2027 GUEST ARTISTS
The Florida Flute Association
51st Annual Membership Convention
January 29, 30, and 31, 2027
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 2027 FFA member and pay the convention fee.
SEPARATE FEES AND SEPARATE FORMS REQUIRED TO ATTEND:
2027 Adult Annual Membership Fee $40, Convention Fee $85
2027 Student Annual Membership Fee $20, Convention Fee $55
***Early Bird Discount On Convention Fees if you pre-register by the deadline of January 4th, 2027 at 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time!
Adult Discount Convention Fee $60, Student Discount Convention Fee $30
(Convention pre-registration available at a later date)
2027 Featured Guest Artist
ZAWA! featuring Jill Felber and Claudia Anderson
ZAWA! is the longest-standing professional flute duo of our time. Musical soulmates Jill Felber and Claudia Anderson merged artistic forces in 1997 and, from their first commission onwards, expanded the literature, power, and expressive range of two flutes together over 25 years. running the edgE by Jennifer Higdon (commissioned in 1996) burst open the expressive possibilities of two flutes together. It also laid the foundation for ZAWA!’s commitment to expand this repertoire and to reflect a wealth of contemporary styles. ZAWA! has appeared at New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, and colleges and universities nationwide. Recognized as a unique and brilliant partnership, they have been guest artists at national and international flute festivals and have enjoyed headliner performances spanning 2001 to 2024 at the National Flute Association annual conventions. In December of 2023, ZAWA! released their album ZAWA! Remix to all major streaming services.
In 2025, ZAWA! entered their 28th season with a new program of works for two flutes and electronic media. Jennifer Higdon’s original dedication in the score of running the edgE, “to Jill and Claudia, always running the edge,” proved prophetic over the next 25 years. ZAWA!’s commissions, arrangements, and programs with repertoire ever pushing boundaries have led to ZAWA! Reimagined. Their new program includes enticing scores from composers both known and emerging, and electronic versions of pieces from earlier repertoire. Follow their latest touring news at zawaflutes2.com
Featured Florida Flutists
Gia Sastre and Nicolas Real
Classical flutist, Gia Sastre, has spent 25+ years performing as a freelance soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Recent performances include the EMMA Concert Series of St. Augustine, the Florida Flute Association Conference in Orlando, and the University of North Florida. Other solo engagements have included recitals at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Friday Musicale of Jacksonville, Music @ Main Intermezzo Series, Riverside Fine Arts, the Ponte Vedra Library Series, the Music on Monroe Series, and Riverside Presbyterian’s Wednesday Happenings. As a chamber musician, Ms. Sastre performs as part of the Vivace Trio, a Jacksonville-based two-flute and piano ensemble. She also performed for many years with Chicago harpist AnnLaura Tapia as part of the Abellimento Flute & Harp duo. Their recording, Abellimento, a collection of flute and harp classics, is available on Pandora, Apple Music, Spotify & YouTube. In addition, she has appeared with Chicago’s CUBE ensemble, Accessible Contemporary Music, the Seram Flute Quartet, the Elgin Opera Ensemble, and the Chamber Music Society of the Good Shepherd, among many others. As an orchestral player, she has had the opportunity to perform with many orchestras, including the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the Coastal Symphony of Georgia.
As an educator, Ms. Sastre works with many dedicated and talented students as a professor of flute at the University of North Florida and through her private studio. Ms. Sastre has presented recitals and masterclasses at Florida State, Emory, DePaul, and St. Xavier University and has helped present the Annual UNF Flute Day and UNF Summer Music camps for many years. Ms. Sastre gives regular masterclasses for advanced middle and high school flutists, and she has written articles and given numerous presentations on overcoming musicians’ performance anxiety. Ms. Sastre is a member of the Florida Flute Association and has served as masterclass chair for their annual convention. She is also a member and a Farwell Award winner of the Musicians Club of Women. Originally from Miami, Fla., Ms. Sastre holds a Master of Music in Flute Performance from DePaul University in Chicago, where she studied with Mary Stolper, and a Bachelor of Music in performance from Florida State University, where she studied under Charles Delaney and Eva Amsler. Ms. Sastre also traveled to Great Britain to pursue a resident course of study with Paul Edmund-Davies, then principal flutist of the London Symphony Orchestra.
Nicolás Real is a dynamic Venezuelan-American flutist, composer, conductor, and educator whose artistry bridges the richness of classical and Latin American music. With an international career that spans the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, he is recognized for inspiring performances, creative musical leadership, and a deep commitment to education.
Dr. Real earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance and Composition from Temple University, a Master of Music in Flute Performance from Central Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from the University Institute of Musical Studies (IUDEM) in Venezuela. He launched his professional career through Venezuela’s renowned National Youth Orchestra System, “El Sistema,” performing with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and teaching at the Latin American Flute Academy. He later served on the faculties of the University of Los Andes in Mérida and the National University of the Arts (UNEARTE) in Caracas.
As a soloist and chamber artist, Dr. Real has been a founding member of the Miquirebo Flute Quartet of Venezuela, the National Flute Orchestra of Venezuela, and the Real-Peña Duo, presenting concerts, recordings, and tours in Venezuela and abroad. His work has taken him to stages and collaborations across the United States, Germany, South Korea, Switzerland, Japan, Spain, France, Brazil, Colombia, Panamá, and Chile. An award-winning performer, he received top honors in the Concerto Aria Competition at Central Michigan University and the Performers Competition at the National Flute Convention in Washington, DC. As a composer, his music for flute and chamber ensembles has been performed by distinguished groups in Venezuela and the United States, including the Massachusetts Flute Choir, the Crescent Duo, the Venezuela National Flute Orchestra, and the Miquirebo Flute Quartet. As a conductor, he has led both classical and popular repertoire with orchestras and chamber ensembles in Venezuela, Colombia, and the United States.
His artistic output also includes the solo album Nicolas Real: Music from Eastern Venezuela, released in 2004, and the 2011 premiere of his Concerto for Flute, String Orchestra, and Percussion at the International Flute and Piccolo Festival in Caracas. Today, Dr. Real serves as Director of The Real Flute Studio, Principal Flute of The Villages Philharmonic, conductor of The Gulf Coast Flute Choir, and an active flute clinician and soloist in the United States and internationally.