CSU Summer Arts 2016: Tell the Story

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Acting, Actor, Akira Tana, Alex Billings, Ali Ryerson, Andover Educators, Art, Barry Underwood, Bernstein, Body Mapping, Bryan Pezzone, Bryan Wagorn, California State University Long Beach, Carol Wincenc, Composer, Create Yourself, CSU Summer Arts, CSU Summer Arts 2016, CSULB, Dave Goetsch, Extended Techniques, Flute, Flutist, Ian Clarke, Jazz Flute, Jazz Flute Big Band, John Barcellona, John Wiitala, Kim Rubinstein, Mozart Flute Concerto, Music, Musician, Robert Dick, Stage Combat, Steppenwolf West, Steve Trapani, Viewpoints, Wendy Caldwell, West Side Story

I just returned home from two magical weeks at CSU Summer Arts. This Summer Arts experience was particularly special as it was my first year as a course coordinator. Having attended Summer Arts back in 1993 and 1995 as a student and then returning in 2013 as a guest artist, I knew what I was in for. In 2013, I, in my usual dramatic way, did the whole “my life has come full circle” thing. It had, in a way. Until this year when I was offered a turn at running my own course. I was told that although Summer Arts has had students become guest artists over the years, I am the first student to become a course coordinator. Now my Summer Arts life had officially come full circle.
(I blogged about the 2013 course – which you can read here, as well as a preview blog for this years course – which you can read here).

So, what is it about Summer Arts that makes it so magical?
The people.
The place.
The golden opportunity to tuck yourself away in a place filled with other like minded young artists and master teachers, focus exclusively on your art for two weeks, and create yourself.
The gift of time to allow yourself to really process everything you’re taking in, in that moment.
The chance to learn from the some of the very best artists out there.

When tasked with creating my “dream flute course” I didn’t have to think too terribly long before coming up with the artists I wanted on board. I’m pleased to say The Complete 21st Century Flutist was a huge success! Many thanks to my friends  Rachel Nardo and Joanne Sharp at Summer Arts who must’ve also had a feeling this course would be something special. I’m grateful to you and honored to be a part of the Summer Arts family.

We had a delightful time working with and getting to know 20 bright and talented flutists from around the US and Canada. Our team of artists was off the charts:  flutists John Barcellona, Ian Clarke, Robert Dick, Ali Ryerson, Carol Wincenc, pianists Wendy Caldwell and Bryan Pezzone, bassist John Wiitala and drummer Akira Tana.

Day One

 

“It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about the art, the music, telling the story, the creative process, remaining open to taking in as much as you can, stepping outside your comfort zone, thinking outside the box, learning new and different ways to approach your art …”
This was expressed from day one, and again and again throughout our time together.
My colleagues and I discovered that we were often saying similar things to the students without necessarily meaning to, simply because we were on the same page. We weren’t sitting down for our daily afternoon planning session over tea and cookies saying “OK, I’m going to say this, and then you say the same thing at your class later on! Deal?”  Although some of us had worked with each other, this full team had never worked together and yet, here we were, all speaking the same language. Amazing.

Honestly, I haven’t worked so hard, slept so little, and was so energized and inspired as I was these past weeks. I’m certain I said this in my 2013 blog about Summer Arts, but it’s true. It has to be a Summer Arts thing. I mean seriously, I was getting on the average 5 hours a night, sometimes far less, and yet I’d still leap out of bed at 5:35 am to ready myself for the early morning beach hike with my students and colleagues. Let me just say, I rarely leap out of bed for anything, and by rarely I mean never. Summer Arts.

 

Many late night pedagogical discussions turned into early morning pedagogical discussions. Just when we’d think it was time to call it a night, one of us would interject with “… and then when I was 12 …”  We’d respond by easing back in our chairs, maybe turning the kettle on for another cup of tea, and settle in for the next chapter of one of our lives to share.

