Concerts, Events & More
Monthly Concerts: The New York Flute Club sponsors a series of concerts featuring many of the world’s leading flutists. More information on the Club’s concert history is available on the History and Archives page.
Ensemble Program: This activity brings together Club members, amateur and professional alike, for the sheer pleasure of playing the considerable body of music for multiple flutes. A professional flutist coordinates this activity and every effort is made to match players of similar abilities. The participants in the ensemble program give at least one concert a year.
Jazz Flute Workshop: This activity immerses Club members, “jazz newbies” and experienced alike, in the joy of musical improvisation as applied in the jazz idiom, which originated in 19th-century America. An experienced jazz flutist coordinates this activity in which players of varying abilities expand their musical horizons. Participants in the Jazz Flute Workshop will perform publicly at various times throughout the season, including a concert at the-feature near season’s end.
Competitions: The New York Flute Club sponsors an annual competition for flutists ages 18 to 27. In March, a panel of artist judges selects first, second, and third prize winners. Each prize winner receives the certificate of the New York Flute Club, a cash honorarium, and a performance opportunity at the April concert of the Club. Past winners of the competition have gone on to reach professional positions at the highest musical level. The Club also sponsors a Young Musicians Contest for flutists up to age 17.
Flute Fair: The New York Flute Fair is an all-day program of concerts, workshops, masterclasses, lectures, flute choir reading sessions, and industry exhibits. Jean-Pierre Rampal was the guest artist in 1994 for the first Flute Fair. Among other guests have been Paula Robison, Julius Baker, Aurèle Nicolet, Bonita Boyd, and Robert Aitken. Please see the Flute Fair Archives for a complete list of previous guest artists and programs.
Education: The New York Flute Club has started a multifaceted program designed to attract and include students of all ages and levels who study flute in the greater New York City area. We have been developing relationships with schools, teachers and music outreach programs. Special events have included pre-concert workshops and demonstrations, meeting the performers, and career development seminars. In addition, we offer scholarships for recommended students to attend the annual flute fair free of charge.
Publications, Recordings, and Exhibits: Over the years the Club has undertaken various special projects. These include the recording The Flute in American Music (Musical Heritage Society), in honor of the American bicentennial in 1976; an exhibition, The Flute from Hotteterre to Barrère, at the Museum of the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, in 1980; and a 1988 recording, A Tribute to Otto Luening, issued by Composers Recordings, Inc. In 1994–95 the Club sponsored an exhibition, Georges Barrère and the Flute in America, at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in honor of the 50th anniversary of the death of Barrère and the 75th anniversary of the Club. The Club published an illustrated catalog of the exhibit. In 2006, the Club collaborated with New World Records to produce the CD Henry Brant: Music for Massed Flutes, with soloist Robert Aitken. The disc also includes the historic 1956 recording of Brant’s Angels and Devils with Frederick Wilkins as soloist. A two-CD set, Samuel Baron, Memorable Performances 1966-1996, was released in 2009.