Festival2010

The South West Annual Flute Festival 2010

sponsored by - Jonathan Myall Music and Powell Flutes

When you live in Devon and Cornwall you get used to having to get in the car and travel a long way to go anywhere, sometimes it's not far, it just takes a long while. All gorgeous country roads and stunning views but not much within reasonable walking distance.... except more views. However if you can avoid travelling 5 hours plus to London and beyond, in order to attend a music event the better, so you take the alternative option and bring those top big city pro's down here instead.

When I started learning the flute at school it was something I did as a hobby, it was different to my friends, a talking point and meant I got to be in all the school productions without the fear of having to get on stage and try to sing. I had a lovely flute teacher and played in a flute choir - though not for long as I spent all the time on the bottom part playing minims because I was the youngest. I had no idea there was such a thing as summer schools and conventions especially for flute players and I'd certainly never heard of the BFS. That was in Oxfordshire - the cultural centre of England? Knowing what I know now I'm not sure how I managed to miss it all, but ironically it wasn't until I moved to the supposedly sleepy county of Devon many years later did I discover the hidden world of Flutemania. Over the last few years I have rediscovered my love of music, met some wonderful friends and amazing musicians - all through the flute. I also, possibly due to a moment of insanity, became a BFS rep and took over the running of what is now the South West Flute Festival. An event that gives flute players of the South West of England the chance of receiving tuition and inspiration from some of the best flautists this country has. We gain from their experience and they, in return get to escape to beautiful dartmoor for the weekend.

I have found myself wondering this year why I do it. In short it involves numerous phone calls and emails, usually over the course of a few weeks, trying to track down two professional musicians one at least I've never met before, who have completely different and conflicting schedules, in the hope of getting them together in the same place at the same time for a whole weekend half way over the other side of the country. A date that also has to coincide with our sponsor Jonathan Myall and an appropriate and available venue. If that miracle is achieved we are then into trying to charm sponsorship from various sources before the fun of designing advertising material and web pages and launching a marketing campaign that covers two counties and beyond, in the faint hope that we can conjure up enough participants to meet the costs of the production. That's before we start working out a itinerary for the weekend that fits all requirements in a plausible time scale. This year all in a short space of 4 months.

So why go to all this trouble, why give up months of precious time for one weekend. I've decided the answer is short and simple.... because I love it!Despite the stress it is a lot of fun, but above all  because somehow months of hard work and stressful panicing all seem to come together - usually at the last minute - for a fun filled, inspirational weekend of flute madness! That's the best bit, seeing so many people go away enthused and regenerate. Whether it's helped a little with future career plans or simply given an enjoyable hobby that much needed boost, it's an amazing sense of achievement at the end.

One important thing to point out is, that it's obviously an impossible task to complete alone and the danger is, with it being my name as the event co-ordinator people will overlook the team behind the scenes. The South West Flute Festival couldn't happen without the help and back up of a group of supportive, encouraging and brilliant fluteaholics! The amount of times over this weekend I went to do something to find that someone had  already done it.  
So thanks to Vicky, my rock of support and general partner in crime. 
To Sue for the technical support, although the web pages are designed by me, it's her that up loads it all very efficiently and puts up with my constant phone calls asking for up dates and changes - no matter how minute.
To Peter Hurford, for printing hundreds of flyers free of charge.
To Vicky and Bex for running this year's new thing - the early grades fun session on the Saturday afternoon.
To Tracey and Sarah at St Joseph's for their catering and support, generally making our lives a lot easier.
And I think above all, my wonderful parents Graham and Linda who willingly gave up their time and house for the weekend to play host to 3 total strangers.  
The hugest thanks our sponsors Jonathan Myall and Powell flutes. These events cost a lot to put together and their help means we can charge everyone a minimal amount to attend.
Finally the obvious thanks to Paul, Tim and Pasha for their inspiration, and encouragement, but also for being such lovely undemanding people... and for washing up!

And thank you to all of you who came and made the festival the friendly and unintimdating event it is!
See you next year!
Kym.

So let's take a look back over 2010..

from the organisers point of view

For me SWFF2010 started officially on the Friday - having spent the day doing a very manic early spring clean, we were ready and waiting to recieve guests.. That was when things started to get - let's say interesting is a good word! Paul made it on time calmly and efficiently. Tim and Pasha on the other hand eventually arrived via a major accident on the M3 (not them thankfully) a partially closed A303 - leading to a coutry lane diversion without Sat Nav and a much needed pint stop somewhere around Ottery St Mary - at 10pm ish. Needless to say dinner was a little late!! So after a very late night and 2+ bottles of wine later it was a rather sleepy start to get to St. Jo's to set up at 9am and guess what - it was raining - stopping in perfect time just as we'd finished getting the last of the "shop" out the car - lovely Devon weather!

