The National Flute Association’s 2021 Virtual Convention goes live on August 12-15, 2021. Flutists from 22 countries – professionals, students, and amateur flutists – will gather virtually to experience a multifaceted flute convention.
The four-day event will include 135 flute-related sessions: 55 performances; 30 panels, workshops, and lectures; late-night cabaret; networking activities; reading sessions, and more. The convention’s theme, Variations on a Dream, will highlight the many ways flutists carve out their own creative and career paths in today’s musical landscape.
Convention Program Chair Dr. Jennifer Grim said: “The convention celebrates many unique stories and pathways in the flute community. The program highlights different kinds of flute repertoire and showcases flutists who may not have been featured in recent NFA conventions. The NFA 2021 virtual convention – the most accessible ever– welcomes new audiences and new voices as we look toward the future.”
Some program highlights of the virtual convention include a keynote address by Lecolion Washington entitled “Who decides what has value? Race, relevance, and the future”; the world premiere of an NFA-commissioned flute quartet by Jessie Montgomery entitled Passacaglia, performed by Allison Loggins-Hull, Brandon Patrick George, Elena Pinderhughes and Coreisa Lee; and a series of concerts featuring flute music from around the world. The convention will feature premieres of 44 new works among a total repertoire list of more than 600 works for the flute.
The NFA’s first virtual Youth Flute Day features an expansive collection of programs intentionally designed to capture the attention and spark the imagination of young players. NFA’s virtual programming invites young flutists to share their talents, questions, and dreams with a roster of experts.
Founded in 1972, and based in Chicago, IL, the not-for-profit National Flute Association is the largest flute organization in the world with more than 3,000 members including leading soloists, orchestral players, jazz performers, composers, flute scholars, students, teachers, adult amateurs, flute makers, and music publishers. The NFA publishes periodicals and books online and in print; among them is its flagship member magazine The Flutist Quarterly. NFA’s commissioning efforts have resulted in more than 65 outstanding new works for both flute and piccolo, including most recently commissioned works by Julia Wolfe and Jennifer Higdon.
