The NFA Blog

This post is authored by members of the NFA Flute Clubs Committee.

Ready. Set. Georgia Flute Choirs.The 2025 Convention in Atlanta is upon us and is action-packed with Flute Choirs! The expansive Flute Ensemble Festival is now in its fourth year and will attract groups from around the US as well as countries such as Peru, Turkey, and more! These performances offer musical treats for your ears while you chat with friends in the lobby, search for new repertoire, or connect with other flute choir enthusiasts. There are many fabulous groups being featured this year, and among them are some of Georgia’s own! Here is a sneak peek into what Georgia’s flute choirs will offer at this year’s convention. 

The Savannah Area Flute Ensemble is conducted by Erika Skye Sanders and will be performing in the Exhibit Hall Lobby on Thursday from 10:30-11 am. A relatively young organization, Erika founded the group in 2018. This unique organization is an integral part of the Savannah Area Flute Association, which was founded at the same time. Members of the flute choir include flutists of all walks of life, ranging from age 10 to retired flutists. The flute choir performs throughout the year in self-produced concerts and community performances. Their NFA concert this year is titled Unity through Contrasts, which conveys their interpretation of the convention theme. There will be three world premieres on the program: Rainbow Suite by Phillip Rawle, Fire Dash by David Warin Solomons, and Music of the Ainur by Erika Skye Sanders. The program seeks to convey that though unfortunate events may occur, they can ultimately enhance life, highlighting the importance of differences and contrasts. You can learn more about the group on their website (www.savannahflute.com/safa) and social media (Facebook: @SavannahFlutes Instagram: @Savareaflute)

The flutists of The Atlanta Wind Symphony Flute Ensemble began as members of an audition-only community band and enjoyed playing so much together, they formed a flute choir! Coordinated by Darla Wilmot, the ensemble will perform on Thursday from 1-1:30 pm in the Exhibit Hall Lobby. There are currently 10 members in the group, all from different backgrounds: a Retired Army Band flutist, a software professional, a high school band director, a tax preparer, retired project manager, and more. Their program is largely performed without a conductor and will feature an NFA premiere, Through the Intrinsic Forest by Darius Mackie, along with works by Coleman, Beeftink, Lauf, and McLearnon. You can learn more about the Atlanta Wind Symphony and their members at www.atlantawindsymphony.org.

The Atlanta Flute Ensemble, conducted by Sue McDonald is a close-knit group of flutists who found flute choir as a way to support each other during their retired years. They were formed in 1986 by Kathy Farmer and are now in their 38th year of performing. The ensemble rehearses year-round and performs in formal concerts and at senior living facilities. For many of the members, the 2025 convention will be their first time to attend and perform at an NFA convention. The Atlanta Flute Ensemble will perform on Friday at 10-10:30 am in the Exhibit Hall Lobby. The group chose to select repertoire that is seldom performed at conventions. This includes Fantasia Oriunda by Daniel Cueto (an NFA Premiere), Serendipity by Cameron Golinsky, and Rhapsody of Spirituals by Linda Kirkpatrick, among others. We hope you will stop by and welcome them to their first convention! 

Another exciting and challenging program will be performed by The Flute Choir of Atlanta on Saturday from 12:15-1:30 in Hanover hall FG. The group consists of professional and semi-professional flutists and performs regular formal concerts throughout the year. They have been featured at NFA conventions in the past and are eager to return this year. Their concert in Atlanta is titled Summer Delights and will feature the premiere of a commissioned piece by Michael Kallstrom titled Beach Days, a fun piccolo feature titled Fine-Feathered Friends and Fiends by Linda Kirkpatrick, and two works featuring extended techniques virtuoso, Mary Matthews (Four Proverbs by Cherise Leiter and Animalis by Nicole Chamberlain). The group is conducted by Kathy Farmer and Laura Freeman. You can learn more about them on Facebook (@FluteChoirofAtlanta) and YouTube (@FluteChoirOfAtlanta).

You can listen to them performing selections from Swamp Tales by Charles Fernandez below. The video features Movement 1: Vasugan Swamp - Russia, and Movement 4: Atchafalaya - Louisiana.

https://youtu.be/yCb6QXS6Bmg?feature=shared&t=101 

The University Flute Choirs are also making a strong presence at NFA this year. Georgia-based ensembles include: The University of Georgia Flute Choir with Angela Jones-Reus (Thursday, 10:15-11am in Hanover Hall CDE), The Georgia College and State University Flute Choir with Elise Naber-Allen (Thursday, 12-12:30 pm in the Exhibit Hall Lobby), The Mercer University Flute Choir with Kelley Via (Thursday, 7-7:45pm in the Centennial Ballroom Lobby), and The Schwob Flutes with Andrée Martin (Friday 8:30-9:45 am in Hanover Hall FG).

Lastly, you won’t want to miss the Beloved Community Gala on Thursday night at 8 pm in Centennial Ballroom. Among stellar soloists, exotic ensembles, and the celebrated United States Air Force Band of the West, Nicole Chamberlain will premiere a piece titled Beloved Community which will feature the following Georgia ensembles: the Atlanta Flute Ensemble, the Fayette Area Flutists, the Flute Choir of Atlanta, and the Mercer University Flute Choir.  

You can find a full list of flute choir performances and their programs here. 

This year’s theme of the convention, Unity and Universal Oneness, hopes to inspire deeper connections between all flutists. The members of the NFA Flute Clubs Committee would love to meet you and form meaningful connections with all flute club and choir members. We are offering several events that you are invited to attend: 

• Find a Flute Club Near You: Thursday, 11am-noon at the NFA Committee Booth in the Exhibit Hall. This is a come-and-go event where you can stop by to find or share contact information for flute clubs, choirs, and community bands in your area. Flute Club Committee Members will be present to answer any other questions you may have and show you how to add your organization’s events to the NFA website!

• Let’s talk Ensemble Articulation: Thursday, 11:30 am-12:15 pm in Chicago Hall. The Flute Clubs Committee invites you to take your articulation and ensemble skills to a new artistic level! Join experts Lawrence Liggins, Paige Dashner Long, and Christina Steffen as they share techniques and insights to create exquisite ensemble articulation. Bring your flute!  

• Introducing New Flute Choir Repertoire: Friday, 10-11am at the NFA Committee Booth in the Exhibit Hall. Stop by and chat with members of the Flute Clubs Committee about how to find and share new pieces for flute choir. Flute ensemble members, composers, arrangers, and publishers are encouraged to share their favorite flute choir repertoire with us to continue developing the Flute Choir Repertoire Guide, found here. 

• Flute Club and Choir Enthusiasts Meet-Up: Friday, 5–6 PM in Inman. Connect with members of flute choirs and clubs across the nation during this social hour. Exchange ideas, discuss common issues, and make new friends during this informal networking session.

• Flute Choir Reading Session: Sunday, 2-3 PM in Hanover Hall CDE. Bring your flutes to sight read music for flute choir with the NFA Flute Clubs Committee. The repertoire will include parts for piccolo through contrabass flutes and was selected from recent additions to the Flute Choir Repertoire Guide. 

Get Ready, Get Set, and we will see you in Atlanta, Georgia on August 7-10 for the 53rd Annual National Flute Association Convention!