Artist Spotlight -- Andrea Fisher

Powell artist Andrea Fisher is known to many as "Fluterscooter." A Juilliard grad, she started her line of Fluterscooter bags in 2011 with "one silver bag and a dream."  Now Andrea has been sharing her experiences as an entrepreneur with flutists around the globe -- including students at her alma mater and participants in this week's "Flutes by the Sea" masterclass and workshop in Half Moon Bay, California.

Next month, Andrea will have her own booth at the annual NFA (National Flute Association) Convention, where she will be have plenty of Fluterscooter bags and a few special guests...  She tells us that she will be also conducting interviews at her booth for The Flute View, an online magazine for flutists that she created alongside colleagues Barbara Siesel and Viviana Guzman.  On the performance side, she'll have the opportunity to construct the installation for a performance of her own original music on Saturday, August 15th at 5 PM.

For those who have not had the opportunity to meet Andrea and hear her speak about her experiences as an entrepreneur, follow this link to read the her previous Teach Flute blog post on entrepreneurship titled FLUTREPRENEURSHIP.  Andrea also wrote about her experiences producing the live hologram show, "Flute N Float," in The Making of Flute N Float, which you can also read here by following this link.  She is currently working on a live hologram performance in London, but her DVDs from the Tokyo performance are available on her website: fluterscooter.com.

Click here to view Andrea's full artist profile on the Powell website. The 10th Anniversary Powell Sonaré Fluterscooter bag (pictured in the photo at the top of the page) is also available by clicking this link to the VQP Shop on the Powell website.

The Making of Flute N Float

By Andrea (Fluterscooter) Fisher

(edited from “The Making of Hologram Fluterscooter,” originally published by The Flute View. August 2014.)

I had just finished performing my debut show at The Apple Store in Tokyo when I heard about the infamous 2Pac hologram at the Coachella Music Festival. After watching the YouTube video several times, and coming off an amazing performance where I involved a live light painter to create still and moving visuals as I played, I had an idea to take this performance to the next level: create a hologram of myself! and be able to play with and against a virtual version(s) of myself! What did that mean exactly? I didn’t know at the time how, where, when, who I’d be working with, but I was determined to make it happen!

Last fall, I finally decided it was the time to start working on this project. Now living back in the states, I started my online research about how holograms work. With all the buzz circulating about the 2Pac hologram, it was not difficult to find out what specific tech was used and how it was projected. It was also not difficult to find out how expensive it was to project a hologram for just 3 minutes. As an independent artist, finding $30,000 for a 3 minute performance didn’t seem worth it, but I didn’t let that discourage me. I began contacting all distributors of the Musion “Eyeliner” Technology (the technology that is needed to create the hologram effect) from New York to Los Angeles to their headquarters in London with a short description of my ideas as well as some sample pieces and my visions of how they would being performed. The London office was the most receptive and encouraging to me, recognizing the creativity in my project. Unfortunately the American companies just wanted money and weren’t interested…that was actually no surprise to me.

I was about to go to London and start meeting with the company to figure how to make my idea a reality, when I suddenly was called back to Japan for a month’s worth of concerts and teaching. They referred me to the sister company in Tokyo, StudioTED, and I showed them the press on my Apple Store show, and they were immediately interested in meeting with me while I was in Japan. I was so excited to start this project, even if it had to be in Tokyo!

My full show idea was over an hour long, where the visuals from each piece would melt into the next piece, creating a seamless visual and musical performance. Some music would be more traditional and contemporary flute music, and some would be commissioned by composers to write specifically for the event. After many meetings discussing how we could realistically put this show together, we decided to cut it to 20 minutes (4 pieces) and perform as a showcase in the studio showroom to attract sponsors and investors to book a larger show. Of course I wanted to do the full show, but the cost would have been very high for the company to put together and get a proper venue.

Fast forward to this past spring: I was back in Japan for more concerts (yes, I do most of my performing in Japan!) For the showcase, we chose Saint-Saens’ Aquarium which I arranged for 3 flutes, Robert Aitken’s Icicle, Debussy’s Syrinx (arranged for 3 flutes), and finishing with the first half of Steve Reich’s Vermont Counterpoint. Did I mention everyone in the company reads music and one is even a composer? That definitely helps with the process! Not all the pieces would be with hologram, but holographic content would be used for background visuals. We drafted up a visual storyboard of how and where the holograms would be placed on the stage.

We booked 2 days for a video shoot in their showroom, where I would record each hologram separately for each piece. I had to choose costumes for each one, too, so I also had to wear the stylist hat, too! My Syrinx costumes were obviously Syrinx and Pan, and one of the women on the team even made me handmade goat horns for the Pan costume.  Since it’s a visual performance more than anything, costumes, makeup, hair are of equal importance as the music. And since I don’t do my own hair, one of the team members happened to do hair, so I lucked out there too!

