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 the next quarter century. running the edgE by Jennifer Higdon (commissioned in 1997) burst open the expressive possibilities of two flutes together and laid the foundation for ZAWA!’s commitment to expand this repertoire and to reflect a wealth of contemporary styles. Their arrangements of Claudio Monteverdi and Jules Mouquet exhibit sheer beauty of sound and breathtaking lyricism at the other end of the expressive spectrum. Collectively, ZAWA!’s diverse repertoire displays the drama, versatility and humor they are known for, all delivered with high-spirited energy and impact.
In 2008 ZAWA! commissioned flutist-composer Cynthia Folio to write Z3 for two flutes and piano (2008) and recorded it on Cynthia’s chamber music CD Inverno Azul in 2014 (BCM&D Records). ZAWA!’s focus on the environment resulted in a major double concerto in 2014 by Cynthia Folio, Winds for Change. This 14-minute work, a meditation on the effects of climate change, began scored for string orchestra, percussion, and electronics. Premiered at Grinnell College in 2014, it evolved over the next years to its present form, with 9 flutes replacing the strings. ZAWA! and colleague Angeleita Floyd (as conductor) have toured with this version since 2017, involving flute studios around the country and flute festivals worldwide, that comprise the flute orchestra and often include professional and high-level amateurs in the community. This inclusive approach – perfectly suited to regional, national and international flute society festivals – has captured the essence of collaborative performance at its most rewarding for all.
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.
ZAWA! enters its 29th season in 2026 with a brand 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 quarter century. 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 is delighted to be one of the Friday evening guest artists at the Florida
Flute Association’s 51st Annual Conference. Ms. Sastre is in her 12th year as Professor of Flute at the
University of North Florida in Jacksonville where she teaches applied flute lessons to music
performance and education majors as well as to graduate students, and woodwind doublers. She
also teaches Flute Techniques to UNF’s aspiring music educators, flute pedagogy and literature
courses, and directs the UNF Flute Ensemble. Teaching at UNF offers an opportunity to invest in the
lives of her students and foster their creativity, musicianship, and careers.
Ms. Sastre performs as a freelance soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player. She plays a
custom Burkart flute with a Mancke headjoint and a Hammig piccolo. Her favorite study materials
are by Marcel Moyse and Paul Edmund-Davies. 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, studying 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. Additionally, Ms. Sastre earned her Suzuki flute certification at McMaster University in
Hamilton, Ontario.
Ms. Sastre has performed concerts for the EMMA Concert Series of St. Augustine, the Florida Flute
Association annual conference, and masterclasses and recitals at the University of North Florida,
Emory University, Florida State University, DePaul University and St. Xavier University. 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 Series, the Ponte Vedra Library Series, the Music on Monroe Series, among others. As a
chamber musician, Ms. Sastre has performed as part of the Vivace Trio, a Jacksonville-based two
flute and piano ensemble. She also performed with Chicago harpist AnnLaura Tapia as part of
Abellimento Flute & Harp duo. Their recording, Abellimento, features works by Bach, Debussy, Ibert
and other classic flute and harp literature. 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 the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Highlands
Symphony, Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, the Jacksonville Symphony, and the Coastal Symphony
of Georgia among others.
Ms. Sastre is a member of the Florida Flute Association and has served as masterclass chair and
adjudicator for their annual convention. She is also a member and Farwell Award winner of the
Musicians Club of Women. Her most valued role and blessing is being wife to her high school
sweetheart, Dr. Aris Sastre and mother to their three sons: Ari, Eli and Caleb.
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.