Some of our night classes would invariably go way overtime because everyone was digging the process and didn’t want to stop. One night, Carol Wincenc was leading a fabulous workshop on the Mozart Flute Concerti that she and her colleague Bryan Wagorn arranged for two flutes. The students broke into pairs at first, playing through each movement of each concerto, nearly every part of the orchestra represented as well as the solo flute part. We hadn’t yet finished the D Major concerto and were way out of time. Before I could finish my sentence asking for a show of hands of who wanted to keep going or call it a night, every student enthusiastically raised their hands to keep going to finish it. We went pretty late that night, but it was a huge shot in the arm. I’ll never forget the feeling in the room as 23 of us plowed through the D Major Concerto, Carol in the middle of our giant circle leading us along like the Pied Piper.
Summer Arts.
BTW, Thank you Carol and Bryan. You’ve given a tremendous gift to the flute community with these remarkable arrangements. Brava!

At our first class meeting, Ali Ryerson asked the students for a show of hands of who could improvise. One hand went up and another sort of went up after that. She said “I disagree. You all can improvise. You just did it as you went around the room, introducing yourselves.” She was right. By the end of the two weeks, everyone had developed the skills and confidence to take a solo in Ali’s Jazz Flute Big Band. It was an amazing thing to witness each of these players opening up, stepping outside their comfort zones, and trying something new – successfully.
Summer Arts.

John Barcelona is the technical clearing house for working out your … stuff … on the flute. This man has the ability to hear you play, tell you all the things you’re doing well, then tell you what needs work and show you how to fix it. John was my mentor teacher in grad school at CSULB. He did this exact thing for me nearly 25 years ago, which helped shape me into the flutist and teacher I am today. Having a teacher explain the what/why/when/how of flute playing to you is invaluable. Some can tell you what and when but not all can really communicate how and why. John can. Very well.

Robert Dick brought a ton of outside the box thinking to this course. Robert is a pioneer in the world of contemporary flute performance and composition. There are things this man can do on the bass flute that will blow your mind. Don’t believe me? Get his new CD, put on track one (stereo, not laptop) and you’ll see what I mean. Whether you are someone who performs contemporary works chocked full of extended techniques or not, there’s no denying this man is brilliant. His workshops on circular breathing, improvised cadenzas, and multi-phonics were invaluable.

Speaking of brilliant flutists/composers, Ian Clarke was a bright shining light on a cloudy day. Besides being a remarkable flutist, Ian’s works for flute are equally so, and were well represented at this course. Many of the students played his pieces – very well. What I love about Ian’s writing is that he has a diverse collection of works for flute and there is something for a variety of level of player. He is a masterclass master, with the ability to include everyone in a natural and sincere way, keeping them engaged the whole time, while still maintaining focus on the student with whom he is working. His workshop on 1000 Sounds in Silence was brilliant and looking around the room as he spoke, you could almost see the students minds opening up in front of your eyes.
Summer Arts.

The students were fortunate to work with two brilliant actors from the Steppenwolf course, Alexandra Billings and Kim Rubinstein. They introduced the flute students to The Viewpoints – 9 major viewpoints to apply as they move with one another through space and work together as an ensemble. They are, in no particular order: Kinesthetic Response, Spacial Relationship, Duration, Repetition, Shape, Architecture, Tempo, Topography and Gesture. These 9 viewpoints became a standard topic of discussion on our early morning walks with fellow teachers, guest artists, and students, as well as late night flute pedagogy discussions. As a Body Mapping instructor, this particularly resonated with me. Our flute students were getting regular Body Mapping classes at Summer Arts, and for me, this was the perfect accompaniment to that. Yet another illustration of how we all cross over, connect, create and inspire at Summer Arts.

Through it all, the common thread of tell the story kept resurfacing.

From the very first night at the stage combat presentation, the actors reminded us how vital it is to tell the story, especially important if you’re an actor swinging a rapier and dagger around at another actor. They also stressed the importance of slow, methodical work and repetition. Obviously applicable for us musicians.
Dave Goetsch from Big Bang Theory spoke at his presentation about the creative process in the writers room and telling the story. His list of tips for writers hit home for me and my students – especially the one about pitching the solution and not just a suggestion. How can we as teachers teach our students if we don’t offer them suggestions for how to fix what needs fixing?

Artist Barry Underwood showed us several stories with his beautiful and innovative photographs. His ability to combine something old with something new is pure genius. As a musician, this is the dance we do all the time – finding new works to add to our repertoire, developing new techniques on our instruments, all the while keeping hold of time honored tradition. Combining works on a program by JS Bach and Ian Clarke or Robert Dick, for example, is our version of combining the old with the new.
Summer Arts.

