PHOTOS!

This post falls into the category of "Better Late Than Never", in that it was meant to go "live" last Monday…Somehow there was a glitch, so here goes:

Back in Lisbon with Wifi, I can finally start adding photos from the incredible week that just passed! The picture speaks the proverbial thousand words: a post-final-presentation THUMBS UP from and for the whole gang of the 4th Summer Flute Academy (AFV) outside ESMAE on Sunday last. A special thank you to the fantastic students; it was a real pleasure to work with you all, and I'll see you again next year!

Post-concert good cheer at the 4th Summer Flute Academy at ESMAE, Porto

Summer Flute Academy Composition Competition - WINNER!

A quick entry about the First-Prize Winning work from the 3rd Composition Competition of the Summer Flute Academy: "Traveling", for flute and alto flute duo, by Ricardo Matosinhos. The work is in four movements, each very picturesque and extremely well-written for both instruments, with a touch of extended techniques here and there, but very accessible to any listener! The composer, also a horn player, is now composing for flute, and all we can say is WELCOME!! The work will be edited and published by Scherzo Editions before the end of 2016—you can order it online. 

We professors of the Academy were particularly proud that two advanced participants gave the work's premier at our final presentation, in the Teatro Helena Sá e Costa in Porto, and extremely well and beautifully played it was! The performers were André Cameira, flute, and Patrícia Pires, alto flute — BRAVO!! Here's a photo of these two fine players with composer Ricardo Matosinhos after the performance. Cheers to all, and on to next year's competition, dear composers!

Flutists André Cameira and Patrícia Pires, with composer Ricardo Matosinhos, center

Bravo, Scherzo Editions of Lisbon!

At the last three editions of the Summer Flute Academy, we have been pleased to include João Vidinha, owner-founder of Scherzo Editions. Scherzo Editions has been busy publishing works by Portuguese and foreign composers, mostly living ones, for a variety of instruments and ensembles. As João has described it, he is looking for "fresh" compositions, music that is well-written and stylistically interesting, without following any particular "school". 

Scherzo Editions is a fundamental element in the Academy's annual Composition Competition for Works for Flute, in that the winning works are subsequently published by Scherzo. Not only is this great for the winning composers, but also for us flutists, since the emphasis at Scherzo is on attention to the legibility and practicability of the score for the PERFORMER! Scherzo's editions are truly a joy to look at and to play from!

Recently, along with publishing all the required commissioned works for the Portuguese Young Musicians' Prizes, Scherzo received a FIRST PRIZE in the American National Flute Association's Newly Published Music Competition—right alongside long-established editors such as Bärenreiter Verlag and Theodor Presser Company, which is an amazing achievement! The winning work, by the Portuguese composer André M. Santos, O motivo da menina Laite, for solo flute, will have its US premier at the NFA Convention in San Diego, California, later this month! To purchase, order directly from the Scherzo site. Bravo Scherzo Editions and André M. Santos!!

João Vidinha of Scherzo Editions, with the NFA prize-winning work, at the Summer Flute Academy

Aldo Baerten at the Summer Flute Academy - photos!

I'd like to again thank Aldo Baerten, Principal Flute of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic in Antwerp, Belgium, for his wonderful recital and masterclasses at the Summer Flute Academy this year. His performance and work with the students reflected the artistic influences of his teacher, the legendary Peter-Lukas Graf, a special stylistic flexibility that perhaps comes from performing under chief conductors Edo de Wart and Philippe Herreweghe, as well as that special "something" that reaches and touches the audience, in this, the most ephemeral of the arts.

Aldo is a Powell Flutes Artist, and his presence was made possible by Powell Flutes in Boston, USA. Photos below: Aldo Baerten in action teaching, a group foto with Aldo, and with me before the session on Powell's history and flutes—a few minutes later, the room was full of flutists trying out the gear, of course!

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A Day to remember!

What is a FULL DAY? One like yesterday that started with the final presentation of the Summer Flute Academy, in which 3/4 of the program was music by living composers, with 2 out of 3 present in the hall! FANTASTIC new works—prize-winners of our 3rd Composition Competition—by Jorge Ramos and Ricardo Matosinhos (have I mentioned that Portuguese composers rock?)—the first for full flute ensemble, from piccolo down to contrabass, conducted by yours truly, the second a duo expertly performed by André Cameira (flute) and Patrícia Pires (alto flute). Soon the videos will be online at the Academia de Flauta de Verão's website for all to enjoy! Check them out! 

In the afternoon, I was honored to be a jury member again in the Prémios Jovens Músicos (Young Musician's Prizes) at the Casa da Música in Porto. The final round of the the Senior category was held, with beautiful and poised performances by all three finalists, with Mafalda Carvalho taking home 1st prize—CONGRATULATIONS! She performed Casella's Sicilienne et Burlesque and the Nielsen Flute Concerto. Put September 23rd on your calendar to hear her perform the first movement of the Nielsen with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon at the Winner's Concert—looking forward to that! 

"Zapping" warm-up for flutists

Photos coming soon; this bug or lack Wifi or whatever is a DRAG!

Today: some flutey advice on how to warm up in a short(ish) time! I gave the warm up session this morning at the Academy, and it was not only fun (company!) but functional! 

We went through 5 exercises, as samples of a "healthy flute diet" that can be done in 20-30 minutes; I used or adapted exercises that have more than one goal. Yay for multitasking! In order, briefly, and with a reference of the original material:

1) 2-octave arpeggios, starting on F major, and ascending by half-steps. This is for checking posture, breathing without stress or hurry, and to cover the whole range. Go to top and return to low C through F. Simplified from the Vocalises in Philippe Bernold's book: L'Art de l'embouchure.

2) Two-octave scales in sixteenths, first slurred, then repeated double-tongued. Aim for same air support in both versions. Then go down two steps to the relative minor and repeat the process. Etc. through all 24 M/m keys. Can change color/dynamic to make more challenging as it goes along.. Simplified version of Taffanel and Gaubert's exercise journalier (17 Grandes E  J ) N° 4.

3) Articulation, slurs and release exercise from Moyse "De la sonorité", with pivot note (work the hardest ones most frequently!) in four versions as per M  Moyse's excellent instructions  

4) Five-note/articulation exercise from Robert Stallman's "Flute Workout". Work for sound, clarity and, of course, speed! So musical, love this book!!

5) Wide-interval study as from Bernold's book again; we did minor 7ths, but you could choose any interval (2 8ves), and vary the dynamics for a greater challenge . Always aim to work somewhere between the "easy" zone and the "frantically hard" zone - there lies PROGRESS! Enjoy and write in with feedback!