UQ Flute Ensemble Performance

The School of Music in partnership with St John's Cathedral is proud to present its leading flute performers for an afternoon of repertoire featuring Mozart, Honegger, Beethoven, Hindemith, Debussy, Reicha and Tchaikovsky. While each performer is actively involved in the elite ensemble program at The University of Queensland, this concert will highlight their capacity to perform as a meritorious flute ensemble. The students have developed their chosen works under the direction of UQ's senior lecturer in conducting Dr Warwick Potter.  

Katya Willett is an enthusiastic flute player who strives to bring energy and emotion to each and every performance. Currently in her second year of studies at the University of Queensland, Katya has performed in concert with the Southern Cross Soloists as guest piccolo. She is also a Southern Cross Soloist Next Gen Artists, a position that has provided her performance opportunities such as the 2019 Bangalow Music Festival. In 2019 she was a finalist in the James Carson Memorial Prize, toured regional Queensland as Principle Flute of the QYO Chamber Orchestra, performs as Concertmaster of the QYO Wind Symphony, and is Principle Flute of the UQ Symphony Orchestra.

Jemima Drews is excited about energetic flute performances and the power of large symphonies. Currently in her third year of study at the University of Queensland, she is a Southern Cross Soloist Next Gen Artist and the 2019 winner of the James Carson Memorial Prize. In 2018 she was invited to perform with Dots and Loops as a fellow for the Liminality Festival and as a local artist for the Bangalow Music Festival. Jemima is Principal Flute/Piccolo for the UQ Symphony Orchestra and Principal Piccolo for Queensland Youth Symphony. Jemima aims to perform music in a vibrant and engaging manner to encourage her audiences love music as much as she does.

Jessica Walther aspires to make her love of beautiful music into a professional career. As a second year flautist at UQ, she is Principal Piccolo for the University of Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Youth Orchestra Wind Symphony, and is a performing augmenter with the Queensland Youth Symphony. She has performed at the Bangalow Music Festival, QSO’s A Day in the Orchestra, and has toured with the Queensland Youth Orchestras. Jessica aims to find beauty in everything she plays and enjoys playing solo as well as in chamber and orchestra groups.

Tayler Basham appreciates the joy and experience of music. Originally from Yeppoon, she has moved to Brisbane to explore the potential of flute performance. It is her plan to become a teacher, encouraging the next generation to have as much fun making music as she does. Currently in her second year of study at UQ, she performs in the Queensland Youth Orchestra Wind Symphony and the UQ Symphony Orchestra. 

Selected Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1. Marriage of Figaro (1. J.Drews, 2. J.Walther, 3. K.Willet)
2. Lacrimosa (1. K.Willett, 2. T.Basham, 3. J.Walther, 4. J.Drew)
3. Cosi van Tutti (1. J.Walther, 2. J.Drews, 3. K.Willett)

The Marriage of Figaro and Cosi van Tutti are two of Mozart's most well known comic operas. The Lacrimosa is taken from Mozart's Requiem, composed shortly before his death. The somber work is about tears and bitterness, contrasting with the bright and spirited themes from the two operas.

Danse de la Chevre by Arthur Honegger (T.Basham)

Danse de la Chevre is French for Dance of the Goat. It was written by Arthur Honegger in 1921, for a dancer in the play La Mauvaise Pensée, and depicts the dance of a goat on a grassy hill after the winter snows have melted away.

Allegro from Duo for Two Flutes in G Major by Ludwig van Beethoven (1. J.Drews, 2. K.Willett)

Beethoven is most famous for his epic Romantic orchestral works. He also composed many lesser known chamber works, such as this duet for two flutes in G major. It consists of charming melodies interweaving to create a playful spirit.

Kanonische Sonatine by Paul Hindemith (1. J.Walther, 2. T.Basham)

Hindemith was a composer in post-WWII Germany. This sonata for two flutes is a canon with both flautists playing the same melody in two different keys. Expect the unexpected in this short quirky piece.

Syrinx by Claude Debussy (J.Walther)

Syrinx is one of the most famous works written for solo flute. Written by the famous Claude Debussy, it is inspired by the legend of Pan and Syrinx, in which the Greek God Pan lusts after the beautiful Syrinx. When she rejects his advances, he plays this beautiful yet sad piece.

Flute Quartet by Anton Reicha (1. K.Willett, 2. J.Walther, 3. T.Basham, 4. J.Drews)

Anton Reicha was a Czech-born composer, theorist and teacher. This flute quartet is a cheerful work full of upbeat melodies and an ongoing dialogue between the instruments.

Selected Works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

1. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker (1. J.Walther, 2. T.Basham, 3. K.Willett, 4. J.Drews)
2. Bluebird from Sleeping Beauty (1. J.Walther, 2. K.Willett)
3. Dance of the Little Swans from Swan Lake (1. K.Willett, 2. T.Basham, 3. J.Walther)
4. Dance of the Reed Flutes from The Nutcracker (1. K.Willett, 2. T.Basham, 3. J.Walther, 4. J.Drews)

These works have been arranged for various flute ensembles, taken from some of Tchaikovsky's most famous ballets, including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty.