International Low Flutes Festival

Jun-ichiro Taku

Mr. Taku is a one-of-kind, multitalented flutist/composer/entertainer. As a concert flutist, Mr. Taku has also performed concertos accompanied by many different orchestras and he has premiered works by composers from many countries. He is the leader of a flute trio called “Magnum Trio,”considered a next-generation performing group which has toured throughout Japan and the UK, Canada, Korea. Mr. Taku is the director of “Mederu-dan”.  Mederu-dan – an ensemble group that ‘loves’(mederu in Jp.) low flutes. Founded in 2017, it is the very first low flutes orchestra and consists of members from all over Japan who have passion for low flutes. They performed their first annual concert in August 2018.

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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.

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Peter Sheridan

Peter Sheridan is a creative performer, educator and passionate supporter of new music whom has commissioned over one hundred works for the low flutes. A native of New York City, he studied at the High School of Music and Art (La Guardia Performing Arts), Mannes College of Music and the Juilliard Preparatory Division. Further graduate studies were undertaken at London Goldsmith’s College and the Universities of Arizona (Tucson) and California-Los Angeles (UCLA). Mr. Sheridan currently lives in Melbourne Australia. His full time position is Head of Woodwinds at the Donvale Christian College. There he leads the Senior Concert Band and Training Band programs, which spans from grade 3 to VCE Music in year 12.

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Chris Potter

Chris Potter has performed  all over the U.S. and in Canada and the UK as an alto and bass soloist and, conducts a low flutes choir at the Galway Festival in Switzerland. She has commissioned and premiered many works for low flutes including Low Flutes at High Tides by Matthias Ziegler, Obstinato and Scareso by Mike Mower, What Goes Around by Katherine Hoover and, most recently conducted the premier of Forbidden Forest by Jonathan Cohen. Her many published book include an Alto Flute Method,  a Bass Flute Method, and Winter Duets for all sizes of flutes. Her newest book in progress is Stellar Solos for alto or any size flute. The books are available on Amazon all over the world.

Chris organized the first International Low Flutes Festival in 2018 and was the first chair of the NFA Low Flutes Committee.

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.

Japan Jazz Flute Big Band (JJFBB)

JJFBB has been formed by Yuko Hoshi (flutist) since 2015 as the first jazz flute big band in Japan. They play jazz standards and Japanese traditional songs that mixes jazz. JJFBB invited Ms. Ali Ryerson and had concerts and master classes in Tokyo in 2016.