Now that the video shoot was done, we kept exchanging emails and having Skype sessions about next steps. Getting a solid invite list was the next step as well as starting rehearsals, so I booked another trip to Japan late this July (and just returned a few days ago) to have some meetings regarding invite lists and rehearsals. What most people don’t realize about the hologram effect is that when the live performer is on stage, they do not actually see the hologram; it is like looking into water and seeing reflections. I am doing some minimal choreography to interact with the other holograms, so getting used to looking down rather than across was a challenge!

One more trip to Tokyo was left, and this time it was showtime!  A few weeks prior to the show, I hired a project manager (and translator between StudioTED and myself) in Tokyo to bring some key people to the event, people that could potentially sponsor a bigger full show in a larger space.  The turn out was great, and without the project manager, it would have been difficult for me to get the proper people in the audience.

On September 25, 2014, I presented 2 showcases of Flute N Float as a private event in the StudioTED showroom in Tokyo.   I only arrived in Tokyo on September 23, and the 24^th was a full tech rehearsal day.  We did everything from sound, interacting with the holograms (knowing their placement on stage in relation to myself), costuming, and cueing music.  It was difficult to do in such a short amount of time, especially to memorize where the holograms are on stage AND having to memorize the music.  On the 25^th, we had dress rehearsals all day, and then presented the shows in the evening.  It was so much fun, and I’m honestly surprised it was pulled off without a hitch!

I recently had a conversation with Juilliard’s Entrepreneurship director about this show and the steps I had to take to finally make it happen…about doing whatever it takes to transform an idea into a reality, even if it means trips back and forth to Tokyo. As performing artists these days, we can use all of the world as our platform, our audience, and our collaborators. There are no limits!

The video of the full live show has been done, and it will be available for download on www.fluterscooter.com in November 2014.  

Christina Jennings -- the History of Her Powell Flutes

Christina Jennings

We recently asked Powell artist Christina Jennings to tell us more about the Powell flutes she plays -- the options and specs, how she chose them, and a bit about their history.  Ms. Jennings shared the following about her two very special Powells...

Serial Number: 4682

Completion Date:

2/9/1976

Specs:

Sterling silver, soldered tone holes, .014" tubing, Cooper Scale, A-440, French cups, B foot with gizmo, in-line G, D# roller

Model:

Handmade Custom Metal Flute

Serial Number: 11367

Completion Date:

10/23/2002

Specs:

Sterling silver, soldered tone holes, .018" tubing, Modern Powell Scale, A-442, French cups, B foot with gizmo, offset G, split-E, C# trill, D# roller

Model:

Handmade Custom Metal Flute

I am the guardian of two special Powell flutes: number 4682 and 11367. Each flute came to me with a beautiful tone, an easy feel, and also an inherited legacy.

When I was thirteen, I came home from school to find that a complete stranger had bequeathed to me a 1976 Powell. The generosity of such a gift has continued to amaze me. This flute belonged to Evelyn Hansen Hurd, a resident of Hanover, NH, close to by hometown of Norwich, VT. Mrs. Hurd, a reference librarian at Baker Library at Dartmouth College, was also active in this thriving musical scene. She attended a performance of the Upper Valley Flute Choir in which I played the solo part to La Primavera, from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Shortly after this performance, Mrs. Hurd, who had been battling cancer, was hospitalized and died. The memory I have of her funeral was of a cold spring day, and the beauty of this flute as it sang out the mournful Siciliana from the Bach E-Flat Major flute sonata.

With this spectacular instrument I played my Juilliard audition, performed aboard the QE2, debuted a solo recital at Carnegie Hall, and recorded my first CD Winter Spirits. This remarkable gift truly helped me find voice as a flutist.

Some fifteen years later, I became interested in exploring flutes with a deeper more expansive sound and with the addition of a C# trill key, off set G, and split E. I found such a flute in 2003 through Anne Pollack. The deeper sound, fluidity of the scale, and the power of the low register were among the aspects that impressed me. Anne explained that the flute belonged to a Boston doctor who purchased it shortly after his terminal diagnoses of cancer. This man was, Howard Blume, M.D, P.H.D chief of the Neurosurgery at Beth Israel/Deconess Hospital in Boston, on a clinical appointment with Harvard Medical School, and a dedicated physician and surgeon. Howard was also an accomplished flutist whose love of music began when he first picked up a flute as a young boy. During the last six weeks of his life, the flute became everything to Howard, and he dropped all other professional work and consumed himself in the research, purchase, and study of the flute. His widow Betty told me “I don't know how to say how important that flute was to him in the months of his illness.  It was an expression of his continuing hope -- his continuing insistence on making sense - of creating challenge for himself -- in the face of that terrible diagnosis.”

The spirits of Mrs. Hurd and Dr. Blume are alive in these wonderful instruments I am privileged to play.

*To learn more about Christina Jennings, click here to visit her website and here for her Powell Artist Profile Page.

