World’s Largest Flute Convention Goes Virtual

. Thousands of professional, student, and amateur flutists will gather virtually to experience a multifaceted flute convention.
 
The four-day event will include 135 flute-related sessions, including an opening orchestra, reading sessions, 55 performances, 30 panels, workshops, lectures; late-night cabaret, networking activities, and more. The convention’s theme, Variations on a Dream, highlights the many ways flutists carve out their own creative and career paths in today’s musical landscape.
 
Convention Program Chair Dr. Jennifer Grim said: “I am excited to share the thoughtful, diverse, and imaginative programs and presentations submitted by the NFA membership. Flutists will come together for a virtual celebration of the convention’s theme, ‘Variations on a Dream.’ This summer may still look a little different, but I look forward to seeing our worldwide community of flutists online as we look toward the future.”
 
Some program highlights of the virtual convention include a keynote address by Lecolion Washington entitled “Who decides what has value? Race, relevance, and the future”; the world premiere of an NFA-commissioned work by Jessie Montgomery entitled Passacaglia, performed by Allison Loggins-Hull, Brandon Patrick George, Elena Pinderhughes and Coreisa Lee; and a series of concerts featuring flute music from around the world. Additional featured performers include Claire Chase, Alberto Almarza, Joidy Blanco, Tara Helen O’Connor, Demarre McGill, Timothy Munro, Erica Peel, Marina Piccinini, Karl-Heinz Schütz, Alex Sopp and Carol Wincenc.
 
The NFA’s first virtual Youth Flute Day features an expansive collection of programs intentionally designed to capture the attention and spark the imagination of young players. NFA’s virtual programming invites young flutists to share their talents, questions, and dreams with a roster of experts.
 
Founded in 1972, and based in Chicago, IL, the not-for-profit National Flute Association is the largest flute organization in the world with more than 3,000 members including leading soloists, orchestral players, jazz performers, composers, flute scholars, students, teachers, adult amateurs, flute makers, and music publishers. The NFA publishes periodicals and books online and in print; among them is its flagship member magazine The Flutist Quarterly. NFA’s commissioning efforts have resulted in more than 65 outstanding new works for both flute and piccolo, including most recently commissioned works by Julia Wolfe and Jennifer Higdon.