A tribute to Willie Odis Carter

Culver City Flute Choir lost one of its dearest supporters this month with the passing of Willie Odis Carter.

Mrs. Carter was the mother of our long-time member, Sandy Nixon. The flute choir played many years each December at Mrs. Carter's retirement home as part of our annual "southland tour," and we will miss her encouragement and fondness for us and our playing. These concerts usually included a solo piano performance by her daughter Sandy, and Mrs. Carter's enjoyment of both the flute choir and Sandy's playing made these concerts fun events for all of us.

Some of us attended her memorial service on Saturday, August 15, and I was particularly touched by Sandy's memories about her mother's dedication to her musical studies. All of us should be so lucky to have someone so devoted to our music.

We'll miss you.

Sandy, we're thinking of you.

Willie Odis Carter
January 19, 1910 - August 8, 2009

Donations in Mrs. Carter's name to City of Children, and Ethiopia, can be sent care of:

Crenshaw Church of Christ
2719 W. Martin Luther King Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90008

Click on the title to read Mrs. Carter's obituary as it appears in the Los Angeles Times.

Post Convention Interview with Flute Choir Member: Shannon

Here are Shannon's answers to the questions about the flute convention.

Thanks, Shannon! Can't wait to see (and hear) your new purchases in the fall!

Q: Was this your first time attending the flute convention? If no, what keeps you interested in returning? If yes, will you go again?

A: I've attended every single convention since 2000. I love to go every year. I consider it my vacation every year. I will definitely go again.

Q: Were there any performances that stood out for you in particular? Who was the performer and what did they play?

A: My favorite parts of the convention were:

1. Friday morning's Record Breaking Event. We broke China's record for having the Largest Flutist Ensemble (see previous posts for the video and the article).
2. Gala Concert with James Galway was unbelievable. I loved every single piece that was played by James and Jeanne Galway.
3. Closing Ceremony was one of the best Closing Ceremonies I've been too. I loved the fifers and Quintessenz.

Q: What special thing, if anything, did you buy in the exhibit hall?

A: I came home with a new cleaning cloth, polish cloth, stand light, flute stand, flute flag, pad paper, and Claire de Lune (sheet music). I also put an alto flute on layaway.

Q: What fun, non-convention thing did you do while in New York?

A: After the convention was over, Judy and I took a ferry over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Afterwards, we met up with Patty for some Thai food, a massage, dessert and little bit of shopping. I loved New York (except for 6 hours hours of flight delay getting there)!!! I wish I would've stayed couple of more days to catch a show or something....

Post Convention Interview with Flute Choir Member: Judy

I sent some email questions to the ladies from the flute choir who attended the flute convention in New York last year. Here are Judy's answers.

Thanks, Judy! It sounds like you had a good time. See you in flute choir next month!

(Note: I will link to the video and if I can, audio items that Judy refers to, later today.)

Q: Was this your first time attending the flute convention? If no, what keeps you interested in returning? If yes, will you go again?

A: This was my second flute convention (technically, it's the third, but the first was very long ago and I only stayed for one day). I really enjoyed the Kansas City convention last year, and have mixed feelings about the NYC convention. I definitely plan to attend the Anaheim convention next year.

Q: Were there any performances that stood out for you in particular? Who was the performer and what did they play?

A: JAMES GALWAY!!!! His performance and master class are among the most memorable moments in my flute history. He’s a very entertaining personality and very endearing to me. He played:

(1) Gaubert, Third Sonata. Never heard this before. It is beautiful (want to learn this one).
(2) Gaubert, Nocturne & Allegro Scherzando. Wonderful.
(3) Debussy, En Bateau. A gem!
(4) Chaminade, Concertina
(4) Doppler, Rigoletto Fantasy
(5) Briccialdi, Carnival of Venice
(6) Morlacchi, Il Pastore Svizzero. I recognized the tune but not the name
(7) Bazzini, Le Ronde des Lutins. Ditto
(8) Taffanel, Grande Fantasie Sur Mignon. Breathtaking.

and 2 or 3 encore numbers.

