Flutes by the Sea Bali 2016

April 25, 2016 By
Flutes by the Sea in Lovina, Bali

Flutes by the Sea in Lovina, Bali

Flutes by the Sea 2016 Bali

I have always had a soft spot for Bali and especially Ubud.  I have been making a yearly pilgrimage to Ubud every 2 years for the last 13 years or so.  There are so many artisans that live and work in Ubud.  I especially love the Hindu and Buddhist mix of temples, and in particular, the ceremonies that are offered throughout the day with incense and offerings.  All this makes for a bewitching setting with beautiful and enchanting people.  And it is for all these reason that I decided to offer the first ever Flute Masterclass in Bali.

Flutes by the Sea at Munduk Waterfall

Flutes by the Sea at Munduk Waterfall

The ocean provides a wonderfully inspiring and relaxing backdrop for any creative spirit; we arose from the sea and it resonates within us still. I have always been attracted to the sea, and feel I am a sea creature who cannot be separated from my home for too long; it calls to me. This is why I created Flutes by the Sea Masterclasses in my home town of Half Moon Bay, CA. I wanted to attract fellow flute lovers and show them the power the energizing waves can exert over their creativity. Through the years, Flutes by the Sea Masterclass star teachers have included Carol Wincenc (Juilliard School), Jill Felber (UC Santa Barbara), Andrea “Fluterscooter” Fisher, Alice K. Dade (University of Missouri) and Barbara Siesel.

 

 

Lovina

Lovina Beach, Viviana Guzman Photography

Balinese Beauty
This year was expanded to include a seminar in Bali, Indonesia with Jane Rutter, Fluterscooter and myself rendezvousing with our students at that tranquil island in the west of the Pacific. Flutes by the Sea Bali started off with a session of swimming with the dolphins and coral reef snorkeling before the first note was played in flute class. Every day there was a different activity, from bathing at the breathtaking Munduk Waterfall; visiting the Batur, Bratan and Agung Volcanos; feeding the monkeys at the top of the mountain; to feeding the tropical fish at the bottom of the ocean; petting snakes, iguanas, and rabbits; and visiting the tropical deer who live on Menjangan “Deer” Island.

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Rice Paddies in Ubu, Viviana Guzman Photography

We also visiting Buddhist and Hindu Temples and saw numerous timeless and serene rice paddies. In the afternoon flute classes we covered topics from vibrato, tuning, building technique to phrasing, tapering and memorization. After our week long stay in our oceanfront hotel in Lovina, we moved to the artistic and now famous (due to the movie Eat, Pray, Love) town of Ubud. Here, Australian flute sensation Jane Rutter joined us and offered daily afternoon masterclasses focusing on the special phrasing and warm-up techniques that she learned from her French Conservatoire masters, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Alain Marion. The class finished with a special performance that we all took part in at the Jodie O’Shea Orphanage in Denpasar. The children are appreciative of music and quite lively, with the inner beauty that seems to be imbued in the Balinese and which is the real reason Bali is such a paradise on earth.

Half Moon Bay, California–Flutes By The Sea July, 2016
Last year, our FBTS whale watching expedition in Half Moon Bay / Monterey Bay was so successful that we have decided to make a repeat the journey this year for those who would like to get up close and personal with our cetacean friends, or who would simply like to hone their fluting skills in a spiritually rich setting.

We are very excited to have the following joining us this year:

Masterclass Faculty
Julien Beaudiment, Former Principal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Principal Flute of the Lyon Opera, Flute Professor at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Lyon.

Alice K. Dade, Former Principal Flute of the Swedish Radio Syjmphony Orchestra, Guest Principal of Seoul Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Assistant Flute Professor at the University of Missouri School of Music.

Viviana Guzman, International Soloist, 2014 GRAMMY Nominated album, TEDxBerkeley Speaker, performed in 125 countries, Co-Founder The Flute View Magazine, Founder & Director, San Francisco Flute Society

Andrea “Fluterscooter” Fisher, International Soloist, Founder, Fluterscooter flute bags, Co-Founder The Flute View Magazine, Juilliard School Entrepreneurship Lecturer

Jane Rutter, International Soloist, Australian Flute Sensation, Australian Grammy ARIA Nomination

The classes run from July 7 to 9, 2016 in the always beautiful Half Moon Bay, California, just a half hour from always offbeat San Francisco.  See FlutesbytheSea.com for full details and early-mermaid / merman discounts and full details of the events and purchase tickets here.