We as musicians must always tell the story, but it’s not always clear how to do that. Actors and writers seem to do this effortlessly, why can’t we? Why do we get so caught up inside our heads and forget about this deeper level of communication between performer and listener? We’re so consumed with the technical, the execution, and the most minute details. Of course, it’s that precise attention to detail that makes us good at what we do – but it can never ever be at the expense of telling the story.

So how did our 20 flutists tell their story? With creativity, beauty, poise, and artistry. I sat in the audience with my colleagues and witnessed each of these 20 musicians create something remarkable. From soloist to soloist, chamber group to Jazz Flute Big Band, each one of them took the stage like they owned it. Those who never imagined they could improvise, did. Each of them were 100% in the moment, inclusively aware, and digging the whole experience.
Another piece of advice I gave to them at the start of our journey together was to own their space. When they take the stage to perform whether in masterclass, ensemble rehearsal or performance, don’t come into the space as if it belongs to someone else and you are a guest. Own it. And, own it they did.

Week 2

In the wake of the atrocities taking place all over the globe, it seemed a bit self indulgent to post this blog. Honestly, I’ve been hesitating to finish writing and post it. Why would anyone care about a two week flute course in Monterey Bay when so much anger, sadness, and pain are all around us. That’s exactly why this needs to be out there. We can’t stop these horrible acts from happening, but, we can keep living our lives, creating art, making music, inspiring one another, and living in the present moment. Yesterday afternoon, as I was writing this, I received an email from my friends at Summer Arts, informing me and all of the other course coordinators that all 27 art students and 4 teachers who are currently in Nice for a three week painting course with Summer Arts, were safe. I had no idea that the events in Nice had even taken place until that email arrived. About an hour later, my husband Steve and I made our way up to Hollywood for the LA Phil’s semi-staged production of Bernstein’s West Side Story. Hardly the thing I felt like doing – going to sit in a giant amphitheater with thousands of other people – but Steve was playing with the Philharmonic so off we went. I was sure the house would be light. Wrong. It was packed – if not sold out, damn near. The Hollywood Bowl seats 18,000 people. It was quite something watching this classic work after many years, realizing how relevant it is right now. Violence, fear, guns, power. Bernstein, Sondheim, and Laurents put pen to paper on this masterpiece more than 50 years ago. Many of us have seen Bernstein’s famous quote: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

In a time filled with fear, I choose love, music, art, and friendship.
Right here, right now, I’m filled with many emotions as I come down from the Summer Arts high, most of which are good, some melancholy. I miss my friends old and new, the 20 awesome flute students, and a handful of other outstanding young artists whose acquaintance I was lucky to make. Who knows if our paths will cross again – I hope they do and I hope it’s at our next Summer Arts flute course. (Cross your fingers for 2018, flutists!)

To my students, I propose this:
Get out of your head and find a place deep inside yourself to communicate the music to yourself and your audience.
Trust that your art and creativity are good and speaks for itself.
Become friends with the creative process. Focus less on the goal and more on the process. (Yes, I wrote a blog about this, too … click here, it’s a good one, I promise! )
Find the story. Sometimes it’s not super obvious, but it’s there, I promise you. Find it and tell it.

Meanwhile, I will recall with fondness our two weeks in Monterey Bay, in our sacred space at the Music Hall, telling our story and creating ourselves.

Last night together

 

 

What’s the big deal about CSU Summer Arts?

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Akira Tana, Ali Ryerson, Art, Baroque Flute, Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, Body Mapping, Bryan Pezzone, California State University Long Beach, Carol Wincenc, Chamber Music, Create Yourself, CSU Summer Arts, CSU Summer Arts 2016, CSULB, CSUMB, Extended Techniques, Flute, Flutist, Ian Clarke, Jazz Flute, Jazz Flute Big Band, John Barcellona, John Wiitala, Muramatsu Flute, Orchestral Auditions, piccolo, Rena Urso-Trapani, Robert Dick, Summer Master Class, The Complete 21st Century Flutist, Wendy Caldwell

This summer I am coordinating a course for CSU Summer Arts entitled “The Complete 21st Century Flutist.” Flutists John Barcellona, Ian Clarke, Robert Dick, Ali Ryerson, Carol Wincenc and myself, along with pianists Bryan Pezzone and Wendy Caldwell, and Ali’s rhythm section mates bassist John Wiitala, and drummer Akira Tana will come together to present a two week course at CSU Monterey Bay. I know, right? Off the charts. This group of artists is serious business.
Two weeks of flute magic in a gorgeous place.
Sounds great, right? But what’s so special about that, aside from the obvious?

