Wheaton is 30 miles west of Downtown Chicago
April 10th, Registration Deadline
Welcome to this 19th year of Alto and Bass Flute Retreats! Featured pieces will be Jonathan Cohen’s Forbidden Forest and, Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda’s Canticum Orbis Terrae from Alchemy of Earth. We will be playing at a 9:30 church service so we will also play Fairest Lord Jesus as arranged by Bill Holcombe.
In addition to playing in the three large ensemble pieces, all participants will receive a part for an all-alto piece or an all-bass/contra piece. You will also receive parts for two easy pieces for the church service.
The DAILY SCHEDULE WHEATON is now available!
Workshops topics this year will be Vibrato and, Improving Facility and Intonation with Alternate Fingerings. Flutes of all sizes are welcome to attend the Vibrato Workshop.
We first meet at 7:15 PM on Thursday May 18th to play through our three large ensemble pieces, the two pieces
just for the church service and, have introductions of the class members. The location is St. Paul Lutheran Church 515 S. Wheaton Ave. Wheaton Il. Rehearsals and workshops begin Friday at 9:15 AM at the church and continue through Sunday the 21st culminating in a Sunday 4 PM performance, followed by a group dinner at an area restaurant.
Windy City Flutes will be coming to the Retreat on Saturday afternoon with sheet music, accessories and instruments! Stop by and say hello to Jenn Clark.
Evening Events – Thursday night is a read-through of our three large ensemble pieces and the pieces for the church service. Friday is a recital featuring a few people who have asked to play solos, Saturday evening is a sight-reading session for all, Sunday is our group dinner at an area restaurant after our 4 PM concert.
2023 Wheaton/Chicago Registration
Click on the link to receive updated information about this Retreat. Sign Up for Retreat Updates
The Retreat At a Glance:
- Dates: Thursday, May 18th 7:15 PM through Sunday, May 21st at 8 PM.
- Tuition: $300
- Registration Deadline: Monday, April 10th by midnight EST
- Housing Location: Crowne Plaza Lombard Downers Grove, 1250 Roosevelt Rd. Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 Hotel Reservation
- Required Workshop Books: The Vibrato Workbook and the Alto Method or the Bass Method. Buy both Methods if you have an alto and a bass and want to work on alternate fingerings on both.
- Sunday Performance: 9:30 AM church service, 4 PM concert at the church. The concert is open to the public, no admission charge.
- Private Lessons: will be available between 10 AM and 5 PM on Thursday, May 18th at the church. Fee is $90 an hour on a first-come first-served basis. Later afternoon times go quickly. Email me to see what times are available. cpotter@mac.com.
- 2023 Wheaton/Chicago Registration
Repertoire Details – We will play Forbidden Forest by Jonathan Cohen and, Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda’s Canticum Orbis Terrae from Alchemy of Earth. At the 9:30 AM church service on Sunday the 21st and on the 4 PM concert, we will play Fairest Lord Jesus arr. Holcombe. During the service, we will also probably play easy arrangements of ‘Tis a Gift to be Simple and Dona Nobis Pacem.
Each participant will receive a part for an all-alto piece and an all-bass/contrabass piece. Altos will play either Gamelan by Schafer, a Scarlatti Quintet or Camptown Races arr. by Holcombe. The basses and contras will play either the Gaubert Madrigal arr. by Erv Monroe or Shenandoah arr. by Ricky Lombardo. Advanced players who play both instruments can play in both groups.
All parts will be sent out after the registration deadline (April 10th). Three pieces will be performed at the 9:30AM church service and the full concert is at the church on Sunday starting at 4 PM.
Workshops – Vibrato and, Alternate Fingerings to Improve Facility and Intonation.
Required books – the Vibrato Workbook and the Alto Method or the Bass Method.
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. 
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/contra parts are preferred.
Informal Recital – On Friday night of the Retreat there will be an opportunity to perform a solo or other chamber music piece. A piano accompanist is available for a fee. If you bring your own sound system, you can do something with a pre-recorded accompaniment.
Housing – Crowne Plaza Lombard Downers Grove, 1250 Roosevelt Rd. Glen Ellyn, IL 60137. I have the room block set up. Hotel Reservation
Tuition – $300. 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 a $90 payment with your tuition.
Payments are accepted through check, PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. For Paypal, send to cpotter@mac.com. Send $312 which is close to $300 after they take out their fees. If you are able to access their “friend” option, they do not charge a fee – send $300. 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 $90 to your check or add $94 to 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.
- 2023 Wheaton/Chicago Registration
- Scan and email or snail mail the completed Registration form so that it is received by April 10th. Retreat tuition – $300 can be paid with a check via snail mail (must be received by April 15th) or one of the electronic options shown above by April 10th. With private lesson, add $90 to your check payment or $94 if sending via PayPal.
2985 18th Street
Boulder, CO 80304
50% tuition refund until April 10th for the Retreat. No refunds after the 10th.
Chris Potter 