A public concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. Friday, featuring Janette Erickson, FPU music faculty and principal flutist for the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra; Pamela Ellzey, flutist for the Fresno philharmonic; guest artist Mimi Stillman; community ensemble Les Flutes Enchantees; and Flautas Pacifica, FPU's flute choir. Admission is $20.
Saturday will be an all-day event for participant flutists. Sessions leaders will be Stillman, Erickson, Ellzey and Larry Honda. Coordinator of the Flute Choir Festival, Erickson is also director of Flutes Enchantees and Flautas Pacifica.
Among the most highly regarded flutists in the concert world today, Stillman has performed at the Kennedy Center, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, La Jolla Chamber Music Society, the Verbier Festival in Switzerland and the Italian Festival delle Nazioni.
At 12, Stillman was the youngest wind player ever admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music, where she received her bachelor of music degree in 1999. Also respected for her teaching, Stillman has led masterclasses at the National Flute Association, Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair, Arizona Flute Society, New England Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, Longy School of Music, Raleigh Area Flute Association and the University of Maryland. She has served on the faculty of several summer music programs and teaches privately in Philadelphia.
There will also be performances by flute choirs and guests, exhibits and free flute repairs. For more information, including fees for participants, go to flutechoirfestival.com or call 559-453-2667.