Fasten Your Seatbelts!
Featured pieces this 18th year of Retreats will be low flutes arrangements of two rich and powerful works from the orchestra repertoire, Ravel’s Bolero and Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture. Audio files will be made available. Buckle Up!
This year you can chose to attend as either a participant or an auditor. Auditors can attend workshops and rehearsals, but will not play in the Sunday performances and would go on a wait list for a lesson.
In addition to playing in the two large ensembles, participants will be assigned a part in a duet, trio, quartet or quintet which they will rehearse and perform.
We first meet at 7 PM on Thursday the 5th at the Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran Church, 38 W. Central Ave. Edgewater, MD. Rehearsals and Workshops begin Friday at 9:15 AM at the church. We will perform on Sunday the 8th at the morning church service and present a concert at the church at 4 PM.
Workshops topics are Vibrato and Alternate Fingerings.
Here is the Daily Schedule
All people attending must be fully vaccinated and had their boosters for covid-19.
Click on the link to receive updated information about this Retreat. Sign Up for Retreat Updates
The Retreat At a Glance:
- Dates: Thursday, May 5th 7 PM to Sunday, May 8th at 8 PM.
- Tuition: $185 for participants, $90 for auditors.
- Registration Deadline: Friday, March 25th, midnight EST
- Retreat Location: Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran Church, 38 W. Central Ave.
Edgewater, MD
- Housing: will be at the DoubleTree by Hilton located at 210 Holiday Court, Annapolis, MD 21401
- Required Workshop Books: The Vibrato Workbook plus the Alto Flute Method for alto players and the Bass Flute Method for bass players.
- Free Performance: Our concert will be at the church Sunday at 4 PM. It is open to the public. We will also play three pieces at the morning church service on the 8th.
- Private Lessons: will be available during the day on Thursday, May 5th for $80 for an hour on a first-come first-served basis. If that day fills up, I will open up Wednesday the 4th. Email me to see what times are available. cpotter@mac.com. Participants have priority for lessons.
- Retreat Registration: Maryland Registration Form
Repertoire – we will rehearse and perform arrangements of Ravel’s Bolero and Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture. Each participant will also receive a part for a duet, trio, quartet or quintet. Each chamber group will get two coaching sessions with Chris. Parts will be sent out after the registration deadline for the large ensemble pieces and for your chamber music piece. These will be performed on Sunday 4 PM. We will probably play three pieces at the church service on Sunday morning – two will be Dona Nobis Pacem and My Shepherd Will Supply My Need.
Workshops – Vibrato and Alternate Fingerings have been the two most popular workshop topics since I started organizing Retreats. We will explore how vibrato is created and how to control it to enhance the music you are playing. The Vibrato Workbook is a series of easy to understand progressive steps towards producing six controlled pulses per second. For the Alternate Fingerings workshop, we will use pieces in the Method Books and pieces we are playing at the Retreat to see how these alternate fingerings can make your life easier once you learn them! An alternate fingering is any fingering that is not considered the “usual” fingering.
Required books – You must have the required books to participate; the Vibrato Workbook, the Alto Flute Method for alto players and the Bass Flute Method for bass players. If you want to work on both instruments, have both books. Contra players get the bass book. For a FREE shipping option and a discount when buying two books, follow this link. Retreat Book Package
The books are available from chrispotterflute.com, Amazon, Flute Specialists, Carolyn Nussbaum’s, The Flute Pro Shop, Flute Center of New York, West Valley Music and Flute World.
Auditors – Auditors attend and participate in the workshops and must have the required books. They are welcome to attend all rehearsals and evening events but will not play in any ensembles. Auditors can participate in the sight-reading session.
Sight-Reading Sessions – All participants are invited to bring one or two duets, trios or quartets for an informal sight-reading session on Saturday night. Pieces with both alto and bass parts are preferred. Auditors can bring music and participate in the sight-reading session.
Informal Recital – On Friday night of the Retreat there will be an opportunity for those participants who have self-identified as “advanced” on the registration form to perform a solo or other chamber music piece. There are ten slots available, first come, first served. There is a pianist available for a fee.
Housing – Is at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Annapolis. Here is the link to book a room. Book Hotel You can also call 1-800-222-TREE and give the group code ZRF. The group rate does NOT include breakfast, but there is full service restaurant on site serving three meals a day. Hotel Info
Tuition – is $185 for participants, $90 for auditors. You can send a check with your registration form: My address is 2985 18th St. Boulder, CO 80304.
Private Lessons – If you are interested in a private lesson, check the lesson box on the registration form and include an $80 payment with your tuition.
Payments are accepted through PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. For Paypal, send to cpotter@mac.com. If you send as a “friend”, they do not charge a fee. If you don’t send as a “friend” or I request the money, they charge a fee which amounts to an increase of 5% in your tuition. For Venmo, send to ChrisPotterFlute. Sometimes Venmo asks for the last 4 digits of my phone number – 6492. Contact me if you want to use Zelle. cpotter@mac.com To pay for a private lesson, add $80 to your check or include an additional $80 in your PayPal payment.
Contact me at cpotter@mac.com if you want more information about the Retreat.
- Use these guidelines to determine your Repertoire Level, which you need to know when filling out the Retreat Registration.
- Download and complete the Retreat Registration Form
- Snail mail the completed Retreat registration and tuition check so that it is received by March 25th, along with the Retreat tuition – $185 or $265 with private lesson $90 for auditors OR, scan and email completed form by March 25th to cpotter@mac.com (payment must be received within 4 days).
2985 18th Street
Boulder, CO 80304
50% tuition refund until March 25th for the Retreat. No refunds after the 25th.
Chris Potter 