Who Have I Studied With?
This was a great reflection on all of the tremendous teachers I have had.
Zartouhi Dombourian-Eby, (Piccoloist for the Seattle Symphony). Although I studied with Zart for two years and we did touch on piccolo, I gained a great deal of knowledge on flute about my embouchure, tone, orchestral excerpts, maturity of playing.
Felix Skowronek (Professor of Flute at University of Washington, now deceased). I studied with Professor Skowronek for three years and covered a great deal of literature. And I will always be grateful for learning some not well known works, like Erwin Schulhoff's Sonata. This, he had me photo copy, as it was out of print. He had picked it up in East Berlin while he was in the military during the Korean War. Fortunately it is now back in print.
Dr. Julie Stone (Professor of Flute at Eastern Michigan University). Although I worked with Julie Stone for one year while she was teaching at the University of Georgia, she was the push that I needed to continue with flute in a graduate school setting. She introduced me to Moyse's Tone Development Through Interpretation and the Prokofiev Sonata.
Dr. Valerie Watts (Professor of Flute at the University of Oklahoma). I studied with Valerie for the second half of my Bachelor's degree. We started really working on embouchure changes to gain flexibility. She brought in her former teachers (Walfrid Kujala and Bonita Boyd) for masterclasses and concerts. I gained a lot of knowledge with the standard flute literature and an introduction to Marcel Moyse studies.
Christine Smith (Prof. of Flute at OU at the time, before she moved to Western Michigan Symphony). I studied with Mrs. Smith right out of high school for the first two years of my Bachelor's. I learned a lot of traditional flute literature, with highlights of the Mozart Concerti and Flute Music by French Composers.
Dr. Amy Zuback. (Edmond, OK) My one year with Amy changed my trajectory toward music. For my senior year in high school, I was looking for a change from my previous studies so that I could improve more dramatically. I am still impressed with what we accomplished. And, better yet, she has been willing to continue to be my mentor since the 80s.
