International Low Flutes Festival

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Contact us at: lowflutesfestival@gmail.com

The 2024 Festival will be April 12th-14th, near Washington D.C.
at the Hilton Washington Dulles.

The main Festival events begin on Friday, April 12th at 9 AM and end Sunday the 14th at 4 PM at the Hilton Washington Dulles.

The Opening Celebration Choir rehearses on Thursday the 11th at the Hilton Washington Dulles. The currently available rehearsal time for new people is 4:00 to 5:15.  Registration for the Sunday Closing Choir has now been stopped because the room is already over capacity.

We have a room rate of $149 + tax per night (1 king or 2 queen beds) at the Westin.  The regular room rate is $200 + tax per night. Book Your Room at the Westin (Opens in a new Tab). The Westin is 1.5 miles from the Hilton where all events are happening. There will be transportation options between the Westin and the Hilton provided primarily by other Festival participants. Our main hotel, the Hilton, is completely booked.
You can find general information about the Westin Hotel here Westin and the Hilton Hilton’s Website.

Both hotels have a free shuttle service to and from the airport. Both the Hilton Shuttle and the Westin Shuttle leave the airport at :15 and :45 after the hour from slots 2B and 2G on the lower level. Exit baggage claim from doors 2 or 6. Make sure you get the correct shuttle  – Westin Washington Dulles or Hilton Washington Dulles. The white Hilton shuttle may have “hello” written in many languages or just have Hilton Washington Dulles on it. Make sure you get in the Westin Washington Dulles because more than one Westin van comes to this location.

Both the Hilton and the Westin shuttles leave the hotel for the airport on the hour and half hour.

Cost for Festival Attendance – Society Membership -$45, Festival fee $150 (3 days) + hotel costs.

Single day rate is $75.

Events at The International Low Flutes Festival will include:

Featured Artists

Ali Ryerson

Ali Ryerson, who ranks among today’s top jazz flutists, grew up in a musical family. Her father, jazz guitarist Art Ryerson, played with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, then became a top studio player in NYC. Ali has become an internationally renowned touring & recording artist and educator. Former NFA Jazz Chair, current Low Flutes Chair, founder of NFA Jazz Flute Big Band, Ryerson is Flute Professor at Sacred Heart University, and conducts master classes worldwide. Ryerson, a Hartt School of Music graduate, studied with Harold Bennett and John Wion, and is a Gemeinhardt Artist with an Autograph Series of flutes.

Matthias Ziegler

Matthias’s performances take place in a vast range of contexts: he plays principal flute with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, has toured with the percussionist Pierre Favre and performed with the pianist George Gruntz as well as with the American contrabass player Mark Dresser. He is also a member of the ”Collegium Novum Zurich“, where he has worked with Mauricio Kagel, Heinz Holliger and George Crumb. Concert tours have brought him to the US, Japan, Australia, South America and Israel. Many recordings on CD document his inclusive musical interests. Matthias Ziegler currently teaches at the Zurich University of the Arts.

Tilmann Dehnhard

Tilmann Dehnhard performs around the world and gives workshops for Jazz, modern playing techniques and improvisation and teaches at the Jazz Institut Berlin (University of the Arts). He has performed and recorded with many artists including Sam Rivers, Steve Lacey, Evan Parker, Robbie Williams, Cindy Lauper and Till Brönner while also producing his own CDs. Tilmann Dehnhard composes for the theatre and film. His publications include “The New Flute” (NFA Award Winner 2014) and “Jazz Studies For Flute” (NFA Award Winner 2012), Universal Edition Vienna. He officially endorses Altus Flutes/Artis Music.

Professional Low Flutes Choir

This Choir is Open by Audition Only and there is a $25 audition fee. You must also be a member of the Low Flutes Society to audition. Registration will open Nov 1st.

Conductor: Ece Karşal was born in İzmir, Turkey and began her music education at Istanbul University State Conservatory at a young age. She also graduated from the Mathematics Department of Marmara University Faculty of Science during her conservatory education. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Istanbul University State Conservatory and served as a flutist and piccolo player in the orchestra.

ContraJam Ensemble

The Festival will highlight all things Contrabass in ContraJam. This includes an open ContraJam Ensemble which will perform all new works by Jonathan Cohen and Paige Dashner Long.

The ContraJam Ensemble will be open to all players and you will be able to sign up to be in the group on the festival registration form beginning Dec 1st, same as the opening and closing choirs.

Sight-Reading Sessions

We will have a sight-reading session each day open to all players. Dan Parasky and Eileen Yarrison will each lead one of the three sight-reading sessions, and we will have more info on the other session leader soon.

Dan Parasky graduated from Boston University with a Master of Music in Music Education and earned an undergraduate degree in Music Performance from Duquesne University. He is an adjunct faculty member at Duquesne University and Westminster College.

Eileen Yarrison is the conductor of the Me2/Boston Flute Choir, part of the world’s only classical music organization devoted to erasing the stigma of mental illness through supportive ensembles and performances. She holds degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Pennsylvania State University, and the University of New Hampshire. She is an adjunct faculty member at Salem State University and Gordon College.

Festival Registration

Registration for the 2024 Festival will be open approximately December 1st, 2023. You must be a member of the International Low Flutes Society to attend the festival. There will be One-Day and Non-flutist options to attend the festival as well. Become A Member of the Society.

Thank You to Our Festival Sponsors & Member Donors