Brian in Lovina Beach Hotel

Brian in Lovina Beach Hotel

Flutes by the Sea with Krishna

Flutes by the Sea with Krishna

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Flutes by the Sea Masterclass & Concerts

June 6, 2014 By

FBTS VFBFlutes by the Sea Masterclass & Concerts 

 

I was born on the ocean.  I live on the ocean.  I work on the ocean.  It’s no surprise that The Flutes by the Sea Masterclass would take place near the ocean as well.  The ocean provides an inspiring backdrop for music making.  Creative people need the soothing, refreshing and rejuvenating aspects of the sea.

 

Flutes by the Sea Masterclass is designed to energize and inspire the young adult, high school student, college student, semi-professional, professional, recreational and retired flutist.  Last year we had Juilliard professor, International Soloist, Carol Wincenc.   This year we have Barbara Siesel and Fluterscooter also teaching the Masterclass.

 

Attending the event who will be showcasing their merchandise as well as performing and leading workshops.  They include the following (in alpha order):

 

Janelle Barrera, President of the LA Flute Guild, will be conducting the Flutes by the Sea Flute Choir which will rehearse everyday at noon.  Janelle will also be performing on the Thursday night concert, June 12

 

Fluterscooter, Co-Founder/Editor of The Flute View Magazine, will be showcasing her elegant Fluterscooter Flute Bags.  She will be performing on Wednesday and Thursday nights during The Flute View Trio Debut Concert.  Fluterscooter will also be teaching and giving the lecture she presented at The Juilliard School, Building Your Brand Business of Music Lecture.

 

Viviana Guzman, Founder of the San Francisco Flute Society, Co-Founder/Editor of The Flute View Magazine, will perform as a soloist with the Magic Flutes Orchestra at the opening concert on Sunday night at 7pm as well as for The Flute View Trio Debut Concert on Wednesday and Thursday nights June 11 and 12 at 7pm.

 

Tracy Harris, Founder of the Wynfall Flute Choir and Wynfall Music Studios will perform on our final Gala Concert on Thursday, June 12

 

Jane Lenoir, Berkeley Choro Enemble, will conduct an Intro to Improvisation for Classical Musicians.

 

Teresa Orozco & Orlando Castro will present their Latin Music on Wednesday night.

 

Barbara Siesel & Keith Torgan, The Green Golly Project, will be teaching an Acting for Musicians Workshop and Barbara Siesel, Co-Founder/Editor of The Flute View Magazine, will be teaching and she will be performing Wednesday and Thursday nights during The Flute View Trio Debut Concert.

 

Joanna Tse, of Just Another Flutist, a popular YouTube Channel, will  be giving a lecture/demonstration on How To Start Your YouTube Channel.

 

Other guest performers include Audrey Boyle, Anita Chandavarkar, Ai Goldsmith, and Abigail Sten who will perform on Wednesday June 11 at 7pm.

 

Among our Distinguished Flute Choir Directors, we will be hearing each of the following SF Bay Area Flute Choirs at the commencement of every 7pm concert:

 

Flutes by the Sea Flute Choir, Janelle Barrera, Director (with the Auditor Participants)

Magic Flutes Flute Orchestra, Pamela Ravenelle, Director

Xtreme Flute Choir, Pamela Ravenelle, Director

Bel Canto Flutes, Gail Edwards, Director

Oriole Flute Choir, Gala Yaroshevsky, Director

Avant Flute Choir, Gala Yaroshevsky, Director

The Class Pianists are Dmitriy Cogan and Svetlana Harris.

 

Every morning I will conduct a Meditation for Performers Workshop where I will cover basic techniques for overcoming performance anxiety.  After this, we will begin with the Flutes by the Sea Flute Choir rehearsal with Janelle Barrera followed by the Masterclass from 2pm to 3pm where I will listen to classical flute repertoire and also conduct the following Workshops: “Just Intonation”, Intro to Improvisation for Performers, Intro to Beatbox Flute.  From 3pm to 4pm Barbara Siesel and Fluterscooter will guide the students with their unique teaching and guidance.  The 4pm to 5pm hour each day will feature a different workshop / lecture with various topics from Acting for Musicians with Keith Torgan, Improvising for Classical Musicians with Jane Lenoir, How to Start Your YouTube Channel with Joanne Tse.

 

We will have the following Flute Exhibits:  Altus Flutes, Brannen Handmade Flutes, Green Golly Flutes, The Flute View Magazine, Fluterscooter Flute Bags, Gary Lewis Flutes, Straubinger Flutes, and West Valley Music.

 

Every night there will be a Concert 7pm which is offered for FREE to San Francisco Flute Society Members.

