The Florida Flute Association
47th Annual Membership Convention
January 27, 28, and 29, 2023
LOCATION: Orlando Airport Marriott Lakeside
7499 Augusta National Drive, Orlando Florida
To attend any part of the convention, including exhibits, all flute players of any age or level, active or retired, must register as a 2023 FFA member and pay the convention fee. (Convention registration available at a later date)
**We will be monitoring the Covid situation in the next few months, to see what protocols to put into place if needed.
We will post any changes on this site and in a future email to all members.
SEPARATE FEES AND SEPARATE FORMS REQUIRED TO ATTEND:
2023 Adult Annual Membership Fee $30, Convention Fee $65.
2023 Student Annual Membership Fee $10, Convention Fee $40.
Guests are NON flute players and must be a guest of a convention attending member.
2023 Guest Artist
Laurel Zucker
We are so excited to announce our very own and VERY NEW Florida resident, Laurel Zucker, as our 2023 Guest Artist!
Gramophone Magazine describes Ms. Zucker’s flute playing as “as polished and gratifying as Rampal and Galway. Zucker’s interpretations are splendid all round. Her tone isairy and sweet, her virtuosity graceful.”
2012 Guitar Magazine reviewed CD, Soundscapes of The Americas, states ‘Zucker performs with tremendous authority and musicianship and plays with enviable ease. She also illustrates here that she is a composer of note; there is nothing here which drops below superb.
2004 Gramophone “strongly recommended” The Complete Telemann Fantasies for Flute and The Complete J.S. Bach Flute Sonatas on Cantilena Records describing her performances as “intelligent, naturally phrased and highly musical with a rich sound beyond reproach.
August 2003 book, Inspirational Stories from the World’s Best Flute Players, Laurel Zucker is featured along with James Galway, Paula Robison, Herbie Mann, Ian Andersen, and Julius Baker.
Fanfare Magazine refers to Ms. Zucker “as a forceful advocate for 20th century music,” and when she was awarded the Aaron Copland Fund for Music from the American Music Center to record the 1998 Take a Walk on the Wilder Side-CD, Fanfare Magazine stated “this disc fills an important niche in American Music as well as flute literature.“
With 68 CD releases available on Cantilena Records, Ms. Zucker can be heard regularly on worldwide classical radio stations. She has performed many times in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Mondavi Center, etc.
As a concerto soloist she has been featured with the American Symphony Orchestra, InterHarmony Orchestra of Italy, Erkel Chamber Orchestra of Budapest, The Orchestra of New York, Gold Country Orchestra, Merced Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, Arlington Symphony, and toured with Sumara Orchestra of Russia.
As an active chamber artist she has performed with the Marlboro Festival and Tour, Harvard Chamber Players, Music Fest of Arizona, Music in the Mountains, UC Davis Chamber Players, Wet Ink Festival, Chamber Music Alive!, InterHarmony Festival in Italy. Jazz Now 2005 describes her performance as “Laurel’s flute cutting the still air with a deep-felt emotion to the very last note.”
Claude Bolling in March 2004 on Zucker’s Bolling Jazz Suites CD writes “Dear Laurel Zucker, your recording is beautiful, musician partners are excellent and your fluteplaying superb!!!”
Of the Flute Music by French Composers CD, Sir James Galway recommends on his Facebook “This is a really good record and should be in the library of all serious students. The repertoire is very good and it is beautifully played by Miss Zucker. I have a copy and think it is outstanding…”
As an active performer and supporter of the flute community, Ms. Zucker has been a guest performer/teacher at the New York Flute Club, The Portland Flute Society, The Houston Flute Society, Los Angeles Flute Club, Dallas Flute Festival, North Carolina School of the Arts and the National Flute Association Convention.
In 2000 The Year of the Rome Aureole Jubilee (hosted by the City of Rome and the Pope) three of Ms. Zucker’s Cantilena Records CDs ( Serenades for flute and harp; Music of Guiliani for flute and guitar; Mozart Flute Quartets ) were played non-stop for six months throughout the largest Convention Center of Rome, Italy and were also featured in a documentary created at UCLA on the Santa Maria Maggiora Chapel of Rome.
In 2006 Ms. Zucker received THE BEST CLASSICAL SOLO INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2006 for her Cantilena Records release, Inflorescence, from The Just Plain Folks Awards.
As Professor of Flute at California State University in Sacramento since 1988, Ms. Zucker received the 1998 President’s Award for Creative and Scholarly Research, two 1998 and 2000 Creative Research Awards, and 1989 Professional Promise Award and several UEI travel grants. Most recently Ms. Zucker is the recipient of the 2013 Creative and Scholarly Research Award for The School of Arts at California State University.
1978 she won Artists International Competition and gave her Carnegie Recital Hall Debut. Her first performances in Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center were at the age of 16 performing 1st flute in the Alexander Schneider’s Orchestra. Ms. Zucker graduated from Juilliard where she studied with Samuel Baron for 3 years; with Paula Robison for two years at New England Conservatory of Music; and privately with Marcel Moyse and Julius Baker. Ms. Zucker holds a Masters in Music Composition from New York University.
Her compositions are published by Jabiru Publications, Clear Note Publications, Lyra International, Subito Music and Bourne Music Company and are recorded on Cantilena Records. Since 2006 Ms. Zucker’s travels throughout Central and South American and the Middle East have inspired her to compose an extensive variety of chamber music both jazz and classical. Five CD releases representing a variety of her compositions: A Night in Quito for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio, Soundscapes of the Americas, Galápagos Wind Music and Journeys are available at fine stores and on-line. July 2012/2014 Ms. Zucker performed, gave masterclasses, performed and coached chamber music at InterHarmony Music Festival in Arcidosso, Italy. 2012-2016 Ms Zucker has held yearly Flute Workshops and concerts on various types of chamber ensembles. July 2012 Susan Jolles and Laurel Zucker performed at the 100th Annual American Harp Convention in New York City. 2010 Zucker gave a masterclass series at The French Woods Festival.
