2024 Seattle Flute Festival
with Marianne Gedigian
Festival Sponsor: Carolyn Nussbaum Music Company
Guest Artist Sponsor: William S. Haynes Company
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Lincoln High School
4400 Interlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
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THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT
$20 SFS Members | $30 Non-Members | FREE Patron Members
$10 Performing Flute Choir Members | FREE Attendees 5th Grade and Under
All performers receive free admittance to their performance only.
Performers under 18 receive one free guest ticket to their performance only.
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VOLUNTEER AT THE FESTIVAL, AND ATTEND FOR FREE
If you are willing to be a festival volunteer for two (2) hours or more, you can attend the festival for FREE!
Sign up for volunteer shifts HERE, then contact Kristine Rominski (membership@seattleflutesociety.org) to arrange for your free admission, if you so desire. Of course, you can volunteer and still register for the festival as a way to offer financial support to the Flute Society—your generosity is much appreciated!
2024 Haynes Guest Artist: Marianne Gedigian
Marianne Gedigian is currently Professor of Flute at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. Previously, she was holder of the Butler Professorship in Music and a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at The University of Texas at Austin.
Ms. Gedigian was a regular performer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for over a decade, including many seasons as Acting Principal Flute under Seiji Ozawa. As Principal Flute with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and Acting Principal Flute with the Boston Pops, she has been heard on dozens of recordings and Evening at Pops television broadcasts as well as the nationally broadcast Fourth of July specials on public television. She has also been heard on several John Williams' movie scores, including Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List. In the 2000 - 2001 season, Ms. Gedigian was invited by Mariss Jansons to perform as Acting Principal Flute with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
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Her solo performances have taken her around the world, including recitals in Japan, Australia, England, and Armenia, and she has appeared as concerto soloist numerous times with the Boston Pops Orchestra and with the Armenian Philharmonic performing her own transcription of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto. She was featured with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull fame in a performance at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Ms. Gedigian has been a headliner soloist and teacher at numerous National Flute Association conventions across the country, and is a frequent recitalist and teacher across the globe.
Ms. Gedigian was first prizewinner in the National Flute Association's Young Artist Competition, and the James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition. She is a founding member of Boston-based chamber music ensemble Walden Chamber Players and was formerly a member of the Dorian Wind Quintet, one of chamber music's preeminent and longest continuously-active ensembles. Ms. Gedigian's solo recordings include Voice of the Flute and Revolution, both with pianist Rick Rowley, and she is featured on a recording of flute, strings, and piano with the Walden Chamber Players titled Finding a Voice: The Evolution of the American Sound. She is the featured soloist on the Naxos Grammy-nominated CD, Shadow of Sirius.
Ms. Gedigian has served on the faculties of Boston University's College of Fine Arts, The Boston Conservatory, the Round Top International Institute, and the Tanglewood Music Center and the Brevard Music Center. Her teachers include Leone Buyse, Doriot Anthony Dwyer, Clement Barone, and Donna Olkowski. Ms. Gedigian is a William S. Haynes Artist and performs on a handmade custom-crafted Haynes gold flute.
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Festival Schedule
This schedule continues to be updated. Please check back regularly.
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9:30 - Doors Open; Commercial Exhibits Open (Commons)
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Beat the crowds and come visit our commercial exhibits when they open! The exhibit hall will be open from 9:30am until 3:30pm. This year's commercial exhibitors include:
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Brannen Brothers Flutemakers, Inc.
Burkart Flutes and Piccolos
Carolyn Nussbaum Music Company
Flute Center
Flute World
FluteWorks Seattle
Miyazawa
Sankyo
Treble C Music
Verne Q. Powell Flutes
William. S. Haynes Company
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10:00-11:00 - Flute Choir Showcase (Auditorium)
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Flute choirs from the greater Seattle area share performances of favored repertoire. This year's featured choirs are the Seattle Flute Society Flute Choir, River Winds Flute Choir, and Flûtrange, the Rainbow City Performing Arts Flute Choir.
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DOWNLOAD THIS RECITAL PROGRAM HERE
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11:00-12:00 - Recent Works by Seattle Composers (Auditorium)
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This exciting concert offers the chance to hear flute music composed by local luminaries! Merrie Siegel Parmley performs Sarah Bassingthwaighte's House of Doors Concerto and Jeffrey Barker performs Sean Osborn's Celtic Sonata, both accompanied by pianist Lisa Bergman. In between the performances, the composers will discuss their inspirations and processes, and describe the particular challenges (and joys!) of composing for the flute.
