Flûtée News

(Last Updated August, 2007 by Kim J. Teal)

Roslyn and Tess

Pam Rowe

Flûtée L to R: Tess Miller, Lisa Hedley, Mary Anderson, Lauren Rongo & Kim Teal (4-15-2007 Concert)

Jeffery Zook and Flûtée, 10-1-06	Flûtée, 10-1-06: Mary Anderson, Pam Rowe, Tess Miller & Kim Teal

Jeffery Zook

Flûtée will be presenting the concert Flûtée's Contemporary Composers Showcase at SVSU on Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. in Founders Hall. We have received submissions of flute quartet music by composers from Germany, Russia, and the U.S. for performance on this concert, which will feature the world premieres of Flaute by Juan María Solare and Illusions by Sergey Zyatkov, plus the Michigan premieres of Salt of the Earth by Catherine McMichael and A Cloudy Day by Thomas Woodson. We will also be performing The Flute Garden by Ricky Lombardo, Quatre Flûtes en Balade by Serge Lancen, and The Easter Islanders by Mike Mower. Tickets are $5.00 for general admission and $3.00 for students and senior citizens.
For further information, contact the SVSU Box Office at (989) 964-4261.

Fall & Winter, 2005 Concert News

Tess Miller

Flûtée (10-23-2005): Mary Anderson, Pam Rowe, Tess Miller, and Kim Teal.	Flûtée with Cheryl Cheger-Timm on keyboard and Thomas Zantow on bassoon (Photos courtesy Stan Rowe.)

Flûtée
Mary Anderson: C & Bass Flutes
Kim J. Teal: Piccolo, Eb, C & Alto Flutes
Pamela Rowe: C, Bb & Alto Flutes
with guest flutist
Tess Miller: Piccolo, C & Alto Flutes

Tickets are $5.00 for general admission and $3.00 for students and senior citizens.
For further information, contact the SVSU Box Office at (989) 964-4261.

   

Summer, 2005 Concert News
Flûtée performed a garden concert in Bay City, MI for the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra's pre-concert
"Random Acts of Music" on Sunday, July 17, 2005, performing Irish music for flute quartet.
Flûtée was joined by former member and now a sub, Lauren Rongo!

Spring, 2005 Concert News

Flûtée will be presenting a special concert Celtic Flûtée in honor of St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 7:30 p.m. in Founders Hall at Saginaw Valley State University. The concert will feature music from Ireland and Scotland, with guest artists Cheryl Cheger-Timm on keyboard, and Matthew Boog, tenor vocalist, plus Flûtée's substitute flutist Christine Dodge. The concert will also be the world premiere of a new work by Flûtée member Kim J. Teal. The piece, Éireann Legends, is a three movement work based on Irish folklore and includes Irish tin whistles and bodhran as well as piccolo, C, alto, and bass flutes. Other music arrangements by Kim J. Teal will also be featured including: Songs of the Emerald Isle (for tenor voice, harp, Irish tin whistle, and flutes), Gaelic Airs and Dances (for flute quartet), Brian Boru's March (for flutes and bodhran), Carolan (music of Turlough O'Carolan for flute quartet), Celtic Shores (medley for flute quartet), and the Scottish hymn, Be Thou My Vision, (for tenor voice, celtic harp, and flute.) Flûtée member Pamela Rowe will be featured with our guest artists on the latter piece.

Flûtée
Mary Anderson: Piccolo, C & Bass Flutes
Kim J. Teal: Piccolo, C & Alto Flutes, Irish Tin Whistle, Bodhran
Pamela Rowe: Piccolo, C, Tenor & Alto Flutes, Irish Tin Whistle
Christine Dodge: Piccolo, C & Alto Flutes

Tickets are $5.00 for general admission and $3.00 for students and senior citizens.
For further information, contact the SVSU Box Office at (989) 964-4261.

Just a note about our auditions for a fourth flutist: we will be extending our audition process through the fall of 2005, in order to accommodate one other candidate.

