Blog
We update our blogs regularly, offering an insight into the joys (and trials and tribulations!) of being professional musicians.
Content also includes sneak peaks into concert halls, pits, stages, recording studios, tour buses, green rooms, teaching rooms and practice routines!!
MARCH 2025
Janna
Spring seems to finally be here at last. I have enjoyed the winter time but am definitely ready for some warmer weather now! January saw Holly Cook and myself performing a concert of 2 flutes and piano in Cambridge which included A Winged Brocade, a rather lovely piece by Ian Clarke (hopefully a video will be ready of this, soon). I have been doing lots of planning and organising - all the dates for courses and flute days are now in the Flute School London diary, including a new residential course in Cornwall, in September this year. I would be so chuffed if a few more of you came to that - it would be great to see you in person. One or 2 of you have already signed up.
I am now working towards a concert with my ensemble Harmoniemusik on 6th April, also in Cambridge, (where I will be playing Faure’s Fantaisie) and we are just in the middle of planning our annual Festival of Chamber music which will be in late August in Cornwall.
Janna, Holly Cook and Maurice Hodges at the piano
Abbie
I’m now blogging via my new(ish) instagram account: @abbieflutes
Please give me a follow!
I’ve had a fun month working at Abbey Road and AIR Studios, playing a Jazz Concert (my first!) with Brighton Phil, started another Flute Choir Project at Trinity Laban, played a CBeebies Prom at the Southbank with BBC Concert Orchestra and did some miming/filming for PlayStation!
A particularly crazy freelance month!!
It’s been lovely warming up with you all and thanks for joining my extra Random Tune Session. We’ll do another one soon. Hope you’re all really well and looking forward to our exciting eFlute Spring and Flowers theme!
NOVEMBER 2024
Janna
Wow, how time flies sometimes….
It’s now November and we’ve just had the Flute School London weekend course, which went really well. I was exhausted at the end of it though! But loved every minute. It was so great to see so many of you there. Here are just a few pictures from the course weekend. And a video of a World Premiere of Amanda Jane Fox’s piece “The Wind in My Mind” which I was privileged to perform with the composer on the Saturday of the course.
I also had a moment of worry when a pad started falling out of its cup! So today I went to see Steve Lock, the repairer I often use who is near Colchester/Ipswich, and he soldered the appropriate bit back into place and then spent ages getting the pad to sit properly with no leaks.
Here’s Steve working on my flute- always cheerful! Even though he may live a long way away for you, he’s worth considering as a repairer, as you can send your flute in the post. He will talk you through how to package it up.
Abbie in full Warm-Up flow!
Me taking a group session
Marion in the master class with Michael Cox
“The Wind in My Mind” by Amanda Jane Fox, World Premiere
at Flute School London November 2024
JULY 2024
This month has seen another fabulous eflute festival and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it! There’s a lot to do each day behind the scenes, but we knew that beforehand and kept the week as clear as we could. The hybrid session (a live masterclass with Ian Clarke) was new for us and we still have a lot to learn - particularly on the technical front.
I’ve also been working on a number of written projects in the last few months - my own book (still not completed), and two different translation projects. I am good at translating German to English but definitely not the other way round! I’ve lived in England for far too long!
We have just had a lovely relaxing holiday in Galicia, northern Spain, where we snorkelled our way around the various bays…. One day we saw an octopus, another day we saw (and were seen by!) several different cuttlefish, which also seem like very intelligent animals.
Musically I am now working towards the Classic Cornwall festival in late August where I will be performing, amongst other things, the Fauré Fantaisie, and the JS Bach Suite in B minor (which ends with that fun Badinerie that everyone seems to know!)
A small extract from Ian Clarke's workshop at the hybrid event in the mini eflute festival
The beautiful coast of Galicia, where we did lots of snorkelling
A few images of cuttlefish taken underwater - these aren't David Attenborough standard, but believe me it's hard to do underwater filming!
Janna
Abbie
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the eFlute Festival. We are so grateful for your support and we were delighted with how it went!! Here’s to the next one!!
My June was relatively quiet gigs-wise but it started really well with orchestral concerts for Disney’s The Sound of Magic. It was sooooo enjoyable playing this beautiful music!!
