National Flute Association

Last updated
The National Flute Association
AbbreviationNFA
Formation1973
Headquarters70 East Lake Street, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Location
  • USA
Membership
5,000
Executive Director
Jennifer Clarke
Staff
4
Website http://www.nfaonline.org

The National Flute Association (NFA) is the largest flute organization in the world, with roughly 5,000 members from more than 50 countries. [1] It is an association in the United States with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Members include soloists, orchestral players, jazz and world music performers, teachers, adult amateurs, and students of all ages.

Contents

The organization was founded in 1972 by flutist Mark Thomas [2] and incorporated in 1973 in the state of Indiana. In 1973, an ad-hoc committee was created to help plan a convention of flutists. The group became the members of the first Board of Directors. Past presidents, program chairs, and committee chairs have included principal flutists of American orchestras, soloists and chamber musicians, and professors at conservatories and universities. Notable members include Sir James Galway and Ian Anderson. [3] Rebecca Johnson is President of the Board for 2022-2024, and Jennifer Grim is Vice-President.

The first administrative role was established in 1977 and the organization currently has four full-time staff members. Jennifer Clarke was named the Executive Director in January 2021.

Annual Conventions

The NFA Convention is the largest annual flute event in the world, with more than 3,000 attendees and 80 exhibitors each year. The four-day event includes hundreds of workshops, masterclasses, competitions, and performances. Conventions are held in cities across the United States. Previous locations include San Diego, Washington D.C., New York City, and Chicago. Virtual conventions have replaced in-person gatherings for 2020 and 2021 because of Covid-19 concerns. The 2022 Fiftieth Anniversary Convention was held in Chicago, August 11-14, 2022. The 2023 Convention will be in Phoenix, Arizona, August 3-6, 2023.

Committees

NFA members have established committees that focus on individual components of the organization and the concerns of the wider flute community, including highlighting less prominent areas of flute musicianship, such as low and Baroque flute, reaching out to underserved communities, and providing pedagogical guidance, among other initiatives. These committees helped establish the NFA’s music commission program, create scholarships and competitions, and collect pedagogical materials aimed at young flutists.

Competitions

NFA competitions create opportunities for young and emerging flutists to compete and gain performance and audition skills. The Annual NFA Convention currently hosts 15 performance competitions in solo, flute choir, and masterclass categories and four non-performance competitions, which highlight new flute music, research, and entrepreneurship.

Commissions

The NFA commissions original compositions for all members of the flute family. The New Music Advisory Committee, established in 1985, works with the NFA Board to create opportunities for flutists to interact with contemporary composers by playing their music and ensuring today's composers create substantial repertoire for flute players.

The NFA has commissioned more than 70 new works for both flute and piccolo. [4] Beginning in 1986, the NFA has commissioned a new piece to be used as repertoire in the Young Artist Competition each year. In 1989 a yearly commission for a new work for the High School Soloist Competition was added. The NFA also commissions a piece for the bi-annual Piccolo Artist Competition, as well as special project commissions. Composers include winners of the Pulitzer Prize, Prix de Rome, and other awards.

Scholarships

The NFA has established numerous scholarship programs for continuing education, including cultural outreach scholarships in 15 U.S. and non-U.S. cities. The NFA supports promising students with several scholarships named after flutists whose involvement in the organization helped shape its vision:

The annual Frances Blaisdell Scholarship, named for Frances Blaisdell, provides a U.S. high school or undergraduate student with the opportunity to receive complimentary registration for that year’s convention and take advantage of the many performances, workshops, and sessions being offered.

Every other year, the NFA offers the Myrna Brown Scholarship, which allows an international student to attend and present at the Annual Convention.

The NFA also offers several scholarship prizes at the convention. The Geoffrey Gilbert Scholarship prize is awarded to the NFA High School Soloist Competition first-place winner for further flute study with any teacher who is a member of the NFA. The Deveau Scholarship is awarded for the outstanding performance of the NFA High School Soloist Competition commissioned work.

Awards

Since 1991 the National Flute Association has honored the best and the brightest of its colleagues with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The debut award went to Jean-Pierre Rampal. Other notable recipients include Julius Baker and Sir James Galway. The NFA also gives out the Distinguished Service Award, first given to John Solum in 1998.

The NFA Library

The NFA Library was established in 1973 when exhibiting publishers at the first convention were asked to donate copies of their music. The NFA holds the largest lending library of flute music internationally with a catalog of more than 15,000 works, many of which are rare or out of print. [5] The library is located at the University of Arizona Fine Arts Library in Tucson, Arizona.

Publications

NFA members create ongoing publications to communicate with the flute world and share valuable research, history, educational, and pedagogical resources.

The NFA’s member magazine, The Flutist Quarterly, is published each season and includes contributions from members, flute scholars, and other enthusiasts from around the world. The NFA also produces special publications, including The Flutist’s Handbook, Kindcaidiana, and historic recordings.

Related Research Articles

Julius Baker was one of the foremost American orchestral flute players. During the course of five decades he concertized with several of America's premier orchestral ensembles including the Chicago Symphony and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) is an American nonprofit professional organization for the support, growth, and development of music-teaching professionals, with more than 17,000 members in 50 states, and more than 500 affiliated local and state organizations. MTNA offers a wide range of member resources, from leadership, teaching and personal health support, to insurance, financial and legal services. It also comprises two subsidiaries, the MTNA Professional Certification Program, and the MTNA Foundation Fund, which supports a variety of programs that include music competitions and commissioning of composers. MTNA was founded in 1876, and is registered as a 501(c)(3) organization in Ohio, with headquarters located in Cincinnati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Dick (flutist)</span> Musical artist

Robert Dick is a flutist, composer, teacher and author.

