Celebrating Flauta Mundi: Photo Highlights from the NFA’s 2024 San Antonio Convention

Every year, as they've done for 52 years, members of the NFA have traveled from across the globe to share their love of the flute

Thursday’s FusionFlute Gala gave everyone a taste of the many flavors in store for the rest of the weekend

Lucas Robatto, Beti Plana, Marco Granados, Hernán Jara, guitarist Polo Martí, and Rafael Rodríguez

Greg Patillo and his beatbox flute

Ian Clarke with the US Air Force Band of the West

Kim Scott performed with Velocity, an ensemble of the US Air Force Band of the West

Anders Hagberg performed his Connecting Worlds

2024 Program Chair Alberto Almarza with Assistant Program Chair Sarah Shin

Photo courtesy Alberto Almarza

2024 Program Chair Alberto Almarza with current and former students

First row (left to right): Amal Gochenour, Delia Black, and Phoebe Chen; back row: Aydan Hensley, Josephine Lee, Tessa Vermeulen, Jennifer Jo, Chloe Tordi, Alberto Almarza, Dayna Hagstedt, and Ingrid McDuffee. Photo courtesy Alberto Almarza.

The Exhibit Hall gave attendees the opportunity to peruse and purchase sheet music, instruments, and more

Catching up

Olivia O'Brien, winner of the 2024 Frances Blaisdell Scholarship, with Jason Aguilar

The convention center's El Puente Café Lobby offered a lovely setting for many of the Flue Ensemble Festival concerts

Another view of the El Puente Cafe Lobby

The Frost Flute Choir, the 2024 Mary H. Anderson Collegiate Flute Choir Award Winner

The ensemble is pictured with Ransom Wilson, who conducted them for Steve Reich’s Vermont Counterpoint (originally written for Wilson)

Ransom Wilson leading the Frost Flute Ensemble

The registration area was a gathering point for both people and information

The Exhibit Hall was also a place to relax and catch up

Countless people tried out Eva Kingma's gigantic double contrabass in the Exhibit Hall

First Generation Scholarship winner Cameron McGill and Julie Maisel

The First Generation in College Scholarship is made possible by a generous donation from Julie Maisel in memory of John Raphael (Raphy) Doyle; read more about Maisel in this issue of FQ. Photo by Michael Williams.

It's always a good time for a selfie with old friends

Assistant Program Chair Sarah Shin, Flute Choir Coordinator Dan Parasky, and Program Chair Alberto Almarza

Photo courtesy Sarah Shin

A flute ensemble performer's perspective

NFA President Rebecca Johnson offers remarks at the Life Member and Donor Appreciation Reception

Executive Director Jennifer Clarke

John R. Bailey and John Tuinstra

Jenny Smith Cline, Francesca Arnone, Alice Jones, and Kimberlee Goodman

At Friday's Palettes des Flutes Gala, Mark Sparks performed Respighi alongside pianist Beilin Han

Gergely Ittzés played his own work, as well as Bartók

Alison Fierst played Chen Yi's Three Bagatelles from China West

Matej Grahek shared selections by Žuraj, Pucihar, and Rozman

Hyeri Yoon performed Connesson and Yun

Iva Ugrcic performed Rotaru and Tanzil

Jonathan Keeble and Alexa Still were Like a Chicken (by Linda Hallam-Sutto)

Sam Loucke sporting the most stylish hat at this year's convention

The Fairy Serenade Flute Choir traveled from China to participate in the Flute Ensemble Festival

Julie Maisel, Lisa Garner-Santa, and Zart Dombourian-Eby

2024 Distinguished Service Award recipient Leonard Garrison and Hal Ide

On Saturday, young flutists gathered for the annual Youth Flute Day

Jeff Eby and Jenny Smith Cline

Giving it a go

Regina Helcher Yost and David Houston

Enjoying the opportunity to try a new flute

Hideko Amano and Ali Ryerson

Young performers and their family and friends gathered for the Youth Flute Day end-of-day concert

Youth Flute Day performers

Saturday's Gala Awards Reception honored three of the NFA's finest, including Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Trudy Kane

Matthias Ziegler, Dale Straubinger, and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient David Straubinger

Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Trudy Kane and Sarah Hollandsworth, who presented Kane with her award

Distinguished Service Award recipient Leonard Garrison with Rebecca Johnson

Before Saturday's Gala di Concerti, President Rebecca Johnson honored our retiring NFA pianists, including Colette Valentine

Retiring NFA pianist Dianne Frazer and Rebecca Johnson

Ransom Wilson performed Philippe Hersant’s Dreamtime with the San Antonio Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor Troy Peters

Ransom Wilson

Jennifer Grim played Paul Schoenfield’s Klezmer Rondo II with the SAPO

Jennifer Grim

Amal Gochenour and conductor Troy Peters after the performance of Gabriela Lena Frank’s Will-o’-the-Wisp

Lorna McGhee performed Eduardo Angulo’s Concierto para Flauta y Orquesta No. 1

Lorna McGhee

Sunday offered one final chance to check out the Exhibit Hall. So many choices!

On Sunday, Marianne Gedigian offered an enlightening masterclass

NFA photo

The convention started winding down Sunday afternoon with a concert by the Pre-Gala Flute Choir

NFA photo

It wouldn't be an NFA convention without historical flutes

NFA photo

Trudy Kane kicked off the Flauta Mundi Finale Gala leading Thomas Sleeper's Concerto for Flute and Flute Orchestra

NFA photo

Francesca Arnone and Marianne Gedigan performed a work by Kristina Arakelyan

NFA photo

Julie Sooy conducted the Flauta Mundi Closing Flute Choir

After the convention, the NFA learned that Julie Sooy succumbed to her cancer. We send our condolences to her family and community. Read more about Julie in this issue's Passing Tones column. NFA photo.

And then the flutes collapsed into bed, dreaming of our next gathering in Atlanta in 2025!