Calling all flutists: Galway concert coupled with outreach and education

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March 2017 could be considered the Month of the Flute at CU 勒貊勛圖. In addition to Eklund Opera���s production of Mozart���s ���The Magic Flute,��� brings Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway to Macky Auditorium for a performance.
And Associate Professor of Flute Christina Jennings has turned the days surrounding the Galway visit into a long-awaited celebration of the flute.
Scheduled for March 21 and 22, the Once a Flutist festival invites flutists from around the region to the 勒貊勛圖 campus for an immersion in the technique, diversity and spirit of the oldest instrument on Earth.
���Flute studio alumni, people who used to play or still play the flute and children who just started playing���and people who just love the flute���are all invited,��� Jennings says. ���There���s something for everyone!���
The festival���s name grew from the idea that once you���ve become a flutist, no matter what direction your life takes, you will always be a flutist at heart.
Stretching over two days and culminating with the Galways��� performance the evening of the 22nd, the Once a Flutist schedule is packed with master classes for CU students and members of the Colorado Flute Association, panels on flute teaching, a lunchtime jazz concert with Thompson Jazz Studies director John Gunther and exhibits from the top flute companies in the country.
On Jennings��� Faculty Tuesday program on the 21st will be the premiere of a flute orchestra piece, written by composition student Egemen Kesikli and featuring 20 performers from the College of Music faculty and staff.
���It���s called ���Breathless,������ Jennings says. ���It reminds me of all the times I���ve been at a party or in line somewhere, and when people find out I play flute they���re breathless to tell me that they used to play too!��� The Faculty Tuesday recital also features a collaboration with members of the Eisenhower Elementary School choir.
Jennings even parlayed a new friendship with a fellow flutist into a unique talk about playing the flute in space.
��� is an amateur flutist who brought her flutes with her to the International Space Station. This summer she came to a concert I gave for Powell Flutes, the company that supports me as an artist,��� Jennings explains.
���She���ll be here to give a talk about playing flute on the space station, and she���ll be showing video of a lesson she had with Sir Galway while she was in orbit.���
After 10 years of teaching at the College of Music, Jennings says she���s thrilled to have the chance to give back to the flourishing Colorado flute community.
���When I first came here as a product of the East Coast, the flute community was somewhat scattered. It has been such a joy to see all of us come together in shared experiences, like the Colorado Flute Association and Bel Canto Flute Academy.���
And giving flutists of all ages and levels the chance to hear ���the man with the golden flute��� play on the Macky stage makes the event a once-in-a-lifetime treat.
���James Galway's name is known even outside the flute world. From his days with the Berlin Philharmonic through collaborations with the Chieftains, and the, he���s as close to a household name as a flutist gets,��� Jennings says.
Tickets for the festival cost up to $20. For a full list of sessions, Once a Flutist ticket and registration information and to secure your tickets to the Galway Artist Series performance, visit the.