Let me tell you my CSU Summer Arts story…

Once upon a time, back in the early 90’s, when flannel shirts were fashionable the first time around and I was a grad student at CSULB, my flute professor came to me part way through my first year and told me he wanted me to attend a summer flute course that he was coordinating. The course would be two weeks long, take place at CSU Humboldt, and the guest artists were Michel Debost and Julius Baker. I can’t recall exactly what I said in that moment, but I’m pretty sure I replied with a very enthusiastic “yes!” before he even finished his sentence. I, along with another CSULB flute student, and a CSULB alumni clarinet student who would attend a chamber music course with the Alexander String Quartet, would all be a part of this awesome summer event. Having only lived in California for just over a year, the road trip alone took my breath away. Three of us made the long 700 mile trek north, and the further we traveled the more beautiful it got. CSU Humboldt is a gorgeous campus, and spending two weeks in this funky (in a good way), green, lush, coastal town, among the giant redwood trees, where the air was clean and crisp and the stars were so bright at night you could reach out and touch them was kind of unbelievable for this Detroit girl, to say the least.
The course was intense. Our days were long, and were made longer by our late night trips to the practice rooms to reinforce what we had learned that day. We didn’t sleep much. I also had the extra responsibility of being John’s assistant, which was an honor, to be sure. None of that seemed to affect me, or anyone else for that matter because we all were fueled by our enthusiasm and the immense creativity that surrounded us. See, while we were doing all things flute, there were all of these other courses taking place, from a variety of genres; theater, dance, visual art, as well as our fellow musician pals who were a part of the chamber music course. We all ate our meals together, most notably with Mr. Baker and Mr. Debost, and listened with rapt attention to their meal time banter. One free afternoon, my professor John invited me over to the coast with the local CSU Humboldt flute professor Betsy, as well as Mr. Baker and Mr. Debost. Are you kidding? I get to hang out with the cool kids? I’ll never forget that afternoon, or the first time I got to see the magnificent Northern California coastal views up close. Then there were the afternoons that my best friend Rachel and I walked Mr. Baker back to his apartment on campus, made him tea, and watched TV with him. Mr. Baker was getting over Lyme’s disease and he appreciated the help and the company. We couldn’t get enough of his stories.
The course was amazing in every way you might imagine. Until that summer, I couldn’t recall a time that I was more inspired. I forged many new friendships with my fellow flute classmates, several of which are not only dear friends to this day but professional colleagues as well.

Two years later, John offered me the same sweet deal to return to Summer Arts. This time, his guest artists were a former teacher of mine and a former DSO colleague of my Dad’s, Ervin Monroe, and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Seriously? 100% yes. Sadly, Mr. Rampal had to cancel because he needed emergency hip surgery, but fortunately, Mr. Baker was available to return a second time. Two more weeks of inspiration and creativity at this beautiful campus once again. Unlike ’93,  several of us CSULB flute students attended in ’95, and we had a ball together. To this day, when I get together with my Summer Arts friends, we reminisce about our time at CSU Humboldt. The bonds we formed are strong and have truly stood the test of time. At both the ’93 and ’95 courses, I felt fortunate to be chosen as a featured student soloist and play chamber music with other flutists who shared my love and enthusiasm for music and learning from these extraordinary musicians. The rich musical experiences and life lessons I gained those two summers at Summer Arts were invaluable, and they helped shape me into a far more creative musician and artist than I was before.

When John approached me 5 years ago and asked me to be a guest artist for another CSU Summer Arts flute course, you can probably guess my reply.
Our course was fantastic. Although I was now a guest artist, part of me felt like a student. We all learned from one another and those two weeks in July 2013 were just as inspirational and musically fulfilling as the summers I spent as a student back in the 90’s. I blogged about that incredible two week course, which you can read here. Suffice to say, I thought my life had truly come full circle… until I was asked to present a course of my own this summer.
If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m downright giddy over my course this summer. If I were a student, I would totally attend this course. Why? Because it’s filled with everything a flutist needs to develop, refine, and create the player they need to be to be successful in today’s music world. Oh, wait. I am attending! Yes!