Fall & Winter, 2004 Concert News

Flûtée presented the concert A Flûtée Christmas at McBrite Manor in Saginaw on December 14, 2004 as an SVSU outreach concert.

Flûtée will be presenting the concert Something Old, Something New..., on Sunday, October 24, 2004 at 4:00 p.m. in Founders Hall at SVSU. This concert will feature performances on historic (a late 18th/early 19th Century 1-key flute, an early 20th Century wooden Haynes flute, fifes, and recorders) and ethnic flutes (shakuhachi, native American flute, Central American bamboo flute, and Irish tin whistles) in addition to our usual piccolo, Eb, C, Bb tenor, alto, and bass flutes. A showcase of ethnic and antique flutes and piccolos will also be on display at the concert. We look forward to performing with our first auditionee of the concert season, Wendy Hohmeyer, of Midland, MI!

We will be performing our annual Snow Queen concert for area schools on Tuesday, November 23, 2004 at 9:30 a.m. in the SVSU Theater and will be performing an SVSU outreach concert for Christmas somewhere in Saginaw, details TBA.

Our spring concert at SVSU, Celtic Flûtée, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day will be on March 16, 2005 at 7:30 p.m. in SVSU's Founders Hall, with lots of Irish (and Scottish and Welsh) music!  Guest artist(s) and auditionee TBA. For further information on the above concerts contact the SVSU Department of Music at (989) 964-4159.

If you are interested in attending the Michigan Flute Festival on October 17, 2004 at Central Michigan University, here is the link to their web site: www.music.cmich.edu/flutefestival.htm. We highly recommend it!

Spring, 2004 Concert News

Tickets are $5.00 for general admission and $3.00 for students and senior citizens.
For further information, contact the SVSU Box Office at (989) 964-4261.

We wish a very fond farewell to Flûtée member, webmaster, and friend Lauren Rongo, who has been with us for nearly ten years. We wish her well in her all future endeavors and will miss both herself and her artistry greatly!

For further information on auditioning for Flûtée, please contact  Kim Teal, Business Manager, at: 
kjt at glis.net
(in your email program insert the @ sign where it says "at", without spaces, &  please put "Flûtée Audition" in the subject line).

Résumés can also be mailed for consideration to:
Flûtée
Saginaw Valley State University
Department of Music
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI 48710

Fall, 2003 Concert News

Tickets are $5.00 for general admission and $3.00 for senior citizens and students.
For further information contact the SVSU Box Office at (989) 964-4261.

Guest Artist Appearing with Flûtée on October 22, 2003
 Timothy Priddy, of Midland, is a band director for St. John's Lutheran School in Midland and Zion Lutheran School in Bay City, and also teaches private lessons in brass instruments, clarinet, and saxophone. He performs with the Midland Community Orchestra and occasionally tours with various all-star ensembles. He is a former Navy bandsman and has performed with such stars as Bob Hope, the Jimmy Dorsey Band, Barbara Eden, Shirley Jones, Pat Boone, Melissa Manchester, The Four Seasons, and The Fifth Dimension.

About the composers and commissions…
Nancy Trithart Faber was named "1997 Distinguished Composer of the Year" by the Music Teachers National Association for her award winning composition Tennessee Suite for Piano and String Quartet. Her flute quartet Voices From Between Worlds was commissioned and premiered by Flûtée as a winner of the 1994 National Flute Association Chamber Music Competition. Her other flute quartets, The Snow Queen (a 1996 Flûtée commission) and Chinese Dragons (a Flûtée 10th Anniversary commission in 1998), were also performed by Flûtée at NFA Conventions in 1997 and 2000 respectively. Both works received their premieres at SVSU. Ms. Faber has received commissions from the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy, The Hattiesburg Composer Festival, Clavier magazine, and numerous other organizations and ensembles.

James K. Hill is the former Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church in Bay City, Michigan. He holds a Master of Arts degree with an emphasis in music from Michigan State University and both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Central Michigan University. Mr. Hill most recently studied composition with Dr. David Gillingham of Central Michigan University. Aviary Adventures was commissioned and premiered by Flûtée at SVSU in 2001.

