all musical instruments are unplayable to any reasonable standard without ten highly dexterous fingers. As a result, thousands of people are excluded from music-making. The OHMI Trust strives for full, undifferentiated, participation in musical life for disabled people of all ages through the creation and provision of adapted musical instruments and enabling apparatus.

In this session Rachel Wolffsohn, OHMI's General Manager, will explain more about some of the ground-breaking instruments and apparatus that OHMI has sourced and developed, particularly those that are relevant for flautists.

3.45pm - Teachers’ Tea and Chat

Following the session from the OHMI Trust, there will be chance to grab a cuppa (or drink of your choice!) and catch up with other teachers.

Click the button below to book!

The British Flute Society invites you to its Annual General Meeting for 2020. This year we are running an online day of performances, Q&A, advice and discussion, with special guests Aldo Baerten and Peter Verhoyen. Tickets are £10 for each of the morning and afternoon sessions or £15 for both - these sessions are open to members and non-members. The lunchtime session is free and open to BFS members only.

Morning session
10-11 Aldo Baerten - performance, presentation and Q&A
11-11.15 Break
11.15-12 Peter Verhoyen - performance and presentation

Lunchtime session - BFS members only
12-12.30 Q&A and discussion with Peter Verhoyen and Alena Walentin
12.30-1 Break
1-2 AGM - documents and voting forms will be sent to members in August

Afternoon session
2-2.30 Performances by BFS 2020 Competition winners
2.30-5 Teachers session - presentations and discussion with a focus on returning to teaching post-lockdown.

Visit the booking page for further information and tickets.

The AGM is kindly sponsored by Forton Music. 

Forton Music have been publishing wind music for over ten years now. Our flute catalogue is extensive and caters for just about every combination of flutes. Our latest release is now live on our website, featuring a new flute sonata by Yuri Povolotsky, and an album of flute and piano pieces commissioned for a 50th birthday celebration.

https://fortonmusic.co.uk/

The 3rd class given by the faculty of The Integrated Flutist: Roderick Seed, Emma Shubin, Alex Conway, and Paul Hung.

This class will focus on Articulation, with 4 sets of exercises given by the faculty, followed by a Q&A session at the end.

$15 registration fee. All previous classes can be viewed by registering for them. These were on Tone and Flexibility.

These classes are informal and are a chance to discuss a particular flute topic in detail and explore many different ideas. Each faculty member presents their exercise for about 15 minutes, where participants can try out the exercises and receive handouts afterwards, as well as a recording of the class.

All levels and ages welcome.

Tickets £12 ($15) from www.integralsteps.org/flutingwithfriends

Fluting with Friends is a series of classes and discussions about flute topics, given by the faculty of The Integrated Flutist over Zoom.

This is the second class in the series and will focus on FLEXIBILITY. It will be held on Monday 20th July 2020 and last approximately 75 minutes. The fee is $15.

Please come and join us in exploring flexibility of tone with all our different approaches. There will be time to try out the exercises and ask questions. There will also be a Q&A section at the end. We welcome your questions, so please feel free to leave any questions in the registration form or in the Zoom session.

Faculty:
Roderick Seed - Altus Flutes artist and author of "Mastering the Flute with William Bennett"
Emma Shubin - Haynes Ambassador Clinician and co-executive director of Integral Steps
Alex Conway - 2nd flute, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Paul Hung - Faculty at Vancouver Academy of Music and freelancer with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Register online at www.integralsteps.org/flutingwithfriends

Join us at this exclusive online teachers' event for BFS members. With a focus on the current shape of flute teaching as we respond to the restrictions of the Coronavirus pandemic, there will be short presentations on online teaching and online exams, plus lots of time to discuss and share your experiences of the challenges and opportunities of teaching at the present time. 

Introduction - Lisa NelsenLisa is Chair of the British Flute Society and is internationally recognised for her versatility as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, educator and mentor in performance practices. She is one of the flute professors and Woodwind Academy coaches for the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and also teaches at Oakham School, Rutland and King Henry VIII in Coventry. Lisa will welcome members to this event and introduce the main issues facing flute teachers today.

Online Flute Teaching - Carla Rees
Carla is a low flutes specialist who has developed an international reputation for her innovative work. Her multi-faceted career encompasses solo and chamber music performance, collaboration, recording, composing, arranging, editing and teaching. She is editor of PAN magazine, and Leader of the Open College of the Arts BA(Hons) Music Programme, a distance learning degree for students around the world. She brings her experience of teaching and collaborating online and her technological knowledge to discuss the best ways of teaching online, with tips for the best software, equipment and good practice for online lessons.

Online Exams - David Barton
David is a BFS Council member, who has taught flute, piano and singing on a private basis since 2001, and also provides online mentoring for teaching diplomas, supporting a wide range of instrumental teachers with their professional development. He is an active researcher and writer in the field of music education and is currently studying for a PhD at the Royal College of Music, researching autonomy and control in private instrumental teaching. Following on from his article in the March 2020 edition of PAN, exploring the range of exam options, David will present a summary of the online offerings from the music exam boards, which have emerged in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Tickets are £15 and are only available to current BFS members - to join or renew your membership, click here. To book your place, click here.