NFA 2014 in Review

I'm back in Oklahoma after a wonderful week at the 2014 National Flute Association convention. It's just after 4 P.M., and I haven't accomplished much besides walking across the street to buy a Diet Pepsi. A lot of great things happened this week, and it is a lot to process. The fact that I am an introvert also makes recovering from being around large crowds all week and performing in an almost full grand ballroom...

....25x as difficult as for your average extrovert.

I dug my flute out and noodled through a couple etudes a few hours ago...but I realized I needed to really sit, rest, and contemplate the many pieces of information I observed this week.

Chicago is a beautiful city...before even doing any flute playing, I went running through the fantastic parks and inspiring trail system that were just across the street from the Hilton. I believe that the best way to tour an area is to go for a run...you get places faster than walking, the endorphins are pumping, and imagination and awe levels spike. When I'm running in a new area, I have time to ponder, observe, smile, and dream in a way that I can't experience any other way.

I ran a total of almost 30 miles while in Chicago. I think I spent more time taking pictures on some of my runs than actually moving forward. The views of the skyline and the beach were particularly beautiful:

 

I have been to three NFA conventions, and this one was my favorite. I played in the Windy City Flute Orchestra just to see what it was like and to keep me playing some the first couple days. We had 225 flutists! I sat in the back (how often do flute players get to do that?!) next to an amazing alto flute section.

I didn't go to very many sessions on Thursday and Friday, as I was performing Saturday and needed to spend a little time practicing. On Thursday, I got my flute and piccolo adjusted and took a great and very informative flute lesson. I went to a session about choosing a research topic on Friday morning - I took a lot of notes! During the convention, I also attended a session about performance anxiety, watched presentations by the winners of the Graduate Research Competition, watched a masterclass taught by Maxence Larrieu, saw a couple recitals, and watched a great gala concerto concert.

My favorite performance was by Julien Beaudiment, principal flutist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He played the best interpretation of the Mozart Concerto in D Major that I have ever seen. His playing was virtuosic and natural. I wish I could adequately explain the quality of his performance, but words will not do it justice.

I was able to see one of my favorite people again, Helen Spielman. She has helped me become more positive through coaching sessions, and it was a joy to talk with her in person again:

Performing in the James Galway masterclass is something I will never forget. I was nervous, but was able to play and express myself well. He told me to play "Louder!," to use my vibrato more musically, and to not move quite so much. It was a blessing to meet and get advice from a man who has had such an amazing life.

I got Galway to sign my copy of his book after the class. He asked me where I studied, then looked me in the eyes with his Irish blue eyes and said, "Next time, it needs to be twice as loud." I told him I will definitely work on it!

It was also great to meet up with several of my other friends, chat, and take pictures! One of my friends, Vicki Williamson, happened to be assigned as my page turner for the masterclass!

I also reunited with a few Nebraska friends:

 

I had one of the best weeks of my life. I left feeling inspired and positive about my flute playing going forward. My new Miyazawa flute and I are going to spend a lot of quality time together. :)