Verne Q. Powell Flutes Inc. is a producer of professional flutes and piccolos since 1927. The company produces handmade musical instruments in wood, silver, platinum, and gold.

Maxence Larrieu is a French classical flautist.

Viviana Guzmán is a Chilean professional flutist, composer, dancer and poet, who performs over 80 concerts a year, and has played in 122 countries. She has been described by The New York Times as "an imaginative artist". It has also been said of her that "Guzmán may be the first flutist since her teacher Jean-Pierre Rampal, to be able to establish a sustaining solo career." She actively coaches at the Peninsula Youth Orchestra. Official Website

Jeanne Baxtresser is an American flutist and teacher. She is most notable for her position as principal flutist of the New York Philharmonic for over 15 years, she decided to play the flute when she was only nine years old, as an author, and as a professor and master teacher. Previous positions include professor of flute at The University of Montréal, The University of Toronto, Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New England conservatory and Carnegie Mellon University. She received the National Flute Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. She has been credited with "upholding an increasingly higher standard of artistic excellence for the flute."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ransom Wilson</span> American flutist and conductor (born 1951)

Ransom Wilson is an American flutist, conductor, and educator.

James Walker is an American flutist and educator. He is the former Principal Flute of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the founder of the jazz quartet Free Flight. Since 1984, he has focused most of his attention on jazz performance and flute pedagogy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Clarke (flautist)</span> British flutist and composer

Ian Clarke is a British flutist and composer.

Mark Thomas was an American flutist and music educator who studied under William Kincaid. Thomas was also the founder and honorary president of the National Flute Association.

Doriot Anthony Dwyer was an American flutist. She was one of the first women to be awarded principal chair for a major U.S. orchestra. She was the principal flute for the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1952 until 1990. She was second flute for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She was an Adjunct Professor of Music at Boston University.

Frances Blaisdell was an American flautist, widely recognized as one of the first female professional flautists. She held positions with the National Orchestral Association, the New Opera Company and the New Friends of Music. In addition, she was the first woman to appear as a soloist and wind player in concert with the New York Philharmonic. In addition to playing, she also held teaching positions at the Manhattan School of Music, New York University, Dalcroze School, Mannes School of Music, and Stanford University where she taught for over 35 years. Blaisdell's teachers included Georges Barrère, Marcel Moyse and William Kincaid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Korb</span> Musical artist

Ron Korb is a Grammy-nominated Canadian flutist (flautist) and composer.

Carol Wincenc born June 29, 1949 is an American flutist based in New York City. She is known for her solo and chamber music performances and her support of new music for the flute. She is on the faculty of the Juilliard School and Stony Brook University.

Eric Lamb is an American flutist and Altus performing artist who performs and teaches across the United States and Europe.

John C. Krell was an American flutist, piccoloist, author and teacher.

Leone Buyse is the Joseph and Ida K. Mullen Professor of Flute and Chair of Woodwinds at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. Prior to a full-time career teaching, Buyse spent over 22 years as an orchestral flutist, including a decade from 1983-1993 as Principal Flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops Orchestra. Other orchestral positions include Rochester Philharmonic as solo piccolo and second flute, and assistant principal of San Francisco Symphony. In addition to the Shepherd School, she has held faculty positions at the New England Conservatory, Boston University, University of Michigan, as visiting professor at the Eastman School of Music and numerous summer festivals including the Tanglewood Institute. Her primary teachers include Marcel Moyse, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Michel Debost and Joseph Mariano.

Bonita Boyd is an American flutist, soloist and pedagogue. She has been the Professor of Flute at the Eastman School of Music since 1977, when she succeeded her mentor Joseph Mariano. Her primary teachers include Mariano, Maurice Sharp of the Cleveland Orchestra, and Roger Stevens of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 1971, she became the youngest principal flutist of a major American orchestra after winning the positions of principal flute with the Rochester Philharmonic. Following this position, her Alice Tully Hall debut was received as "a great success" and subsequent tour performances harkened her comparisons to Jean-Pierre Rampal and Sir James Galway. Boyd was Principal Flutist with the Aspen Festival Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony and Filarmonica de las Americas.

Marianne Gedigian is an American flutist and teacher. She holds a Butler Professorship as Professor of Flute at the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music. She has formerly held positions as acting principal flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, and as principal flute of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. Gedigian has worked with composer John Williams and can be heard on the film scores for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Her teachers include Clement Barone, Doriot Anthony Dwyer, and Leone Buyse. She has performed solo recitals on four continents in the US, Australia, Japan and England. Gedigian is a Haynes flute artist.

References

  1. "National Flute Association". 2012-05-23.
  2. "Flutist Thomas plays tonight". The Salt Lake Tribune. 1990-10-09. p. M9.
  3. Howard Reich (1997-08-10). "High-end Musicians Drawn To The Flute". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  4. "Commissions". www.nfaonline.org. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  5. "About the Library". www.nfaonline.org. Retrieved 2017-03-15.