Ricky Lombardo received his education at Milikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and Glassboro State College in Glassboro, New Jersey. He is active in many aspects of music, including musical instrument repair, composing and arranging, and multiple performance ventures. Accomplished at both the flute and keyboard instruments, Mr. Lombardo has written music for a wide range of performance mediums using a very creative and exciting approach. A Flûtée Celebration was commissioned by Flûtée for the opening concert of their 10th Anniversary concert season at SVSU in 1997.

Catherine McMichael composes music for flute, piano, saxophone, strings, solo vocal, choirs of singers, brass and bells, woodwind quintet, and orchestra. Two of her works for flute quartet have been winners of the National Flute Association's Newly Published Music Competition. They are: Floris (a 1992 Flûtée commission) in 1993 and La Lune Et Les Étoiles in 1999. Two other flute quartets commissioned by Flûtée received Honorable Mention Awards in NFA Newly Published Music competitions. They are: Legends From The Greenwood (a 10th Anniversary commission) in 2001, and Children of the Wind (premiered by Flûtée at the 2000 NFA Convention) in 2002. Another quartet, A Gaelic Offering, was commissioned and premiered by Flûtée at SVSU in 1995 with a grant from the Michigan Council For Arts and Cultural Affairs. As a popular clinician, Ms. McMichael has traveled extensively teaching piano improvisation, composition, and music enrichment. Her degrees are in piano performance and chamber music from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Jeff Whitmill, composer, conductor, arranger, teacher, hornist, and singer, lives in Eagan, Minnesota. He was formerly the conductor for Saginaw's Pit and Balcony Theater and a band and choir director for the Saginaw Public Schools. Flourish, Meditation, and Dance was commissioned by Flûtée and premiered with Dr. Marc Peretz as trumpet soloist at SVSU in 1991.

Some Other Fall, 2003 Performances
Flûtée will be performing for a wedding reception in Bay City on October 25, 2003.

Flûtée will be presenting their annual performance of The Snow Queen by Nancy Faber for area school children at Saginaw Valley State University on Tuesday, November 25, 2003, at 9:30 a.m.
For further information or reservations, call the SVSU Department of Music at (989) 964-4159.

Flûtée will be performing a Holiday Concert at SVSU on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 at 11:00 a.m. The concert is free to the public and will feature holiday music.

Flûtée will be performing with the Bay Chorale on Saturday, December 13, 2003 at 4:00 p.m. They will be performing several works with the choir including a new arrangement of Buxtehude's The Infant Jesus for Choir, Flute Quartet, and Piano.

Spring, 2003 Concert News

Attention all Michigan student composers!
Flûtée and SVSU are currently sponsoring a Student Composers Competition for Flute Quartet as part of the celebration of SVSU's 40th Anniversary. The competition, which is designed to foster the growth of student composers and generate new music for flute quartet, is open to all university and college students living in Michigan who are non-professional composers. All student composers wishing to enter the competition must submit their compositions and entry forms to SVSU by May 31, 2003. Entry forms with competition rules are available from the SVSU Department of Music at (989) 964-4159. Awards are $300.00 for first prize, $150.00 for second prize, and $50.00 for third prize.

Flûtée will be presenting the concert "Flûtée's American Pastimes" on Wednesday, April 2, 2003 at Saginaw Valley State University at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature world premieres of arrangements by Tony Rongo, Lauren Rongo, and Kim Teal. For further information, contact the SVSU Dept. of Music at (989) 964-4159.

Fall & Winter, 2002 Concert News

Flûtée performed a Christmas concert with the Bay Chorale on Sunday, December 8, 2002, in Bay City. Included in the concert was the world premiere of Eric Nisula's arrangement of Mozart's Missa brevis in G for Choir, 4 Flutes, and Piano as well as Arioso by J. S. Bach, Parade Of The Tin Soldiers by Leon Jessel, and Christmas Jazz Suite by Bill Holcombe.

