A message from Irene Palma

Hi, everyone (is there an echo in here or is it just me?),

If it is just me, I take full responsibility - after creating this blog a few years ago, I promptly forgot all about it. However, I'd like to get this thing back up and current again, and I hope you'll come back soon.

So who am I, and where have I been? I was a private student of Patty Sikorski's, and in or around 1990 or 1991, with her encouragement and awesome training, I started playing with Culver City Flute Choir. I've been a member ever since. I've done some semi-professional playing around the Los Angeles area, mostly with Patty or as a guest/member of City Garage theater in Santa Monica. And I'm the one who sends out all the email notices about concerts and other information to CCFC flutists and friends, so if you want to contact Patty or find out more about the flute choir or our concerts, start with me and I'll get you pointed in the right direction.

I intend to update the information contained in this blog with more regularity. You can also find us on Facebook (Friends of Culver City Flute Choir; check back for link), or email the flute choir directly.

What's a flute choir? A flute choir is like any choir: we're a group of flutists (the size of our group ranges anywhere from about seven to up to thirteen flutists) who perform music either written specifically for flute choir or other music that has been edited to fit our instrumentation. Our very talented members play piccolo, C flute, alto flute, bass flute, and contra-bass flute. All these voices make for a layered and interesting mix.

What's Culver City Flute Choir? As you can see from the text at the top of the page, Culver City Flute Choir is a community-based group that operates thanks to Culver City Adult School. There are no auditions to join; all that is required is to register and the ability to play the flute, read music, show up to rehearsals, and a desire to play. We meet for about 10 weeks, and during all school quarters except the summer, put on an informal concert for our families and friends. During the winter holiday season, we often have two additional performances, for Lamp Community, located in Downtown Los Angeles; and at a local retirement home. If you haven't played your flute since high school or college, you're not alone! Many of our members start out this way, and while that first night might feel a little uncomfortable, rest assured and know that it definitely gets easier, and a lot more fun.

Currently we're taking a bit of a break from concertizing and are meeting for informal reading sessions. There is so much to gain from sight-reading and playing with friends! The fall quarter is just around the corner, and I will be posting more information about that as it becomes available from the Adult School.

Thanks for your interest and for stopping by, and, if you haven't done so in awhile, get out your flute and play a little!

Hope to see you soon,
Irene