QUINTESSENZ – a wonderful quintet from Germany. In addition to a ½ hour afternoon performance, they were the final act of a long closing ceremony (4:30 to 8:00pm). They were one of the highest points of the Convention for me and many others – long standing ovations. Their arrangements and playing were so unusually beautiful. Their arrangements are not published yet. They did Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream; Debussy’s Passepied from Suite Bergamasque; Ganne’s Andente et Scherzo (another most unusual arrangement played to perfection); Ravel, from Miroirs, Alborada del Gracioso. They have a few CD’s out and can be seen on YouTube.

ADRIANNE GREENBAUM with fiddler, bass, and cimbelon – klezmerflute.com. A great joyous sound! Loved the performance at Closing Ceremony. Can also be seen on YouTube.

PAUL EDMUND-DAVIES (principle flutist w/London Symphony Orchestra for 20 years) was also a highlight for me. His playing, of course, is astounding and he also has a very entertaining personality.

I saw/heard only half of Ian Clarke’s Thursday morning concert. I enjoyed it, but was a bit distracted due to jet lag from the horrible traveling schedule. Also fell asleep during the Thursday evening Gala (didn’t feel very Gala). There were many many performances and workshops I regret that I missed. Too much to choose from. Missed all the late evening cabaret jazz sessions this time. Temps were in the 90’s. Too too hot to enjoy mid-town Manhattan. The noise, traffic and hordes of people in Times Square, where the convention took place, were almost overwhelming to me.

Q: What fun, non-convention thing did you do while in New York?

A: Shannon and I took a ferry to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Museum – very interesting (and air-conditioned). The last evening and on Monday, Shannon and I met Patty and had a fun time – we found a small deli/restaurant then walked for a bit. Shannon and I also dinner with Ronna the first evening, then other evenings (when the temps cooled a bit) after the gala concerts, we took longer walks to explore the area.

Record Breaking Event - NPR Story

Click on the title.

World Record Breaking Flute Event

Click on the title to view the "World Record Breaking Flute Event" video. Oh... and if you look close enough, you can see me in the video.

Photos from the flute convention

Photos from flute convention

I received some awesome photos from Ronna, one of our flute choir members, taken from the convention. Hopefully she'll send along some more information for those of us who had to stay home soon!








































I want to play that contrabass, too!

Photos by Ronna

Fall dates!

Mark your calendars, everyone, the fall quarter for flute choir will begin on Thursday, September 17, 2009.

Registration through Culver City Adult School starts on Monday, August 31st.

Concert photos

I finally uploaded the (blurry) photos Patrick took at the last concert (June 25) before the camera battery died.

(Pauly, see what happens when you don't come to a concert? Disaster.)
















This has to be the most awkward photo of a flutist, ever. What am I doing? Why did he take this picture in the first place? Gosh.

From a NY Times article about Mozart

“At first we laughed at what seemed such pure gibberish, but his father then began to observe the most important matter, the notes and music,” Schachtner recounted. “He stared long at the sheet, and then tears, tears of joy and wonder, fell from his eyes. ‘It is so very difficult that no one could play it,’ Leopold said. And Wolfgang replied: ‘That’s why it’s a concerto. You must practice it till you can get it right.’ ”

Wow, the kid was 7 or 8. What were you doing at that age (Mozart had already started composing at age 5; it's not his youth that is so surprising in this article, it's that these two pieces were only just discovered)? I'm pretty sure I was playing a game called "Dog and Cat" with my best friend, Jeremy. It involved one of us pretending to be "Dog" and the other pretending to be "Cat," and barking and meowing at each other as indicated by our respective roles. Oh, yes: we were thespians.

Click on the title of today's post to read the entire article. Or you might consider taking out your flute and practicing. Maybe some Mozart!