The end of term at my schools and Junior Academy were hectic but good. I also had the pleasure of adjudicating a music festival at a school in Ealing. The month ended with a wonderful opportunity of me playing the Mozart Flute Quartet in Oxford Cathedral with London Concertante. I’ll ‘ll try to upload a video to the digital concert hall…
July flew by with the eFlute Festival! I had another Ministry of Sound Classical gig at the Kaleidoscope Festival at Ally Pally, which I always love, plus a wind quintet side-by-side project and performance with the Philharmonia. It was part of the 3 Rivers Festival in Bedford, which was brilliant to visit - I highly recommend. I also did some more adjudicating, this time for ‘Future Talent’, an amazing scheme which supports talented young musicians. It was a privilege to hear them all play! The month ended with me tutoring on the Guildhall Woodwind, Brass and Percussion Summer Course - I loved it!
On a non-musical note, I’ve had a great time doing some sunset paddle boarding in Margate!
I hope you’re all having a FANTASTIC Summer!!!
APRIL/MAY 2024
April saw a concert in which I played some solo Stockhausen pieces, and some Emily Hall (check her out!) amongst other things. Abbie and I did a Flute Day together which was lovely, then I went on holiday for a few days… and I’ve now just returned from teaching the course at Monplaisir in France. We had a great time, it is the highlight of my year. I love teaching adults who are interested and keen to improve, where you see and hear improvements happening before your very eyes/ears. I always learn something from you guys at the same time too! Plus we all enjoy each others’ company and the fabulous food prepared for us by Marion and her team, Leslie (Marion’s sister) and Sue Southern! This VIDEO sums it all up.
Now I’m working on the end (I hope) parts of my tutor book. There are always new suggestions coming in that I hadn’t thought of and then want to incorporate….. Cross your fingers for me!
I also had my flute serviced recently and it feels SO much better to play since then! Thanks to Tim Taylor at Wood Wind and Reed in Cambridge.
I’m now practising for a concert in June where I will be performing the Poulenc Flute Sonata amongst other things – an old favourite which I love playing, every time.
Janna
Abbie
Hi All! I hope you’re enjoying the sunshine? Long may it continue!!
April was a nice mix for me work-wise. I had a few shows (Les Mis and Phantom), plus a couple of really special concerts. One was at the Royal Albert Hall, playing in the Ministry of Sound Classical Orchestra. It was two sell-out shows and the atmosphere was electric! The other was a beautifully atmospheric concert at Milton Court, Barbican, with the London Contemporary Orchestra. It featured two incredible artists; Galya Bisengalieva and Lucinda Chua, and I got to play Bass Flute (which I love!!). Galya’s set had some amazing projections throughout, it was incredible (photo doesn’t do it justice!). I also assisted Janna on the Flute School London Flute Day, which was a lovely event!
On a non-musical note, I had a lot of fun volunteering for Centrepoint and helping on an Art Project - I got to be a graffiti artist!
Summer’s coming!! Whoop!! I hope you all have some lovely plans. Do stay in touch!
MARCH 2024
I’ve had a busy time in March and the lead up to Easter, with a Bach B minor Mass concert and a Faure Requiem/Stanford “Songs of the Sea” concert last week, and a competition for my adult flute choir in Cambridge “Stapleford Flutes” (where they gained an Honours Certificate, for what it’s worth!) a choir concert the week before with a very busy pad, some student exams and regular rehearsals for the concert on Friday April 12th in Sudbury.
A great time was had at the Flute School London Chamber Music Day and last week my ensemble Harmoniemusik also met up to try some new material and finalise programs for concerts in the rest of 2024.
On top of this I am working on my tutor book which I hope to have finished by the summer. I enjoy everything I do but I am looking forward to a quiet Easter Sunday lunch and walk!
Janna
Abbie
Hi everyone, I hope you’re all having a lovely Easter break!