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DOWNLOAD THIS RECITAL PROGRAM HERE
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Dr. Merrie Siegel Parmley holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Rice University. At age 19, she was awarded the First Prize in the New York Flute Club’s Young Artist Competition and made her debut at CAMI Recital Hall. Her playing has been hailed as “magnificent, jovial and radiant, with purity of tone and great technical command of the instrument.” She has performed with the Houston Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and Mozart Society of Philadelphia, among others. She has held the position of Principal Flute with the Boise Philharmonic and with Sinfónica de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Filarmónica del Bajío, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes, in Mexico. She enjoys teaching and collaborating with flutists of all ages and abilities in her private studio and performing throughout the Puget Sound area with her adult flute ensemble, Tutti Flutti. Her CDs, Flute Music of the Americas, Vol. I and Vol. II are available on amazon.com and on most streaming services. During the summers, she performs with former students and colleagues throughout Mexico and serves as Artistic Advisor and Flutist with Cruzando Fronteras, an international consortium of Mexican and German musicians.
Jeffrey Barker grew up in Seattle, attending Seattle Symphony concerts as a kid and taking lessons from Zartouhi Dombourian-Eby, now his colleague in the flute section. He joined the Seattle Symphony as Associate Principal Flute in 2015. Previously, he played as Principal Flute of the Boise Philharmonic since 2009. He has also performed with top orchestras around the country and the world, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony, and the Singapore Symphony. Jeffrey is passionate about using music to connect with his community. He is a recipient of the 2018 Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service for his work with people in Seattle experiencing homelessness through the Seattle Symphony’s Simple Gifts Initiative. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music under the instruction of Bonita Boyd, and his Master of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University, where his teachers were Jeanne Baxtresser and Alberto Almarza.
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A passionate promoter of classical music, Lisa Bergman is a national Gracie Award-winning radio announcer on Classic KING-FM streaming worldwide. A concert pianist specializing in collaborative piano and chamber music she is a graduate of the Juilliard School, Stony Brook University and the University of Washington, cum laude. A former member of the University of Washington Music Faculty, her discography includes six CDs (chamber music and solo piano). As an American Artistic Ambassador she represented the U.S. on a concert tour of New Zealand, Nepal, Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia and China. She made her Carnegie Recital Hall debut in 1983. Bergman is founder of the Mostly Nordic Chamber Music Series; Executive Director of Northwest Opera in Schools, Etcetera and Adult Piano Retreat Director at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts where she served for seven years as the Executive Director.
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12:00-1:00 - Group Workshop with Guest Artist Marianne Gedigian (Auditorium)
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2024 Guest Artist Marianne Gedigian presents a group workshop, "Getting There Quicker: Ideas on Warming Up for Flourishing Practice!" All levels of experience are welcome - remember to bring your flute!
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Special Thanks to the William S. Haynes Company for their sponsorship of Ms. Gedigian.
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1:00-2:30 - Paul Taub Young Artist Competition Finals (Auditorium)
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Performances by the finalists of the 12th Annual Paul Taub Young Artist Competition. This year's finalists are Kyungmin Eom, Yechan Min, and Isaiah Obey. This year's judges are Marianne Gedigian, Judy Washburn Kriewall, and Sandra Saathoff. More information can be found on our Young Artist Competition page.
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DOWNLOAD THIS RECITAL PROGRAM HERE
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All three finalists will perform with Jinshil Yi, an avid collaborative pianist in high demand throughout the Tacoma-Seattle area. She has appeared in concerts with Northwest Sinfonietta Artistic Partner David Lockington, pianist Duane Hulbert, soprano Christina Kowalski, baritone Ryan Bede, and mezzo-soprano Dawn Padula. Praised for her “expressive, lyrical playing” and “exquisite sound,” Jinshil has delighted audiences with her piano performances on many stages throughout the years. In 2016, she was invited to serve as staff accompanist at the University of Puget Sound, working extensively with the acclaimed Adelphian Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble, Dorians, and Chorale. Jinshil continues to perform regularly with Puget Sound School of Music choral ensembles as a staff pianist. Both her solo and collaborative playing have been broadcast on the radio, most recently on 98.1 King FM’s Northwest Focus Live following a concert tour of western Washington. An eager and dedicated scholar, Jinshil holds three degrees cum laude from the University of Puget Sound in Music, Biochemistry, and Politics and Government. Her wide-ranging academic interests and endeavors have caused her to be elected to the All-Washington Academic Team and to the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa. Learn more by visiting www.pugetsound.edu/directory/jinshil-yi.
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1:15-2:00 - Invest In Your Performance Health with Dr. Michael Weinstein (Choir Room)
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Join Michael Weinstein, MD in this workshop focusing on the importance of investing in your performance health for all ages and abilities. Learn the importance of the basics: good nutrition, sleep, and exercise, using better bio-mechanics, establishing effective warm up and practice routines, preventing injuries. Weinstein will share flutists’ most common injuries and treatment options including self-care, medical intervention and other therapies such as massage, Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais.
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Michael S. Weinstein, MD, is a Board-Certified specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Weinstein has evaluated and treated Performing Artists for more than 30 years and has been a member of the NFA's Performance Health Advisory Board for several years. The founding medical director of Center for Performing Artists at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, and was an early board member of the Performing Arts Medical Association, PAMA – artsmed.org.
Weinstein established inpatient Rehabilitation and outpatient Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation services at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Previously, he worked for 25 years and retired from Virginia Mason Medical Center. Weinstein has worked intensively with patients with neurological problems and developed medical rehabilitation programs for patients with Stroke, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Brain Injury, and Parkinson’s disease.