Bernard Z. Goldberg

By Christina Cobas (with Dr. Nora Lee Garcia)

Bernard Z. Goldberg

Bernard Z. Goldberg, former principal flutist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, is recognized as one of the world’s leading performers and teachers of the instrument. Among others, he has studied with George Barrere, Marcel Moyse, and Pablo Casals. Graduating from Julliard at the age of 19, he joined the Cleveland Orchestra, and became their principal flutist at age of 21. Two years later he accepted the position of principal flute with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and New York Lincoln Center “Mostly Mozart Festival” chose him as principal flute.  Throughout his tenure, he played all three Mozart concertos in Avery Fisher Hall. He has performed under conductors Fritz Reiner, William Steinberg, Pablo Casals, Andre Previn, Lorin Maazel, Enrich Leinsdorf, Victor de Sabata, Paul Paray and many more. 

Mr. Goldberg has toured extensively as a recitalist and with the Musica Viva Trio. He has given numerous recitals in New York, most notably at Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Arts. Among his recordings are releases with the Musica Viva Trio, the Audubon Quartet, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Casals Festival. Mr Goldberg is a member of the faculty of the Brooklyn College Conservatory in New York and has served as guest conductor for many orchestras around the world.

Goldberg’s determination and hard work propelled him to a highly successful teaching and performing career. His teaching techniques were acquired through experience and by observing great artists making music. He inspires many students through his playing, teaching philosophies and dedication.

Goldberg often remembers a quote from a conversation with Jean-Pierre Rampal:

“...if you want to have an audience you have to love the audience and you have to give with your full heart.”  Goldberg has added his own addition to this sentiment “There is no way that you can have a successful career or especially successful life if you hold back. When I give a master class I don’t know any of the students, but I try to give them all that I know I have. I’m interested in the students who try to learn to make music.”

Dr. Nora Lee Garcia, Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida, is a former student of Mr. Goldberg and comments about his teaching:

Dr. Nora Lee Garcia

“I was 12 years old when I heard Mr. Goldberg for the first time. It was at The Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, and he was playing with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. This was an amazing experience to watch and listen to him perform. He was able to project across the orchestra or blend perfectly with any instrument.  When I was 19, I went to study with him at Brooklyn College for my Master’s degree. I remember the first lesson; I wanted to impress him so badly. I played the first movement of the Ibert Concerto.  When I finished he looked at me and said ‘Do you know that playing the flute is easy?’  We looked at each other and laughed.  From that lesson on, I learned not only music making but how music is built and the traditions that are behind it. 

One of my favorite stories from my lessons with Goldberg (that I always share with my students) involved an Altes Etude he has asked me to learn.  Mr. Goldberg studied the Altes Etudes with George Barrere, who in turn studied with Altes himself.  As a result, Mr. Goldberg knows Altes Etudes inside and out (in fact, he will play the second flute part by memory with his students). One week I was studying very hard for my Masters degree exams and didn’t devote enough time to truly learn the etude. So, I planned to leave my book at home and try to get through the lesson without playing it.  My lesson started as usual with Taffanel and Gaubert scales and thirds. Then Mr. Goldberg smiled and asked for the Altes Etude.  I went to my bag and began looking through it – with concern on my face.  I turned and said to him “I forgot my book at home -- I was practicing and forgot to bring it.” Mr. Goldberg looked at me very sternly and said ‘Play it by memory.’  I remember looking at him with shock on my face, and nervously, I started playing the first 4 measures.  All of a sudden, Altes became a new composition. I stopped, and he said to me ‘Next time when you practice so much – memorize it!’  I learned my lesson and always remember that experience with a smile.

I was always impressed by how he coped with such a busy schedule traveling from Pittsburgh to New York every week.  During my three years of study with him he never cancelled a lesson and never was late. He was always full of energy and gave 100% of his attention to all students in their lessons.

Mr. Goldberg’s expertise in performing the music of J.S. Bach is very unique. He studied with Diran Alexanian one of the world’s foremost experts on Bach’s music.  During my lessons, I learned many aspects of phrasing and tone color possibilities.

He was able to teach music in even the simplest of melodies.  I watched him teach a master class on the 24 Little Melodies book and by the end everybody in the room was in love with the book.  The younger generations of flutists don’t necessarily know these types of books and Goldberg and others are doing a great job of bringing these treasures to life.

Goldberg studied at the Marlboro Music Festival with Marcel Moyse, and has many stories to share.  In one master class, Goldberg played one of the 24 Little Melodies for Moyse and the class.  When he was finished, Moyse asked the class, ‘Do you know the composer of this piece?’ And many people replied with many different answers.  The correct answer was, Moyse did!  Moyse proceeded to explain to the class that the flute player needs to learn how to play a simple melody and as many variations as possible.  This stayed with Goldberg through all of his performing and teaching – and is still with him today.”

Bernard Z. Goldberg is currently on faculty at the Brooklyn College Conservatory and maintains a private studio as well as an active masterclass schedule.  Since his retirement from the Pittsburgh Symphony in 1993, he has served as flute coach for the Asian Youth Orchestra and spent eight years as Conductor and Musical Director of the McKeesport PA Symphony (1993-2001).  He loves to read and always is learning new music and scores.