Now I had already learnt from previous years that Tim needs at least 3 coffees to wake up in the morning and Paul it appears has the traditional good old English addiction to tea (proper tea mind you, no ponsy Earl Grey stuff) so they headed off with provisions for a practise - or possibly a snooze - for the evening recital, whilst we got set up to welcome everyone else!

This year, due to numerous new faces, vicky and I had decided to open with a few silly "ice breakers" getting people relaxed and talking, sorry about that but it was fun for us!! Not to mention fascinating, how long have I known Clare and never knew she used to work behind scenes in the Rocky Horror Show! For the rest of the warm up we had talked Pasha into taking a more music based exercise. My excuse being, it introduced the Just Flutes expert to everyone, therefore people would know who to approach to ask questions and buy things from - but between you and me it was because we were too scared to, don't tell him that!

Welcome to organised madness...

Then it was up to Katie to lead the way in the first of the dreaded master classes. Probably the scariest moment in the whole weekend, at least everyone coming afterwards would know what to expect. Thank you Katie and you did it brilliantly! It was interesting in the break afterwards listening to people discussing Paul's comments on his main topic of the chat. It would seem we were all relieved to know that even someone of his ability and experience knows the feel of the dreaded nerves. I will confess - as everyone who knows me will tell you - nerves are my nemesis, even hypnotherapy didn't help. Let's just say all the symptoms he described I tend to experience all at once. Interestingly it's only when I have a flute in my hand, but I have never yet been physically sick so maybe there's hope for me yet.

Now for any of the newcomers to this event I will take this opprtunity to point out that Michael who did the second master class is the former musical director of Flute Cocktail, the flute choir where this event originated from. For those of there who are members this was particuarly intersting twist, to see our former conductor getting the instruction instead of the other way around!!!

Thank you to both Saturday's master class "victims" it may have been scary but hopefully you both got as much out of it as those of us who were sitting there all safe and comfy - well safe anyway, not all of us remembered cushions.

Now I have to confess I was absent for much of Paul's first workshop session due to sorting out choir music, the arrival of people for the afternoonn early grades fun session and as usual trying to bully Tim into getting back on schedule - don't we just love him! I am vaguely aware of articulation being involved and David being one of Paul's ginuea pigs. If anyone feels like writing a few words on this to add in here, feel free!

In March 2009 the BFS area reps were asked to simultaneously organise an afternoon of ensemble playing. Especially for this the co-ordinator Kate Cuzner wrote a piece called Drifting. I liked it and decided this was a good opportunity to get it out again. As far as I know it has yet to be officially published. I was also aware of there being a clarinettist present - unusual for a flute event, but flautists and clarinettists are not at war - this it would seem is a myth. And at last a contra base flute appeared finally - thank you Sarah!

Next came the 2010 experiment, following requests from last year we had added chamber music into the programme. So having pre-arranged the groups based on approximate standard and experience we sent everyone off giving them one hour to prepare something to perform to the rest of the group in a mini concert. A chance for everyone to put all those things Paul had talked about into practise. Now I have to confess this turned out to be an interesting experiment. I believe there is a saying about all the best laid plans going astray. Despite signs on doors relating to number groups, this seemed to cause confusion and all sorts of chaos until eventually everyone was settled in practise rooms with appropriate music. Perhaps material for a new sitcom!  However despite the shakey start, we did have a mini concert and from my point of view it was lovely to just sit and listen to everyone. It was also good to hear what the fun session had been up to all afternoon.

One of the things I love about this festival is the chance to hear first class musicians in such intimate surroundings, just a slight concern when the pianist appeared to have disappeared, returning just in time having apparently fallen asleep! Paul certainly had a challenge matching Gareth's concert from last year, yet obviously he did, with a lovely programme, don't we all wish we could make it sound that easy. One thing we like to do is give Tim the opportunity to show off a bit, as Vicky said to me after his Chopin, it's so easy to forget how brilliant a pianist he is when he spends so much time at these events just accompanying. Now this was a new thing for me, being asked to join in! More than a little scary but definitely an honour, do you think I can say i shared a recital with Paul Edmund-Davies - no I don't think so. dream on Kym. Thank goodness I just had to read a story and wasn't expected to get the flute out. It was certainly a fantastic concert I loved the Titanic thrown in totally out of the blue, even more so because Tim apparently didn't know it so made it up as he went along :o) Due to the later than planned finish, down to 2 more encores and poor David waiting since 9pm to lock up, we elected to abandon all clearing up until the morning and headed to the pub - the Harris Arms just outside Lew Down with a very accomodating land lord who had no objection to us still being there gone midnight!

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