So, what will we do this time around?
Well, there will be traditional masterclasses covering the standard repertoire for flute and piano, as well as unaccompanied flute, led primarily by Carol Wincenc and Ian Clarke.
Each flute guest artist will share their personal warm-up routines, including their favorite tone and technical studies.
There will be workshops on jazz style, interpretation, and improvisation led by Ali Ryerson, who will also lead everyone in rehearsals with her Jazz Flute Big Band, which will culminate in a final performance at the end of the two weeks.
There will be workshops on extended techniques, led by Ian Clarke and Robert Dick, for all levels, not only the players for whom this is standard practice, but also for the players who are new to contemporary and avant garde music.
John Barcellona, “The Flute Doctor” will teach you how to teach yourselves and your students with his workshops on flute pedagogy.
Having a strong musician wellness component is more vital than ever these days. Over the course of our two weeks together, I will present the full Body Mapping course “What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body.”
Other workshops and classes will include a cadenza writing workshop, a panel discussion on the various careers in music and tips for how to create or improve yours, masterclasses on Baroque style – both on Traverso and modern flute, piccolo masterclasses, orchestral excerpt classes and tips on how to prepare a professional orchestral audition, chamber music coached by all of the guest artists … and more!

Most nights there are special guest artist events which we’ll all attend.
These events will vary in genre and include art exhibits, speakers, dance performances, and stage combat.  All of these remarkable presentations are open to the public but are free to Summer Arts students. There will be one day off to explore all that Monterey Bay has to offer, and I recommend getting out there and taking it all in. There are so many things to do and see in the area. Rent a bicycle and take a ride along the foot path that takes you around the bay. The fresh air, exercise, and flute-free time will invigorate you! Take advantage of this time. And yes, students, you’ll also get to sit down in the dining hall with these remarkable guest artists and listen to their stories and meal time banter.

Walking path along Monterey Bay in Pacific Grove. Taken last week before heading to rehearsal.

 

Sounds great, right? But you might still be wondering what makes Summer Arts so unique? I’ve heard people say “Wow. Sounds like a great class, but I can’t go this year. I’ll come next time.”
There won’t be a next time. This course is truly a moment in time. This collection of guest artists, and these students, at this campus, with the other courses taking place at this same time, is not something we can duplicate again. Sure, we’ll have another flute class again, but it will likely be different artists, and it will definitely be at a different CSU campus with different students and different courses taking place simultaneously. With all that is available to you, and all the information and opportunities you have access to via the internet as well as other summer flute courses all over the globe, how do you know this one is for you? How do you know this is what you need to do with your summer?
Remember early 90’s Rena, the one who could barely wait to let her professor finish his sentence before jumping up and down saying “YES! I want to go to this class!”?
I just knew. Some little voice inside me or feeling in my gut told me that course had my name written all over it. And it did.
It was life changing.
I just read an interesting and timely article online in Psychology Today entitled “You Need to Practice Being Your Future Self.” In it, the author says a number of things that resonated with me, among them, and perhaps the most applicable to this blog of mine are:
“If you want to be productive, the first question you need to ask yourself is: Who do I want to be? Another question is: Where do I want to go?”
“… if you want to be a writer, you have to spend time writing.”
“…you need to spend time on the future even when there are more important things to do in the present and even when there is no immediately apparent return to your efforts.”

Spending two weeks, immersed in your art, surrounded by other artists and feeding off of their brilliant creativity – not only flutists, but visual artists, dancers, actors, writers – you will learn and understand more about yourself and your craft than ever before. Sometimes you need that quiet creative space to sit in so you can just absorb it. You’ll begin to learn that the same hurdles and creative struggles you face are not unique to you or music. We all share them as artists. And so, we collaborate. We create. We experiment. We open ourselves up to learning something brand new, and we grow. How many times in your life do you imagine that you’ll be able to hit the pause button and escape to a beautiful place where you can focus exclusively on your music?