 

We look forward to seeing you at this years Flutes by the Sea Masterclass.

 

Flutes by the Sea by Lars Howlett

 

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Flutes by the Sea Masterclass 2013

September 3, 2013 By

1006249_10151705235664578_1296935591_nFrom the moment I chose Half Moon Bay, CA as my residence, I knew I wanted to host Flute Events on the coast.  Half Moon Bay is a little treasure with the murmuring ocean, the thriving city of San Francisco, the affluent Silicon Valley and busy SFO airport, all within an hour’s drive.  In addition, the California coast is one of the most beautiful places on the planet and so much resembles my home country, Chile’s coastline.  After being based out of here for 16 years whilst touring extensively, I decided I needed to find more of a balance between being at home and being on the road.  Launching Flutes by the Sea Masterclass was one of my ventures while trying to attain my goal.

 

1005098_10151661658147239_1279909493_nI felt so honored when International Recording and Touring Artist, Carol Wincenc, accepted my invitation to come teach the course with me.  Additionally, our Flute Stars Concert featured Fluterscooter, Jane Lenoir, Janelle Barrera, Barbara Siesel & Keith Torgan of Green Golly and Kris Palmer.  We had the wonderful participation of the following Flute Choirs:  Magic Flutes, Pamela Ravenelle, Director; Bel Canto Flutes, Gail Edwards, Director;  Crowden Summer Music School Flute Choir, Laura Scarlata, Director;  The Orioles, Gala Yaroshevsky, Director;  Flutes by the Sea Flute Choir, Janelle Barrera, Director.  And the whole event was generously sponsored by Brannen Brothers Flutemakers, Altus Flutes, Lori Lee Flute Repair, Bernhard Hammig Flutes, West Valley Music, Gary Lewis Flutes.

 

998337_10201186366688768_315378968_nThe goal behind Flutes by the Sea Masterclass was to present a supportive cadre of talents from across the world.  Stemming from the belief that we can learn something from everyone, FBTS was designed for students to learn from each other, for flute choirs to share with each other, and for the performers at the evening concerts, to shine the best possible light.

 

The Flutes by the Sea Masterclass commenced with a sublime performance of the Magic Flutes Orchestra, directed by Pamela Ravenelle, featuring works by Mozart, Debussy and de Falla.  They graciously invited me to play the Mozart Flute Concerto in G Major, Andante with them.

 

1002113_10151708955734578_1247304819_nSome of the unique offerings at Flute by the Sea were “Meditation for Performers” Class which took place alongside the gentle lull of the magnificent Pacific Ocean.  Another unique component were the Business of Music Lectures which were delivered by our flute vendors.  We were even presented with the opportunity to participate in the locally shot documentary film, “Sunset Piano” with will be released next year.

 

935003_10151709674169578_1913375701_nI offered the morning classes and International Flute Soloist and Juilliard Professor, Carol Wincenc, taught the afternoon classes.  There was a Flute Market every day which featured a different Flute Vendor:  Brannen Brothers Flutemakers, Altus Flutes, Bernhard Hammig Flutes, Gary Lewis Flutes, Green Golly Project, Fluterscooter, Lori Lee Flute Repair, West Valley Music and Joy of Music.

 

FBTS3The evening concerts commenced every evening at 7pm which opened with a Flute Choir:  Magic Flutes (Pamela Ravenelle), Crowden Summer Flute Choir (Laura Scarlata), Xtreme Flutes (Pamela Ravenelle), The Oriole Flute Choir (Gala Yaroshevsky), Bel Canto Flutes (Gail Edwards) and Flutes by the Sea Flute Choir (Janelle Barrera).

 

Special evening performances featured the Guest Artists:  Carol Wincenc, Viviana Guzman, Barbara Siesel, Fluter Scooter, Janelle Barrera, Kris Palmer, Jane Lenoir, accompanied by pianists: Frank Levy, Mahani Teave and Dmitriy Cogan.

 

1003133_10201664278875758_217549672_nThe 100+ participants included ages 6 to 76 and represented Singapore, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles and even Easter Island!  Best of all was the terrific sense of camaraderie that developed between all who participated.  It is with the spirit that as a Group We Are Stronger that FBTS was created.  And it is with this same goal that it will continue.

