Christmas Extravaganza 2020 - what a day!
Our Christmas Extravaganza took place online last Saturday, and if we do say so ourselves, it was a fabulously festive afternoon of playing, discussion and Christmassy catching up.
A festive Mel Orriss leads our Giant Christmas Ensemble Play-Along
After a short welcome from BFS Chair Lisa Nelsen, we kicked off the day with our Giant Christmas Ensemble Play-Along. Thanks to the magic of technology, more than 50 people played in unison to a selection of beautifully arranged Christmas songs, from Carol of the Bells and Ding Dong Merrily on High to Prokofieff’s Troika (some fiendish parts in that one!), led brilliantly by Mel Orriss, who also created many of the arrangements.
It was magical to see so many of you playing at once, and on such a variety of instruments, including piccolo, alto and bass flute (plus triangle and coconuts for Sleigh Ride, with sound effects including a neigh from our ever versatile Chair!) 'It's the first time my piccolo's been out since March', said one player, and in these socially distanced times we were delighted to offer a chance to play together.
Play-along to Faure’s Sicilienne with flautist Katherine Bryan
Next we had our panel sessions for teachers, performers and ensembles, which gave us a lot of food for thought. Woddwind repairer Lynne Williams shared her quick fixes and repairs for teachers, from fixing stuck keys to dealing with pads and misaligned headjoint corks. Meanwhile, Mel Orriss led a session on online rehearsals, with the chance for some fun virtual duets - playing along with Katherine Bryan, Stephen Clarke, and pianist and composer Jason Carr to his new work ‘On the Moors’. There was also a discussion with tips and advice for online playing, from the best platform to use, to how to optimise your Zoom settings.
Lynne Williams shares her quick fixes and repairs for teachers
We then had a lively open forum discussion for teachers led by Vice-Chair Julie Twite, looking ahead to teaching in 2021, with advice on topics like socially distanced teaching, sharing music digitally, exams, and different teaching approaches like Dalcroze and the Kodály method. It was brilliant to put our heads together, and everyone’s enthusiasm and motivation to help their students and spread the love of music was palpable. Meanwhile, Siobhan Grealy (Trinity Laban, former London Symphony Orchestra) spoke with Lisa Nelsen about the future of music-making. Reflecting on being a musician in this strange time, she talked about her own journey to a position in the LSO and then as an in-demand session musician, with guidance and thoughts on the path for young musicians at the start of their journey.
Next up: @shivlso talks to @latheduck reflecting on being a musician in this strange time and what 2021 could hold.
— British Flute Soc (@BritishFluteSoc) December 12, 2020
'Music speaks to humanity in a very important way... so there is always hope. People at the start of their journey may well catch a wave that will be exciting.' pic.twitter.com/VRxALOLJcR
BFS Council member Kate Cuzner plays the bass flute
We ended the day with our Members Christmas party, where dozens of you mingled online, catching up and chatting all things flute (with some amazing festive outfits on show!) We were delighted to see old friends catching up who hadn’t spoken in years and to welcome legends like Stephen Clarke and Atarah Ben-Tovim - plus some wonderful surprise guests who popped in to say hi: our President Wibb Bennett OBE, Michie Bennett and our former Vice-Chair Alena Walentin.
We hope that the day brought some Christmas cheer to you in this difficult year, and thanks so much to all who attended (and asked such great questions), plus our session leaders Mel Orriss, Siobhan Grealy, Lynne Williams, Lisa Nelsen, Julie Twite and Liz Wrighton - and special thanks to David Barton for putting the event together! It was lovely to see so many familiar and new faces - we hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any feedback please do drop us a line!