If you’ve never been to the Monterey Bay area, I have to tell you, it’s spectacular. About once per orchestral season, I have the opportunity to join my friends in the Monterey Symphony and play a week with them in this beautiful place. Being a photography buff, I always take my camera and shoot as much as possible. At least once per season, I make the time to take Highway 1 home to So. Cal, driving through Big Sur, which is A. more beautiful then words can express and B. only about 1 hour south of Monterey Bay. (Side note: remember the part about getting out there and exploring on your free day, this short road trip qualifies for the top of your list!)  It’s usually on these escapades with my camera that I learn something new: being out in nature, taking the time to soak it all in and then bringing it back to my practice room. People from all over the world travel to this magnificent place, and YOU will get to spend TWO WEEKS here, studying, learning, refining, creating, and being.
So, long story short, that’s the big deal.

Don’t you think it’s time you joined us at Summer Arts?

Looking back. Looking ahead.

Tags

Akira Tana, Ali Ryerson, Andover Educators, Body Mapping, Bryan Pezzone, Carol Wincenc, CSU Summer Arts 2016, CSULB, Dana Putnam, Flute, Ian Clarke, Iowa Piccolo Intensive, Jane Conoley, John Barcellona, John Wiitala, Mary Kogen, Merola Opera, Muramatsu America, Nicole Esposito, Oakland Symphony, Oregon Coast Music Festival, Pacific Symphony, photography, piccolo, Robert Dick, San Francisco Opera Center Orchestra, Steve Trapani, The Complete 21st Century Flutist, The Whole Hearted Musician, Warren Jones, Wendy Caldwell

Happy New Year!
It’s that time of year again, time to get back in shape after several luxurious days of holiday merriment and zero days of practicing. I made a decision going in that I would let this break be a honest to goodness break and not stress out about practicing.Taking a week off to decompress, park it on the couch, watch the complete Star Wars saga, and eat pizzelle’s was perfectly delightful. I’m finally learning that breaks without guilt are a good thing.
My practice these past few days have been some of the most mindful and productive practice I’ve had in months. Why? Because during the flurry of the orchestral season and full swing of the semester at CSULB, I simply don’t always have the time to do all the things I want to do. Mindful practice, yes. Thorough practice, mostly. But there are days when I have rehearsals and concerts, or a full day of teaching, where my practice time is whittled down to the bare necessities. I always make time for long tones, technical studies, and études before diving into what’s on tap for that week or the next. But when I return after a break, and especially during winter break from the university, it’s a wonderful opportunity to expand everything out and be more comprehensive in my woodshed. More importantly, it’s a chance to get in there and work on things in my playing that will make me better. My bass trombonist husband Steve often says he “wants to see how good he can get at playing this thing” and I concur.

The new year is also a time for reflection, where I look into the rear view mirror at the year that’s just passed with gratitude, but also ahead with enthusiasm for what’s to come. I recently read an excellent blog post by Dana Putnam Fonteneau, creator of The Whole Hearted Musician. Dana’s posts always resonate with me and this one was no exception, in fact, it inspired this blog post I’m writing now.
In the spirit of that, here are some highlights from my 2015:

Holiday fun at the Oakland Symphony

I love my orchestra, Oakland Symphony. We had a few concerts in 2015 that were definitely career highlights: Backing up the brilliantly talented and entertaining Kevin Spacey, performing the massive Eighth Symphony of Shostakovich, and an outstanding concert production of Bernstein’s “Candide.”  Awesome. All of it.

It’s always a pleasure to work with my friends at the Pacific Symphony. Their production of “Sleeping Beauty” with American Ballet Theater was exceptional in every way. I wrote a pretty detailed account of that back in March, which you can read here.

Steve bought me my first real camera as a birthday gift in March, and I’ve taken more photos in the past 9 months than I can count. I did a fair amount of photography when I was a teenager, so coming back to it all these years later has provided me with some much needed balance as well as being a terrific creative outlet away from music. Here are a handful of my favorite shots from this past spring, summer, and fall.