Flûtée presented their annual performance of Nancy Faber's The Snow Queen for Saginaw Valley area school children at Saginaw Valley State University on November 12, 2002 with Dr. Judith Kerman as the narrator. The Snow Queen is a 45 minute work based on Hans Christian Anderson's story, which was adapted for this musical presentation by Barbara Anderson. During the story, the narrator portrays approximately 20+ characters, each with a different vocalization. Flûtée accompanies this on piccolo, Eb soprano, concert, alto, and bass flutes and percussion instruments, such as conga drum, chimes, and triangle.  Flûtée commissioned this work and premiered it on January of 1996.  Since then, they have performed it approximately 17 times. It is presented at Saginaw Valley State University every November. For information on the 2003 performance, contact SVSU Dept. of Music at (989) 964-4159.

Flûtée performed the concert "Flûtée: Baroque & Blues" on Wednesday, September  25, 2002, at Saginaw Valley State University.  Jazz pianist/arranger Tony Rongo was the featured guest artist.  The concert featured Baroque and jazz music including, Handel's "Harmonious Blacksmith" Variations, J. S. Bach's Arioso (arr. Holcombe), Vivaldi's Cantabile from "Il Cardellino" (arr. Kim Teal), Variations On "In Dir Ist Freude" by Kim Teal, Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze (arr. Ricky Lombardo), Bill Evan's Waltz For Debby (arr. Tony Rongo), Holcombe's Swingin' Flutist, and Baroque and Blue from "Suite For Flute and Jazz Piano" by Claude Bolling for 4 flutes and piano.

Spring & Summer, 2002 Concert News
Flûtée presented the workshop "The Magic and Mystery of the Flute" at Saginaw Valley State University on May 18, 2002. Topics covered included how to sight-read effectively and tips on  jazz improvisation. The workshop also included a performance by Flûtée, a flute choir reading session and a great music exhibit by Marshall Music of Lansing, MI.

Flûtée performed a formal concert at SVSU, "Operatic Flûtée", which featured The Three Sopranos (Julie Meyer, Jill Vary, and Jane Bellen) and the SVSU Chamber Choir, under the direction of Dr. Eric Nisula. The opera-themed concert took place on Wednesday, March 6, 2002 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall at SVSU and featured newly commissioned arrangements of Delibes' "Flower Duet" from Lakmé and Gilbert & Sullivan's "Three Little Maids" from The Mikado, both arranged by Ken Bellen, plus an arrangement of Verdi's "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" from Nabucco arranged by Dr. Nisula. Other pieces performed included Music From "Cinderella" by Massenet and Mozart's Overture to "The Marriage of Figaro", Carmen Impressions by Bizet, Overture to "Nabucco" by Verdi, and three Puccini arias sung by The Three Sopranos.

Flûtée performed Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen for flute quartet and narrator on Monday, November 19, 2001 at 9:30 a.m. in the SVSU Theater to a sold out audience. The Snow Queen, with original music by Nan Faber and story adaptation by Barbara Anderson, was commissioned by Flûtée in 1996 with a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and is performed yearly for area schools. Dr. Judith Kerman, poet and professor at SVSU, was the narrator. For next year's concert date, contact the SVSU Dept. of Music at (989) 964-4159 in September of 2002.

Flûtée presented a lecture/performance on the ins and outs of commissioning new music for Central Michigan University's Flute Festival on Sunday, November 4, 2001 at CMU.
   

CD's
Copies of our CD Saginaw Valley State University Premiers Catherine McMichael are still available! We can still take orders for the CD at our October 28, 2001 concert, and will also have them available through the SVSU Dept. of Music Office. For information call: (989) 964-4159. Flûtée comprises one half of the CD, performing Catherine's Legends From the Greenwood (1998) for four flutes and Floris (1992) for four flutes and piano (with Catherine performing on piano!). The other half of the CD features another work by Catherine, Seven Saints and Sinners (1998), for choir, vocal soloists, woodwind quintet and piano.