March was a bit of a mixed bag for me. There were some great highs but also some awful lows. My lovely dog Stan got really sick - suspected poisoning (possibly algae in the river) - and things got very worrying. But! I’m delighted to report that he pulled through and has made an amazing recovery. He’s back to running around and chasing squirrels as if nothing had happened!! I was due to go in to teach at Junior Academy shortly after this scare, but I was very reluctant to leave him on his own after such an ordeal… so I asked if I could bring him with me! Due the the extenuating circumstances, they very kindly said YES! So Stan got to meet my students and enjoy hearing them play all day. He was very well behaved!
Work-wise, I’ve been enjoying my teaching but also looking forward to a break over Easter to be lazy! I’ve had a few shows this month (Lion King, Les Mis and Phantom), plus a lovely concert with the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a programme of music solely by female composers to celebrate International Women’s Day.
A highlight of my month was playing in the orchestra for The Who at the Royal Albert Hall for a concert in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. It was an absolute honour to share the stage with such rock legends!!
FEBRUARY 2024
Janna
Hello everyone!
This January/February has been surprisingly busy, what with teaching and playing jobs, and organising repertoire for upcoming concerts, updating websites and booking links and all that that entails! On top of this one of my close friends (aged early 50’s) has Stage 4 cancer, and after finishing chemotherapy she is now trying alternatives; she is determined to succeed (!) and I’ve been involved in fundraising for her (all that private medicine is hugely expensive). She’s a percussionist who actually once featured in our eflute festival doing a spoons workshop. If you’re interested, here’s a link to a Fundraiser that one of her many friends is doing: https://www.facebook.com/events/1334798720555367?ref=newsfeed
Here’s Jo playing a Dongo when we visited her in January
All the concerts I had on in previous blogs have now happened, plus a few more. The next ensemble concert is Friday April 12th at 6pm in Sudbury, Suffolk. This will feature a lovely soprano, Kate Huggett, and we are doing a whole mixture of medieval and folky/modern songs plus a few instrumental numbers - including a few solo flute pieces by Stockhausen.
To book tickets click here.
I was very pleased to be able to support my students Kiera Exall and James Marshall , and our very own Marion! recently at the BFS Competition day in Birmingham. James came 3rd in his category and Kiera got one of 2 “Highly Commended” (which was actually a great result when there were 32 in her class!) Marion played very well - in a challenging acoustic. See picture below - it’s a kind of Jazz venue within the Conservatoire.
Sue Southern and Marion’s partner also came to support.
Here are Sue, me and Marion on the day!
Abbie
Hi all,
Sorry I haven’t updated this blog page regularly - I have made a late resolution to do so!
My January was very quiet for me work-wise, which in some ways was a blessing after a crazy Nov/Dec where I literally don’t think I had a day off! I think I travelled to over 30 UK cities over 2 x months, which was exciting but exhausting. January came as a welcome rest but it’s also always a little worrying when the diary is completely empty. The panic of income and the worry of: ‘Have I offended anyone’?, ‘Will the phone ever ring again?’. So dramatic! Thing is, it happens every January! It’s often a quiet month for musicians, but we never seem to remember that. It’s always unnerving. Oh the ups and downs of freelance life!!
February has been busier, mainly with shows. I had the pleasure of playing Phantom, Lion King in the West End and strangely, I did Les Miserables in two different theatre schools in two consecutive weeks. There was no link between them, just coincidence, so it was a very unexpected Les-Mizzy fortnight! The second week was in The Malthouse Theatre in Canterbury, which was brilliant because it meant I could stay in my seaside flat in Margate and enjoy many walks with my dog Stan along the coast :)
I love all the shows I play but Lion King is particularly enjoyable. It’s so much fun playing the panpipes and all the different bansuri flutes (see pic). I just have to be very careful to pick up the right one in the right bit!!
I hope you’re all very well!! I’ll look forward to hopefully seeing you all online (or in person!) in March! xx
OCTOBER 2023
Hello all!
My July concerts with the Gainsborough Ensemble went well and we are now in the process of designing new programmes and booking venues for a couple of concerts in the Autumn/early Winter, again in Suffolk.
Janna
My nephew got married yesterday August 11th, and that was a lovely, happy day with gorgeous weather too.
My nephew Johann and his new wife Julia. It was a lovely and moving wedding.
I hope you are all well and also enjoying this summer!