Steve Marsh, reviewer of Guitar Magazine, enthusiastically describes her compositions in the 2012 CD, “Soundscapes of the Americas” in this way: The extensive and interesting programme notes provided by the renowned flautist, Laurel Zucker, tell of her extensive travelling through North, Central and South America and the works on this disc reflect these explorations through a programme of descriptive, expressive and very enjoyable compositions. Shades of Villa-lobos dwell in parts of the opening track “Brazilian Sounds” scored for flute, guitar and cello, and this influence spills over into “Tears of the Amazon.” The natural world was the stimulation behind the enchanting “Celtic Snowflakes,” where the harp is highly suggestive of gentle snowflakes, and the tallest flying bird native to South and Central America, “The Jabiru” has a complete 3 movement suite for flute and cello dedicated to it. Capybaras, caimen and spider monkeys are musically depicted here. The longest work is the 5 movement South American Suite for flute and guitar. The inspiration here comes from forestry, an anaconda and the excitement felt by the composer travelling through such hostile territory- a “makes you jump moment” comes at the conclusion of movement 3 which features the flute technique called “jet whistle” – yet another nod in the direction of Villa-lobos who wrote a work for flute and cello titled after this technique.”
August 2014 in Los Angeles at Coburn. hall with KUSC Radio, Ms Zucker was featured in The 50th Anniversary Concert of Martin Luther King’s March on Washington. Music by prominent Afro-American composers Julio Racine and Coleridge -Taylor Perkinson. 2015 Ms Zucker toured China with her composition Shanghai for Flute Choir. 2016 Cantilena Records released 2 CD Volumes of Flute Music By Composers of African Descent. During 2017 Ms Zucker and Mark Delpriora will release their 6th recording on Cantilena Records. Dr Jacqueline Butler Hairston and Ms Zucker are featured on Cantilena Records’s release, Flute and Piano Music Composed by Women of African Descent.
During 2020 Ms Zucker released recordings of Joachim Andersen’s Etudes Opus 21, 30, 33, 41, 37. Andersen’s Etudes Opus 63, 60 and 15 was released in 2021. In 2021 -Inflorescence VI Music for Solo Flute was released. A new release for flute, saxophone and piano featuring Dr. Keith Bohm and Dr John Cozza was available summer 2021.
Our 2023 Florida Guest Artists
Jeremy Benson is Professor of music at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. He is the flute professor and serves as the Director of Orchestral Activities and Conductor of the JSU Civic Symphony, conducts the Jacksonville Opera Theatre Company & JSU Drama Department productions. He serves as the Vice President of the Florida Flute Association.
As an active soloist, chamber musician, and adjudicator, Dr. Benson was awarded Second Prize at the 2021 Music International Grand Prix for Solo Artists Competition and named a First Prize Winner at the 2011 Alexander & Buono International Solo Competition at Carnegie Hall in New York City, NY. He has served on adjudication panels, been a lecturer, and performed for several national and international solo competitions and master classes around the world.
His graduate research and publications are primary resources about Japanese/French composer, Yuko Uébayashi, and he presents many lectures and concerts about her flute music. In 2019, he received the Faculty Lecturer of the Year Award at JSU for his research, contributions, and lecture recitals about Uébayashi.
He completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the Master of Music degree from the Florida State University and studied at the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Musicians. His teachers include Bart Feller, Eva Amsler, Victoria Delano, and Jerryl Davis. He is a Muramatsu Flute Performing Artist. See www.jeremybensonmusic.com for more information.
Tammara K. Phillips is Visiting Assistant Professor of music at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. She received the Bachelor of Music from Stetson University, the Master of Music from James Madison University, and the Doctor of Music from the Florida State University. Prior to her appointment at Stetson, Dr. Phillips served on the music faculties at Bethune-Cookman University, Carl Sandburg College, Daytona State College, Eastern Florida State College, the Florida State University, Seminole State College, and Western Illinois University.
Dr. Phillips is a founding member of the baroque flute ensemble, Traverso Colore, comprised of past and present students from the Florida State University. An avid baroque flute player, Phillips was awarded 3rd Place in the 2009 National Flute Association Baroque Flute Artist Competition during the convention in New York City and was awarded a performer’s spot in the 2017 National Flute Association Baroque Flute Masterclass Competition, in which she performed for master teacher Jed Wentz during the convention in Minneapolis.
As a member of Traverso Colore, Phillips, along with her colleagues, has created several transcriptions of famous renaissance and baroque era pieces for the ensemble. The baroque flute ensemble genre, with its limited amount of repertoire, was a catalyst to begin a Traverso Colore Transcription Series, published by Alry Publications in 2019, in hopes that this will encourage other baroque flutists to explore new repertoire. Phillips has created transcriptions for many pieces, including Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, and Vivaldi’s “Spring” movement from the Four Seasons. Volume 3 of the Traverso Colore Series was selected as a finalist in the 2020 National Flute Association Newly Published Music Competition. The members of Traverso Colore met in June of 2018 to record pieces from the transcription series and will be releasing a CD soon.
In addition to teaching at Stetson, Dr. Phillips has also served for many years on the board of the Florida Flute Association (FFA) as Program Chair, Vice-President, and President. Having completed her term as President of the FFA in January 2020, she is now serving as the Chair of the Board.
Dr. Phillips maintains an active performing and teaching career in central Florida, performing regularly with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and other organizations around the state. In addition, Phillips regularly serves as a judge for FBA events such as All-County and All-State auditions and State Solo and Ensemble festival.