Flutes by the Sea photo: Lars Howlett

Flutes by the Sea
photo: Lars Howlett

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Flutes by the Sea Poster Ad as seen in Flute Talk Magazine

 

 

 

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10 Holiday Flute Gift Ideas for the Flutist in Your Life

December 12, 2011 By

 

Viviana Guzman proud owner of a Fluterscooter Bag

1.  Gift the sensational Fluterscooter Flute Bag!

 

2.  Gift a Skype Lesson or Business of Music Internet Coaching via PayPal from the following:  a) Viviana Guzman twitter@FluteQueen, b) Lisa Schroeder twitter@SchroederFlute, c) Alexis Del Palazzo twitter@sensibleflutist

Bettine Clemen-Ware

 

3.  Gift a flute repair session, always necessary!  a) Anne Pollack in NYC.  Her website is Your Fluteworks  b) Lori Lee in San Francisco c) Joan Sparks’ Flute Pro Shop in Willmington, DE

 

4.  Gift Flute Holiday Music:  a) Bettine Clemen-Ware’s  Angel’s Noel  b) Fluterscooter’s Holiday Treasures

 

Greg Pattillo's 3 Beats for Beatbox Flute

5.  Gift original music by our favorite flutists:  a) Gary Schocker I found a Sheet Music Plus page with several of his charming works here  b) Greg Pattillo released his 3 Beats for Beatbox flutes this year and can be ordered here.  

 

Gary Schocker will be performing at the SF Flute Festival 2012

6.  Add to the flute collection by gifting exotic ethnic flutes:  a) For a Native American Indian Flute, the best quality for a good price, I think are Odel Borg’s High Spirits Flutes,  b) For Bansuri Flutes check out the  Joshua Geisler Bansuri Flute  c) Purchase a Penny whistle at your local music store usually for under $20.

 

Christina Jennings will be performing at the SF Flute Festival 2012

7.  For the budding toddler flutist, gift Barbara Siesel’s Green Golly and Her Golden Flute CD.  Charming, original, and perfect stories for your little ones set to the beautiful flute playing of Barbara Siesel.  Listen to sound samples and order from CD Baby here.  My 4 year old niece loves this recording!

 

8.  Books written by flutists:  a) Book of poetry, Love Soliloquies by Viviana Guzman  b)  Practice Books by Trevor Wye  c) Scale Studies by Meerenai Shim

Paula Robison

 

9.  Gift Favorite Flute Recordings:  a) Paula Robison (her album, “The Holy Land” is my personal favorite) Preview it here.  b) Check out the Italian Artful Mastery of Mario Caroli’s discography here  c) Take a listen to Christina Jennings’ beautiful records on Amazon here d) For Gary Schocker’s Amazon discography click here.  e) Order my own Viviana Guzman Classical, Latin, Flamenco, Meditation and Tango CD’s from Amazon here.  FYI, Mario Caroli, Gary Schocker, Christina Jennings and I will be performing at the San Francisco Flute Festival on June 16 & 17, 2012!  

 

Viviana Guzman will be performing at the SF Flute Festival 2012

10.  A Golden Gift Opportunity:  24K Altus Handmade Flute.  As price of gold continues to rise, investing in a golden flute would seem to be a wonderful investment.  The 24K Altus Flute is a gem with soaring sounds from the warm high register and lush low register.  A golden opportunity indeed!  Visit  AltusFlutes.com  

Trevor Wye is an Altus Artist

 

 

Mario Caroli will be performing at the SF Flute Festival 2012

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Welcome to FluteChats.com!

November 28, 2011 By

FluteChats.com interview with Paula Robison

I was scheduled to perform in Charlotte, NC at the National Flute Association Convention on Thursday.  My next concert was in Edinburgh, Scotland the following week.  Rather than going all the way home to San Francisco, I decided to come up with a small project that would keep me busy during the NFA week.  Ahhhh… that small project turned into a rather LARGE project… Ta Daaa!!  Welcome to FluteChats.com

 

I decided to take the opportunity to interview various flutists at the convention.  I throught I would create a new website where people could watch and hear advice from today’s leading Flute Stars.

 

As of the time of this posting, I have uploaded the following wonderful interviews:  Greg Pattillo, Paula Robison, Carol Wincenc, Robert Dick, Brad Garner, Fluterscooter, Nicole Esposito.  Coming up you will find Trevor Wye, Alexa Still, Jimmy Walker, Katherine Kemler, Christina Jennings, Lisa Schroeder, Annie Wu, and a few wonderful surprises, too.

 

Whew!  It has become quite the project involving loads of time and several trips to my awesome webmistress Linda Shum’s house (check out ShumDesign.com) to fix different frustrating issues.  I have learned so much from this whole process.  All in all, it has been very rewarding, even if highly labor intensive.

 

I hope you will feel inspired to visit often FluteChats.com, or even subscribe in iTunes here.  Be sure to rate and leave a comment!

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