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Special Feature on Young Artist Brendan Dooley in Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Worcester Telegram & Gazette – telegram.com – Young Worcester flutist to open for pioneering trio.

Click on the link above for the full article on Brendan, which was published leading up to BFA’s PROJECT Trio concert!

Brendan Dooley and Emma Huelskamp opening for PROJECT Trio in concert
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Young Artist Ensemble to Perform on "From the Top"

Past and present members of the Young Artist Ensemble, from spring 2011

The members of the Young Artist Ensemble–Brendan Dooley, Emma Huelskamp, Elizabeth Sperry, and Jinji Zhang–were selected to perform on “From the Top,” NPR’s radio show featuring the nation’s top young musicians!  They will be playing George McKay’s “Lyric Poem,” which they had previously performed in spring 2011 along with the now-recent graduates of the Young Artist Program.

They will be taped in a live performance in Jordan Hall, at the New England Conservatory, on October 2, 2011.  The air date is still TBA, but will most likely be in November 2011.  Congratulations to Brendan, Emma, Elizabeth, and Jinji on this incredible honor!

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2 finalists for 2011 NFA Competition

Brendan DooleyBFA is proud to announce that 2 of our students, Brendan Dooley and Emma Huelskamp, are among the 8 finalists selected nationwide for the 2011 National Flute Association High School Soloist Competition!  They will both compete on August 11, 2011 at the annual NFA convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Congratulations and good luck to both Brendan and Emma!

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Coming this September 2011: PROJECT Trio

BFA kicks off its 4th season by presenting PROJECT Trio for a concert and two masterclasses, September 10-11, 2011!  Featuring world-famous beatboxing flutist Greg Pattillo, PROJECT Trio started off as a Youtube sensation and is an ensemble of virtuosic, genre-bending performers emerging from classical music roots.  This is the group’s first-ever appearance in Boston, and it’s sure to be an incredible weekend!  Click here for more information and ticket purchasing options.

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BFA Gala Concert, Featuring Premiere of "Mayflower Suite"

Heather Kent conducting everyone in "Mayflower Suite"
Graduating seniors
Judy and Deborah with the graduating seniors (L-R: Jiweon Ryu, Catherine Jones, Judy Grant, Deborah DeWolf Emery, Mayuko Akimoto, and Madeline Aiken)

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, BFA hosted a special end-of-season Gala Concert Celebration.  The program featured the Young Artist Ensemble, the Repertory Ensemble, and the new Adult Ensemble.  In addition, the 4 graduating seniors from BFA’s Young Artist program performed solo works: Jiweon Ryu played Bela Bartok’s “Suite Paysanne Hongroise,” Madeline Aiken played Franz Doppler’s “Hungarian Pastorale Fantasie,” Catherine Jones played Ian Clarke’s “Great Train Race,” and Mayuko Akimoto played Franz Schubert’s “Variations on ‘Trockne Blumen.'”

In addition, the Young Artist Ensemble, Repertory Ensemble, and Adult Ensemble members combined together to perform the premiere of Catherine McMichael’s “The Mayflower Suite,” a newly-commissioned work for flute ensemble.  Dedicated to the students and faculty of the BFA, it is inspired by the founding of Plimouth Plantation in 1620.  The first movement, “Plimouth Landing,” evokes the excitement, apprehension, anticipation, and fears of those first European settlers in the New England area.  The musical letters B- F#-A (the Boston Flute Academy monogram) generate the themes in the opening and closing sections.  The contrapuntal form, common to the early Baroque period, is reminiscent of the type of music the settlers might have been familiar with.  The middle section is a rolling serenade, evoking the ocean crossing.

The second movement, “The Pilgrim,” is a portrait in courage, strength, and suffering.  The rising line suggests hope, and the minor key evokes the struggles and challenges.

The third movement, “1620,” is more joyful, also set in ne0-Baroque contrapuntal style.  The theme is tossed from flute to flute, from low to high, right-side-up and upside-down.

The overall structure of the piece was inspired by the Gigue from the French Suite in G Major by J. S. Bach.  Although Bach wrote that at least 100 years after the Pilgrims’ landing, it was chosen as a blueprint because the architecture of the piece is a culmination of the best of the Baroque period, which is when the Pilgrims lived.

Catherine McMichael is a pianist, composer, performer, arranger, and teacher in Saginaw, Michigan.

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Guest Artist Elizabeth Rowe at BFA – March 27, 2011

Elizabeth Rowe
Elizabeth Rowe

BFA presented a private masterclass with Elizabeth Rowe, principal flute of the BSO, to a packed crowd on Sunday, March 27, 2011.  Ms. Rowe was absolutely brilliant!  Boston is lucky to have such a phenomenal, engaging teacher and flutist.

Students from the BFA Young Artist and Conservatory programs performed orchestral excerpts for Ms. Rowe.  The performers were Madeline Aiken, Brendan Dooley, Emma Huelskamp, Catherine Jones, Heather Pulkowski, Jiweon Ryu, Elizabeth Sperry, and Jinji Zhang.  All students enrolled in BFA classes, ensembles, and lessons were invited to attend.  It was both fun and educational for everyone, audience and performers alike–an inspiration!

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BFA Masterclass with Paula Robison

Paula Robison
Paula Robison

The BFA hosted world-famous flutist Paula Robison on Sunday, January 23, 2011 in a private “Masterclass and Conversation” for all BFA students.  Young Artists and Conservatory Program students in 11th and 12th grade played music by Copland, Reinecke, Taffanel, and Faure for Ms. Robison.  The six performers were Mayuko Akimoto, Brendan Dooley, Emma Huelskamp, Catherine Jones, Jiweon Ryu, and Jinji Zhang, all accompanied by Deborah DeWolf Emery on piano.

Following the masterclass, BFA students of all ages had the opportunity to engage in an open conversation with Ms. Robison.  It was an educational, inspirational, and memorable experience for everyone who attended!

Paula is a star.  She is a complete artist in every sense, and an inspired teacher.  What a memorable few hours.  I was riveted.  And Debbie is a gem on the piano.  How lucky we were to have this opportunity.  Thank you.  It was a sensational event, and so well organized from A to Z.  Go BFA.  You are following Paula’s words at the end of the class, to make the world a better place.

Betsy Foote, flutist in BFA Chamber Music Program

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Fenwick Smith awarded Lifetime Achievement

Congratulations to Fenwick Smith on his recent Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the National Flute Association!  Mr. Smith was honored at a banquet and concert at the recent 2010 convention in Anaheim, California.  After playing from 1978-2006 as 2nd flutist with the Boston Symphony, Mr. Smith has maintained an active teaching schedule.  He joined the faculty of the Boston Flute Academy in the summer of 2010, where he teaches students in the Young Artist College Division and coaches an orchestral training class with retired BSO piccolo player Geralyn Coticone.

Fenwick Smith is surrounded by former students after receiving his Lifetime Achievement Award from the NFA.
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Young Artist wins NFA Competition

Congratulations to BFA Young Artist Jiweon Ryu, winner of the National Flute Association 2010 High School Soloist Competition!  She also took home the prize for the Best Performance of the Newly Commissioned Piece and won the Gilbert Scholarship.  Jiweon is a senior at the Walnut Hill School in Natick and studies with Judy Grant in the Boston Flute Academy.