Registered Member
Started playing flute when I was 16, taught myself for a year, then spent the next year being 'untaught', went on to Music College in London when 19, subsequently going on to do the NCOS Orchestral Training course at Goldsmith's college, and becoming a freelancer for about 15 years. Did extra work for some of the London orchestras, but mainly a lot of touring show work. Eventually did get a job as principal flute but it wasn't in a very good orchestra, a lot of bad behaviour (so I won't name it!)
The big thing in my life was a duo I had with a harpist, we really worked hard at it and we used to record our concerts to help us improve, so I'm very fortunate that I still have recordings of several of our concerts.
I had a good friend who was also a fluteplayer who was really into instrument repair, so I learnt how to repad my flute, strip the mechanism etc. This even included reskinning pads with 'goldbeater's skin' (pigs intestine), decided to leave that to the professionals after I tried getting some pigs intestine myself and I think I got the wrong end of the intestine - my mum will never forgive me for that one...
Now work for a children's charity in the UK, with some pretty amazing people, developing their volunteering, live with a Kiwi (New Zealander who is a violist in our Opera orchestra), and have two very elderly dogs. More or less put the flute away for the last 15 years but I have one flute pupil, who is pretty talented, and it's due to her interest that I've picked the thing up again.
Interesting to see how things have moved on, and how much stays the same!
Flute is an Altus 1407R, don't think they make them any more but it was pretty near the top of the range when I bought it. Still have a Yamaha wooden piccolo, which has had a tough life, including an attempt to pad it with cork pads. It looks like a complete wreck but still plays OK.
The big thing in my life was a duo I had with a harpist, we really worked hard at it and we used to record our concerts to help us improve, so I'm very fortunate that I still have recordings of several of our concerts.
I had a good friend who was also a fluteplayer who was really into instrument repair, so I learnt how to repad my flute, strip the mechanism etc. This even included reskinning pads with 'goldbeater's skin' (pigs intestine), decided to leave that to the professionals after I tried getting some pigs intestine myself and I think I got the wrong end of the intestine - my mum will never forgive me for that one...
Now work for a children's charity in the UK, with some pretty amazing people, developing their volunteering, live with a Kiwi (New Zealander who is a violist in our Opera orchestra), and have two very elderly dogs. More or less put the flute away for the last 15 years but I have one flute pupil, who is pretty talented, and it's due to her interest that I've picked the thing up again.
Interesting to see how things have moved on, and how much stays the same!
Flute is an Altus 1407R, don't think they make them any more but it was pretty near the top of the range when I bought it. Still have a Yamaha wooden piccolo, which has had a tough life, including an attempt to pad it with cork pads. It looks like a complete wreck but still plays OK.