Sunset in Pacific Grove

Carmel

Limekiln State Park Campground

Limekiln State Park Campground

Oregon Coast

Golden Gate Bridge

NYC

Riverside Park, NYC

Benicia Bridge

Carpenteria State Beach Campground

Carpenteria State Beach Campground

I explored my more adventurous side a bit more this past year with sailing and stand-up paddle. If you had told me even 2 years ago that I’d be such a big fan of both of these water sports, I’d have never believed it.

Sailing with friends in the Carquenez Straits before an Oakland Symphony concert in November

Alamitos Bay – No better spot to go paddle boarding!

After many months of hard work and patience, my proposal for a summer flute course at CSU, Summer Arts was accepted. Words cannot describe how happy this made me. CSU Summer Arts is something I participated in twice during grad school, and then again two years ago as a guest artist, and now I get to present my own course. The line up of guest artists is off the charts, to say the least: Flutists Carol Wincenc, Ali Ryerson, Robert Dick, Ian Clarke, John Barcellona, and yours truly, with pianists Bryan Pezzone, and Wendy Caldwell, and SF Bay Area drummer Akira Tana and bassist John Wiitala. (Flutists, mark your calendars and don’t miss this opportunity to work with these fine musicians and pedagogues!)

We’ll spend two weeks in beautiful Monterey Bay at CSUMB, teaching, performing, learning, gaining inspiration from one another, and basically soaking in all that is visual and performance art from a variety of disciplines. I wrote a blog post about my experience there in 2013, which you can read here. Suffice to say, it’s another one of those soul feeding experiences.

 

June was filled to the brim with goodness, with a return to the Iowa Piccolo Intensive…

Me with Nicole Esposito and my student Katie Hirabayashi

Pre-concert shenanigans with Nicole… what could go wrong?

Tim ‘Philharomonic’ Carey and I

The A Team! Nicole Esposito, Angela Jones-Reus, Sarah Jackson, Tim Carey and I

… and presenting and performing at our Biennial Andover Educators Conference in Portland.

Tea time with Angela Kelly

Post-concert bliss with Amy Likar and Stephanie Cooke

Mary Kogen and I

what?!?

Post conference hike

I dig Portland …Such a fun and vibrant city!

Mc Cullough Bridge, North Bend, Oregon

In July, I headed north to beautiful Coos Bay, Oregon to perform at the Oregon Coast Music Festival, something I’ve done since 1998. Due to other performance and teaching conflicts the previous two summers, I hadn’t been to OCMF since 2012, so returning this past July was pretty special. You can read all about my adventures here.

Warren Jones and I after the SF Opera Center/Merola production of the “Don Pasquale”

Another summer highlight was my other job that I love with the SF Opera Center Orchestra and the remarkably talented singers in the Merola program. I simply can’t get enough of opera, so getting to play “Don Pasquale” under the great Warren Jones was beyond amazing. He told me that my name was the best Italian opera name ever, and as it turns out, Warren really, really likes the piccolo. (Yes!)

I promised myself years ago that one day I’d get my dream flute; a 9K gold Muramatsu. This past summer, I finally did. This flute is gorgeous and makes practicing fun again. It’s as if someone moved the soft/loud goal posts of dynamics and all the sudden I can go way further than ever before, with a more diverse palette of colors than I’ve ever been able to create. (Thanks you, Muramatsu!)

My annual trip to NYC to teach was filled with many laughs, inspiration, and beauty. My dear friend and colleague Carol Wincenc and I presented our second annual “Day of Musical Rejuvenation” in Manhattan. We had a house full of talented flutists, singers, and pianists who performed for us in a master class and evening recital. Fabulous! I also presented my annual Body Mapping workshop at SUNY Stony Brook. It’s great to return year after year, track the progress of students, and make the acquaintance of new, talented musicians. In between all of that and a host of private lessons, I was able to fit in some quality time with family. Look forward to seeing you again soon, NYC!

Me and my president! CSULB President, Jane Conoley and I at the CSU Board of Trustees Poster Session in November.

Yep, 2015 was chocked full of many wonderful things, for which I am grateful. My plan for 2016 is to continue finding balance between work and play and to make time for the people and things that matter most. It’s tricky being a freelance musician. One day I’m working in LA, the next in SF; Santa Barbara one day, Oakland the next. My freeway philharmonic colleagues and I have to keep a lot of plates spinning and serve many masters. Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Cheers to a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!