Concerts & Workshops Offered by NFA in Anaheim, 8/12-15

PRESS RELEASE:

The National Flute Association will host its 38th Annual Convention in Anaheim, California, August 12 – 15, 2010 at the Anaheim Marriott with over 3,000 flutists, composers, flute scholars and flute enthusiasts from all over the world. The public is invited to attend the concerts and workshops that are offered Thursday through Sunday during the convention. The theme for the NFA convention this year is "Illuminating Tradition," paying homage to the NFA's heritage as an organization that serves to inspire, enrich and educate.

The Gala concert on Thursday, August 12 at 8 PM, "Chamber Music with a Twist," will be an exciting  fusion of  classical with everything from jazz and blues to world music featuring  performances by world music group Mystic Journey, the Matt Eakle Blues Band and flute beat boxer Greg Pattillo with his group PROJECT Trio. Jazz Review hailed Project Trio, saying, "They have a mission that transcends the music and touches humanity by bringing music to the kids, to the streets, to the masses. They do it so well that we all should get with the PROJECT and encourage this level of creativity and entertainment for the sake of all of us!" Mystic Journey is led by Grammy nominated flutist Suzanne Teng, whose credits include the flute work on Lost, along with well known jazz bassist Barry Newton and drummer, GilBert Levy. Matt Eakle has been called "a through and through jazz cat" by the Bay Area Jazz Examiner and "a monster" by Mark O'Conner.

A Gala Concerto concert on Saturday, August 14, at 8 PM will feature acclaimed soloist Carol Wincenc performing a world premiere by Jake Heggie, Cathy Ransom-Karoly of the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing Reinecke's Concerto, German flutist Michael Faust performing the U.S. premiere of a flute concerto by award-winning Latvian composer, Peteris Vasks and piccolo star Jan Gippo playing the premiere of a new piccolo concerto by Eric Ewazen.

The NFA will honor Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Leone Buyse and Fenwick Smith, both of whom played with the Boston Symphony for many years and are luminaries of the flute world, and National Service Awardee Gwen Powell.  Buyse and Smith will perform in a Gala Concert with former students on Friday night at 8 PM. The highs and lows of the flute spectrum will be featured in concerts of "Piccolo Gems" with the California State University, Fullerton, Wind Symphony and "Voices from the Deep" featuring big flutes from alto to contrabass, both on Thursday morning.

Great music will continue from 10:30 PM until midnight on Friday and Saturday with Late Night Jazz Cabarets with Jazz Flutist of the Year Nicole Mitchell on Friday and Nancy Stagnitta on Saturday. Other headliners  include former Chicago Symphony flutist Walfrid Kujala, Japanese flutist Nobutaka Shimizu, principal flute of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, soloists Robert Aiken, Robert Dick, Amy Porter and Alexa Still, New York Philharmonic piccolo player Mindy Kaufman,  and former LA Phil member, James Walker, who went on to form the jazz group Free Flight.

Young flutists can take advantage of the NFA's first "Kids Kamp." This pilot program on Saturday is for flutists ages 8–13. For a nominal price ($20 per person) kids will enjoy programming all their own under the tutelage of Carol Wincenc and Barbara Ogar. They can bring their flutes for the hands-on reading session and then enjoy any other convention offering, including the exhibit room, until 6 pm.

There will be workshops and performances by top and rising stars in the flute world, a wide variety of concerts, competitions and workshops and hundreds of exhibits by flute manufacturers, music and recording companies and others.  This year's convention offers several "firsts" including seminars on career and artistic development, concerts and workshops spotlighting low flutes, the Kids Kamp, and Professional Development Credit available through California State University Fullerton. Flutists and their families can take advantage of the NFA member discounted rates at Disneyland August 9 – 22 by purchasing tickets by August 8.

A complete listing of events is available at nfaonline.org/convention. Tickets for all events range from $10 to $25, and will be available at the NFA registration area at the Anaheim Marriott during the convention. Tickets for the evening concerts, at $25 or $20 for students, will also be sold at the door.

All events will be held at the Anaheim Marriott and are open to the public.

For more information on the convention, call 661-250-8920 until August 11 or 714-748-2433 during the convention, or visit www.nfaonline.org.

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