From a Los Angeles Times magazine article about Gustavo Dudamel, the new conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic

"For me, it’s very important that musicians can feel. That’s why I say to them some image, or I want the blood, or I want the sound of the meat. It’s feelings, and this is music." - Gustavo Dudamel

I love this quote.

Please click on the title of today's post to be taken directly to the article.

Flute convention 2009: New York!

I'm not going to the flute convention this year. I've been to many of them in the past! This year it's in New York, and as exciting as New York is (I love it there!), it just didn't work out. Also, as much as I love both the flute convention and New York, it didn't seem fair to leave Patrick at home while I make yet another solo trip there. I want us to go together. Next year's convention is scheduled for Anaheim, which is much closer to home (no hotel room required!), and I intend to drag him to at least one evening's concert.

The convention begins next Thursday, August 13. Are you going? If so, what are you interested in seeing/hearing/playing? I've been checking out the schedule of events (the NFA posts the schedule on their website, which you can access via the right side -->), and these are the things I would be looking forward to:

• United States Military Academy Band at West Point - lecture and recital. I love military bands!
• Gary Schocker - Showcase. Gary and his socks are always entertaining; he's a great performer. I've played a few of his flute duets: challenging and fun.
• Workshop (and the next day, a concert) with (hunky) Ian Clarke. Ian Clarke was the heartthrob for me in San Diego. We saw him play at the Friday night concert and I fell in love (with his music, of course). I talked with him the next day in the exhibit hall, where he attempted to teach me something, and I promptly forgot how to play an "A." I am such a dork. Later, with my own flute, I went to a workshop he gave on advanced techniques where I hopefully demonstrated my ability to actually play notes.
• Performance by Carol Wincenc - she's beautiful and thrilling to see. I love her playing.
• Trevor Wye's performance of "50 Variations on the Carnival of Venice" for 60 flutes, which I've seen 2 or 3 times already. He's amazing.
• New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will host a special presentation August 14 at 2:30 p.m. for convention attendees. The museum’s musical instrument collection is closed during August due to roof repairs, but flutes will be taken out of storage for this private showing by Associate Curator Herbert Heyde. - This sounds fun and interesting.
• Make history! Join Sir James Galway and the NFA in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record™ for World’s Largest Flute Ensemble! Let’s shatter the world record of 1,701 participants, set in Tuebingen, Germany, on December 22, 2007. In commemoration of his 70th birthday this year, Sir James commissioned a medley of his favorite works, including “Danny Boy,” to be performed at the event. - This sounds like a lot of fun! I downloaded the music (if I were going, I'd be on flute IV). Maybe those of us not going to the convention can get together and have a little quartet on this one.
• Friday Gala concert: I always look forward to these concerts; Paul Edmund-Davies is one of the performers. I just did "The Emperor and the Bird of Paradise," which was composed for him by Alan Ridout, at City Garage a couple of weeks ago, and I've heard him play before. He's great. They usually post the actual programs for the concerts in the schedule you receive at the convention; the online listing (so far) doesn't show what pieces will be played. I'm pretty sure he won't do "The Emperor and the Bird of Paradise," but it would be nice to hear him play anything. He'll also be in recital the next day.
• James Galway will be featured at the Saturday Gala concert, which should be exciting.
• On Saturday, there will be a concert called "New York, Electrified," which features flute duos with electronics. Sounds intriguing!

Anyway, this is just what caught my eye for Thursday, Friday and some of Saturday! There are lots of flute choir showcases, workshops, recitals that are too numerous to list here. And of course the exhibit hall is always fun and a great way to pass the time in between events. I'd head straight for the Powell booth and play as many expensive and beautiful flutes and piccolos I could get my hands on.

Even though I'm not going, I'm starting to get excited for my friends who are! I hope some of you send some reports or photos to share with the rest of us. Meanwhile, I'll start saving up for next year...

Ashokan Farewell, by Jay Ungar

As part of our last concert, Culver City Flute Choir performed "Ashokan Farewell," by Jay Ungar. It's pretty.

Enjoy!