Friday was a warm, sunny day and a great chance to talk with all the vendors and see who was going to get my money first. One of the busiest booths had to be Gary Leatham’s Ancient Sounds Ethnic Instruments, which had an amazing number of very exotic flutes by Brent Haines , the originator of Flute Quest. Gary not only sold flutes but was always ready to demonstrate or even give a free mini lesson to anyone who asked. Another booth that always had people asking questions was John Kulias Meadowlark ceramic flutes. Not only are these flutes wicked to the eye, but they sound incredible and John is one of those guys who is always smiling and having a good time. I must have gone back half a dozen times before finally buying one of his flutes. Another popular vendor was Michael & Mary Allen’s (Coyote Oldman’s) booth. The wealth of knowledge that Michael has and shares, his unique flute designs and his beautiful wife to help sell them seems like an unfair advantage over the other vendors. I attended Michaels flute history class and an hour was not nearly enough. This day was my chance to put faces with all the flute builder’s names I have heard others talk about or have seen on web sites or in the Yahoo clubs. My friend Matt Stewart of Stellar flutes was on hand and it is always a pleasure to spend time with Matt and this time I got to meet his son, and his father Tom. This is one very nice family. The evening concerts started with Nino Reyos, who had a very traditional sound and I was privileged to get numerous opportunities to talk with him. Following Nino was Michael Graham Allen who played his Anasazi flute to perfection. I tried to get a note out of one of his Anasazi flutes and the best I could do was a sound similar to a death whistle! During the evening Michael played with Nino and also Ron Warren and Janice Torres. One of the weekend highlights for me was a duet that Michael and Ron played together. It was just amazing. Unfortunately there were only about 60 lucky people in attendance at each concert.

Saturday started out with a bit of rain and cooler temperatures but got better as the day went along. Workshops were offered all three days and I took the Drone Flute Building class from Bill Hughes, which was a lot of fun and I picked up some great tips. Bill is a quiet kind of guy with a vast knowledge of flute building and a dry sense of humor. I really enjoyed taking his class which was three hours Saturday and three hours Sunday. One complaint that arose in every flute building class was that the three hours was not long enough. I hope that the class times will be extended next year. The New Breath stage was open to non-professionals and up and coming artists and there were a number of talented individuals who played. Unfortunately, one big snafu was a problem with performance time versus stage setup. One act had to be shortened and another had to be told her set was to be cut completely. This shows how important it is to have a stage manager present at all times, which we did not. William Hoshal played in the afternoon and you can definitely hear the jazz influence in his more contemporary pieces. His set had a lot of energy and he definitely showed some serious fingering speed. Bill was followed by Ancient Sounds which has a very eclectic repertoire from the Native American Flute to Russian Folk, and most everything in between. Each of these acts is local from the Pacific Northwest . The Saturday evening concert featured three sets, starting with Vince Chafin followed by Ron Warren with Janice Torres and capped off by Jeff Ball. This was the shortest three hour concert I have ever attended. Each of these artists is amazing in their own right and when you put them together, magic happens. I could write pages about each one but will give you just a few insights to what I experienced.

Starting with Vince Chafin, this guy has got game! Not only is he a great flutist, but he is also an accomplished bass guitarist and a percussionist. His mastery of multiple instruments was astounding. I was blown away when he told us that he use to be a short haired, suit wearing accountant before he decided to jump into music full time. To see him now I would have guessed he use to hang ten, not count by tens! Next up was Ron Warren who I found to be not only a great flutist and pianist, but an extremely nice guy. He was accompanied by Janice Torres and all I can tell you is Babes got Pipes! Janice has such a clear, warm voice and at one point got her Puerto Rican groove on and had the audience singing back to her. Gary Stroutsos came on with Ron and Janice which was a real bonus as Gary is another serious musician. At one point both Ron and Gary must have played every miniature instrument available. Topping off the evening was Jeff Ball who just drew the audience in with his flute playing. Jeff is one of those rare individuals that whenever someone talks about him, they state that he is a nice guy before even mentioning his fantastic abilities with the flute. The way these artists were willing to play back up or fill in for each other shows what a special bond the flute community has.

Sunday was another beautiful, sunny day with one major concert left. Gary Stroutsos and David Lanz combined their amazing talents to put on a wonderful concert to close out this year's Flute Quest. Unfortunately, I was in my Drone class so could not attend, but we were close enough to still enjoy the music and the roar of the crowd told us that this performance was something special. I have seen Gary in concert before and he is a tremendously talented artist and the music these two make together is breathtaking. I would be remiss if I did not give Gary props for bringing his mom with him to Flute Quest this year and no he did not make her carry his bags. <g>

Musings on Flute Quest: Even though the attendance was low, those who came had a great time and the vendors and performers seemed to have fun. Being on the Flute Quest committee was an interesting endeavor and allowed me to work with a number hard working people. I want to especially highlight the fantastic job that Linda Hegemann did with the Vendors and Workshops and to Mark Barger for his work to secure such a wonderful group of performers. I am sorry that Mark was not given more credit for all his hard work. I want to thank Brent Haines, whose vision made Flute Quest a reality and I am happy that he was able to attend this year even though he has moved back to Utah . To Nino, Ron, Janice, Michael, Jeff, Bill, Vince, Gary, David, Ancient Sounds and all the others who entertained us, your musical talents and willingness to share with others makes this world a better place.

I enjoyed meeting everyone and being a part of this great event. Unfortunately, this years Director has chosen to dismiss everyone on the committee except himself without even a wrap up meeting, so I do not believe I will be back on staff next year, but I do plan on attending and look forward to seeing you all again soon.