The National Flute Association spent four days in San Antonio for its annual convention last week. There were 2,952 registered attendees in town to experience performances, seminars, exhibits, and special events.
It’s an exciting time to be a part of the flute family for sure, but the convention also offered sound advice on performance and repertoire that was beneficial to all musicians.
A flute was one of the earliest discoveries among the musical instrument family. Nowadays, they are an essential part of any orchestra. Did you know that there are seven types of flutes? Everyone knows the standard concert flute, but there’s also the petite piccolo and the hulking contrabass that, at nearly nine feet tall, is estimated even taller than Spurs phenomenon Victor Wembanyama!
Joel Toste is a world-traveling flutist who was excited to attend the convention last week.
“It’s really a tremendous opportunity to learn about the flute, [and] to see what’s new and research. To see a lot of the new works that are being written and performed for the first time,” Toste said.
One of the early programs was “Gatherings: Flute Chamber Music II.” This three-recital series performance showcased the versatility of the flute in tandem with other instruments, such as the piano, clarinet, and harp. This performance surged with energy and good times.
The biggest reminder of why live performances are fun was the clarinet and flute duo of Mark Cramer and Mary Matthews. Flying in from Ireland, but ready to put on a good show, they had the whole room laughing and flowing with joy. It’s one thing to be a good player, but it takes skill and passion to be a good performer too.
Fellow TPR Interns Valentina Barrera-Ibarra & Samuel Rocha were able to catch the seminar titled, “From Fear to Flourish: Navigating Performance Anxiety with Chelsea Tanner.”
Tanner is a professional flutist and certified life coach. Her seminar aimed to incorporate anxiety management techniques as a daily routine, so when anxiety strikes on-stage, that same ability can adapt to the situation. It’s a helpful seminar for combating the pesky feeling that can throw off a whole performance.
Meanwhile, there was a historical event in the making titled “Melanin Rhapsody.” The newly created ensemble was a celebration of representation for BIPOC flutists. How refreshing it was to experience a diversity in members, choice of music, and audience.
One thing remained the same: the instruments were all types of flutes! Their set included pieces composed by the players, including Tito Abeleda Jr., from Florida. Abeleda’s piece was titled, “Tears from My Eyes: Reflection and Contemplation.” Originally composed as a dedication to his parents, it is an introspective piece on the grief that comes from people who enter and exit through our lives.
Conductor Christopher Lampkin offered this insight before ending the set: “The programming is intentional. Having Gustav Holst next to Florence Price ... it’s important to have that cultural exchange.” They plan to play for the second time at the next NFA convention in Atlanta.
Ramona Douglas, a concert flutist from San Antonio’s Adelante Winds, performed in the Melanin Rhapsody session, and said, “The performance you just saw is actually a brand new endeavor. This is the first time there’s been a flute choir, specifically, of black and brown individuals. This was a historic moment...and we look forward to making our mark in the flute and music world.”
Another interesting concert was “The Banned Play On: Music for Flute by Banned, Persecuted, and Exiled Composers.” This musical lecture hybrid featured a discussion and performance by Christine Beard and Jeremy Benson, flutists, with pianist Allison Franzetti. It was a serious topic covering composers who faced discrimination and political persecution. Some of the highlighted composers had their names erased from history, exiled from their homeland, or punished with death. However tragic their story was, their works have survived to this day. While they played on, a silent appreciation met them from the audience.
Perhaps the most divisive exhibit was “FluteArt.” It was flute music, integrated with interdisciplinary art forms. It’s abstract, and while the music and visuals left the audience in a trance that was unsettling, it was oddly soothing, even if some were left a little confused.
After viewing the session, Valerie Potter, professor of flute from New Mexico, said, “I was wondering as I was sitting there, why this program? I find the idea of multimedia and getting technology involved interesting, but I don’t understand it. I don’t feel like it’s something that I’m prepared to do … but I want to understand it better.”
One of the later seminars was “Musician Mental Health: Triggers and Glimmers.” This seminar aimed to inform the audience on four commonly found mental health topics affecting musicians, including performance anxiety, perfectionism, negative self-talk, and imposter syndrome. The audience was mostly younger, made up primarily of students and soon-to-be teachers.
Mallory Harrison, a doctoral student from the University of Alabama, said, “I feel like I got something out of [this seminar] to help me personally, but then also to help with students in the future whenever they have issues with performance anxiety. Not only in my own practice, in my own performance, but recognizing it in students, friends, and some tips for how to navigate and combat that.”
Many of these programs were also ongoing with other interesting topics relevant to musicians, such as online presence, physical health, teaching, premiering of new pieces, and a lively flute lifestyle. These were only a few of what one day had to offer at NFA. Take it from the consensus of the community, who had nothing but positive things to say about the convention.
“With the way things are now with the internet, it is easier to communicate with people across the world. Conventions like these, it’s still so necessary that we can all see each other in person, hear each other play. There’s nothing like hearing a live performance of someone you’ve been following from afar, and then you finally get to come to a conference where you get to see and hear them in person and talk to them. It’s one big family reunion of flute players,” Douglas said.
Sharing a similar sentiment, Potter added, “I meet people all the time who’d say, ‘Oh, I used to play the flute’, but it’s something that could be really enriching your life all the time. ... It’s a good way to figure out how you can still have a place in a musical community.”
The 53rd National Flute Association convention will be held in Atlanta on Aug. 7-10, 2025.