Currently I am working on pieces to perform with my other ensemble, Harmoniemusik. We did a concert in Church Stretton in Shropshire, on Monday (7th August) to which eflute-member Sue Southern came, and Marion Gough's sister Leslie, which was lovely. The next event in the Harmoniemusik calendar is a set of 3 chamber concerts in Cornwall at our festival "Classic Cornwall", which we have been doing for over 30 years now! This year I will be playing the JS Bach Flute Sonata in B minor - on the modern flute with a modern piano. That's also an interesting way of playing Bach sometimes (but I still like to play in an authentic style). The other pieces I am particularly looking forward to are a wind quintet by Henning Wellejus (who died 2002) which we've never played before, and a really fun but hard wind quintet by Jim Parker called Mississippi 5 (which features animal noises in the last movement!).
But first of all I'm enjoying a bit of family time! Here's me with (from L to R) my sister Uda, husband Danny, brother Eddi, niece Katharina and Uda's husband David on Clifton Suspension Bridge.
JULY 2023
Hi all! I hope you’re all really well?
I’m still reeling from having a crazy month - I don’t mean to complain but I was too busy and got quite stressed! I wasn’t home at all - living out of a suitcase and doing lots of travelling - I’m absolutely exhausted! I learnt a valuable lesson and have promised myself not to be so silly with my diary again, it’s not healthy!
On a positive note, it was a fun and exciting month too! I spent a week in Manchester playing in the touring show of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. It’s a really nice show to play and I was able to find dog-friendly accommodation, so Stan could come with me! After that, I went straight to work at Latitude Festival which was tiring but great. I didn’t do any fluting though - this is a little sideline job I do (I’m a VT Producer and run around with photographers/videographers - very random!).
Abbie
From the festival I drove to Heathrow and flew to Ibiza for a gig out there. It was playing Ibiza Classics with a 30-piece orchestra and a huge audience of thousands of ravers! It was really enjoyable and Ibiza was beautiful.
Once I landed back in Heathrow I drove straight to Gatwick to catch a flight to Jersey where I was teaching on a summer music course. It’s lovely out there and Jersey Academy of Music is an amazing venue and has a great atmosphere. The kids were terrific. Perhaps we could hire the venue and do a flute course there some time???
Let us know what you think!
JUNE 2023
Hello everyone! How are you all?
In June I was practising hard for a concert on 30th June - apart from 2 baroque trio sonatas I was performing Steve Reich's "Vermont Counterpoint" which is for flute, alto flute and piccolo (alternating!) and a backing track of 10 more flutes (also flutes, altos and piccolos). The hardest thing is just to be in the right place, as it has shifts of one semiquaver at a time...!!!
This photo shows the simple set-up we had at the concert on Friday. I was playing without a microphone, and the other tracks came out over the PA.
Janna
Last weekend was my friend's 60th birthday - she's a fabulous viola player in the Bamberg Symphony orchestra. Here she is (on the left) with a few musician friends playing some light music in their garden on Sunday. The chap on the right is a percussionist who was given a pair of spoons and did a great job on them!
Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a really good month!
I had quite a busy June with a nice mix of flutey and non-flutey fun. I went on holiday and spent a few days at the Isle of Wight festival, and music-wise, I played a few shows (Lion King, Phantom and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) and did a Ministry of Sound Classical gig at Fulham Palace. I love these MoS concerts, it’s old-school dance music with orchestra - it’s very loud but a lot of fun. The music is VERY repetitive but I find it a good exercise for trying to be almost machine-like with the patterns and rhythm! I also did a couple of days of recording sessions at Air Studios, which was very enjoyable. It was particularly great because we were in the Hall and it was a full orchestra (rather than recording in sections). I was a bit nervous though - I was on piccolo, which is my least comfortable instrument of the flute family!
Teaching-wise, my students at Junior Academy are doing really well and the boys at my primary school did a group performance, which was very sweet!! (I teach beginner Recorder, so you can imagine the cuteness!)
Abbie
I spent the beginning of June without my flute though - I went on a five day paddle boarding trip in the Norwegian Fjords. An amazing, unforgettable experience!
Please share all your news too - we love to hear what you’re all up to :-)