Now residing in Palm Springs, California, he travels to work in hospitals in California & Oregon. He volunteers for the Coachella Valley Chapter of the American Heart/American Stroke Association, and previously served on Boards of Trustees including the King County Medical Society, King County Board of the American Heart and Stroke Association, and the Affiliate Board of the American Heart and Stroke Association. He was a Vice-President of the Washington State Medical Association, and he received the Physician of the Year award by the local American Heart Association for his development of stroke services in the affiliate’s 10 state region. Weinstein has been recognized in “Seattle’s Best Doctors,” “Best Doctors” in America, and “Top Doctors, Palm Springs.”
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2:00-3:30 - SFS Members Recital (Choir Room)
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Solo and ensemble performances by SFS community members.
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DOWNLOAD THIS RECITAL PROGRAM HERE
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2:30-3:30- Horsfall Winners' Recital (Auditorium)
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Winners of the 2024 Frank & Lu Horsfall Competition perform works by Gordeli, Griffes Ibert, Prokofiev, Sarasate, and Nielsen! The 2024 Adjudicators were Dr. Brittany Trotter (Upper Division) and Dr. Mehrdad Gholami (Lower Division). More information can be found on our Horsfall page.
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DOWNLOAD THIS RECITAL PROGRAM HERE
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3:30 - Commercial Exhibits Close (Commons)
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Make sure you visit our commercial exhibits before they close!
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3:45-4:00 - All Members Meeting (Auditorium)
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Our annual All Members Meeting includes the announcement of the 2024 Paul Taub Young Artist Competition winners, 2024 SFS Board Elections, a preview of the 2024-2025 SFS Season, and the Flute Festival Raffle drawing!
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4:00-5:00 - Guest Artist Recital (Auditorium)
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We are thrilled to present Marianne Gedigian as our 2024 Flute Festival Guest Artist! Ms. Gedigian will be joined by pianist Beilin Han for an inspiring recital to bring this year's festivities to a close. Musical selections include works by Telemann, Still, Kuster, Foote, Donizetti, Panufnik, and Martinů.
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DOWNLOAD THIS RECITAL PROGRAM HERE
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Born in Shanghai, China, Beilin Han started piano lesson at the age three. After four years of studies, she won 1st prize at a
young artist competition in Shanghai. Ms. Han attended the Shanghai Conservatory of Music for primary and middle school.
She was a prize winner of the 8th Hong Kong International Piano Competition and was awarded the highest scholarship available in China. In 1996, Ms. Han recorded and sold her first CD, and in 1997,was accepted by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore under a full scholarship. After graduating, Ms. Han attended the University of Kansas for her master's degree as the only full scholarship recipient. There she studied with famous American pianist Jack Winerock and world-renowned Portuguese pianist Sequeira Costa. Under Costa's instruction, Ms. Han won prizes in many prestigious competitions including first place in the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Scholarship Competition, the Kansas City National Scholarship Competition, as well as the Naftzger National Young Artist Competition. In 2004, Ms. Han became a prizewinner of the "Vianna Da Motta International Piano Competition" in Portugal. In addition to the competitive world, Ms. Han was invited to perform at the 7th Annual World Piano Pedagogy Conference in Las Vegas in 2002 and was honored as a Young Artist in 2003. She was invited to perform Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra, Mozart Piano Concerto in A Major (K.488) with T'ang Quartet in Singapore and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 with Portugal's Gulbenkian Orchestra.
Ms. Han has toured internationally as a concert pianist performing in China, Portugal, Spain, and throughout the US. Her performances have been heard on radio shows in Singapore, the U.S., and a television show in Shanghai. In 2008, Ms. Han graduated from Roosevelt University, where she received her Artistic Diploma with Dr. Solomon Mikowsky and Mr.Meng-Chieh Liu.
In addition to Ms. Han's successful solo career, she enjoys collaborating with other musicians, she constantly appears in Chicago Culture Center, The Stradivari Society and Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a collaborative pianist and collaborating with such artists as pianist Alberto Portugheis, world-renowned counter-tenor Paul Esswood, world-renowned violinists Shmuel Ashkenasi, Ilya Kaler, Yossif Ivanov, Kyoko Takezawa, Elmar Oliveira, Frank Almond, Violists Roger Chase, Robert Vernon, cellist Timothy Eddy, Flautists Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, Mark Sparks, Jean Ferrandis, Clarinetist Stephen Williamson, Steven Cohen.She has also worked with world-famous conductors such as Riccardo Muti and Christoph Eschenbach.
Ms. Han was also invited to be on the jury panel of Walgreen National Concerto Competition and Dover Quartet Chamber Music Competition. She is currently the coordinator of piano faculty of Heifetz International Music Institute and Artist Collaborator of Shepherd School of Music in Rice University.
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Special Thanks to the William S. Haynes Company for their sponsorship of Ms. Gedigian.
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