We are excited to be taking part in the Central Michigan Flute Festival at Central Michigan University on Sunday, November 4, 2001. We will be presenting a lecture on commissioning music, with performances of some of our past commissions at 1:00 p.m. Stay tuned for more details...
   

We would like to extend a warm welcome to flutist Pam Rowe of Midland, MI, who is our newest member. Pam performs with the Midland Community Orchestra, the Saginaw Eddy Concert Band and the Midland Concert Band. She has also been a member of the Midland Symphony Orchestra and performed with numerous Midland Music Society shows. Pam spent nine years living in Japan, where she studied shakuhachi and koto and currently maintains a private flute studio in Midland.

We will be performing with the Saginaw Eddy Concert Band as guest artists on Sunday, June 24, 2001 at 7:00 p.m. on Ojibway Island in Saginaw, MI. We will be performing Romberg & Hammerstein's Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise and Zdechlik's Barcarole for Flutes with the band, as well as performing several pieces by ourselves. Those selections include Holcombe's American Flute Salute, Sousa's Liberty Bell March, Berlin's Alexander's Ragtime Band and a FUN new piece for four piccolos by our very own Lauren Rongo, called Yankee Doodle Picotoodle. We invite you to join us!

Spring 2001 News
Flûtée will be performing on Monday, March 19, 2001 at 10:30 a.m. for the Bay City Garden Club at the Saginaw Bay Visitors Center. We will be performing the original version of A Gaelic Offering complete with "odd flutes" and a slideshow of Celtic landscapes. We will also be performing on the Lenten Concert Series at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Bay City on Wednesday, March 21 at 12:15 p.m.

We will be presenting our annual Masterclass in flute ensemble performance on Sunday, February 4, 2001 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Lapeer West High School, Lapeer, MI. We will be performing two pieces on our various flutes, plus coaching several student ensembles. Students from Lapeer, Imlay City, Capac and Dryden schools are currently scheduled to perform. The master class is open to flutists of all ages and playing levels.  We will also have a mass flute choir that will perform four pieces and all flutists are invited to bring their flutes and join in! In addition, Marshall Music of Lansing, MI, will be attending with an exhibit of music, accessories and flutes. The master class is sponsored by Saginaw Valley State University and is free of charge. Any mid-Michigan school that is interested in being a host site for a future master class can contact the Department of Music at SVSU at (989) 964-4159.

February 2001 Concert
We will be presenting the concert Flûtée's Guide to the History of Music on Sunday, February 11, 2001 at 2:30 p.m. at SVSU's Rhea Miller Recital Hall. The concert, a 'tongue-in-cheek" look at music history from a flutists' perspective, will feature Dr. Judith Kerman as narrator. Dr. Kerman will also be performing on various ethnic and historic flutes. The concert will feature the world premiere of James K. Hill's Aviary Adventures, a five movement work based on the calls of doves, loons, robins, chickadees and orioles. The composer notes of the new work, "The melodic theme for each individual movement is loosely based on the call of the bird for which the movement is named. That theme provides the compositional material and musical ideas for the complete movement." Aviary Adventures is scored for two C flutes, alto and bass flutes. Other works to be performed include selections by Bach, Mozart, Reicha, Boyce, Smetana, and a special arrangement of Debussy's Syrinx for C, tenor, alto and bass flutes.
Tickets are available at the door or from the SVSU Box Office at (989) 9644159 and cost $5.00 for general admission and $3.00 for students and senior citizens. We hope to see you there!

We are looking for some good  flute/piccolo jokes if anyone has any they'd like to share with us (must be family oriented). We want to set up a "Fun Page" for younger flutists and are looking for appropriate material. All submissions must be copyright-free or have accompanying permission to reprint them from author. Just send them to Kim at:
kjt at glis.net (in your email program insert the @ sign where it says "at", without spaces, & put "Flute Jokes" in the subject line).

Happy Fluting!