Label: Equilibrium Item Number: EQDVD03 Format: 2-DVD Set Year Recorded: 2012 Anatomy of Sound: A Workshop with Amy Porter Amy Porter
Amy Porter - flute Featured in the March 2018 edition of New on NAXOS for her recording of Michael Daugherty’s Trail of Tears with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, flutist Amy Porter has been praised by critics for her exceptional musical talent and passion for scholarship. This captivating performer was described by Carl Cunningham in the Houston Post as having “succeeded in avoiding all the overdone playing styles of the most famous flutists today.” In American Record Guide, flutist Christopher Chaffee wrote, “If you have not heard her playing, you should.” Ms. Porter “played with graceful poise,” noted Allan Kozinn in The New York Times. And Geraldine Freedman, writing in the Albany Gazette, commented, “Amy Porter showed that she’s not only very versatile but that she can do everything well. She chose a program that tested every aspect of her playing from a Baroque sensibility to using the instrument as a vehicle of sound effects, and she met each challenge with passion, skill and much musicality.” Ms. Porter has been a featured soloist with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, and with the Atlanta, Houston, Omaha, Delaware, Albany, Flint, Billings, Battle Creek, Arkansas, and Elgin symphony orchestras. She has twice appeared in recital at the National Concert Hall in Taipei, as well as at Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center. Her collaborators have included such distinguished conductors as Nicholas McGegan, Ransom Wilson, David Alan Miller, Yoel Levi, Thomas Wilkins, José-Luis Gomez, Enrique Diemecke, David Amado, Anne Harrigan, and Arie Lipsky. She has given premieres of works by Michael Daugherty, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Joel Puckett, Christopher Caliendo, Katherine Hoover, and Frank Ticheli, among others. Winner of the 3rd Kobe International Flute Competition and the Paris/Ville d’Avray International Flute Competition, Ms. Porter has served on international juries around the world, including the 6th Kobe International Flute Competition. She has been heard in recital on National Public Radio; highlighted on PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center; and featured on the covers and as a writer for the magazines Flute Talk in the USA and The Flute in Japan. In 2006 Ms. Porter became the first performing artist to be awarded the University of Michigan’s Henry Russel Award for distinguished scholarship and conspicuous ability as a teacher. Her popular study guide on the German composer Sigfrid Karg-Elert elicited the following comment from Spanish Flute Society: “Strength, beauty, a captivating and seductive force, sensitivity, perfection and a sense of humor characterize the impressive American flautist Amy Porter.” She has won praise both as a recording artist and as a chamber musician. Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, in her New York Times review of the CD In Translation: Selections from J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites on the Equilibrium label, applauded Ms. Porter for her “gleaming, lyrical reading” of those works. As a member of Trio Virado with violist Juan-Miguel Hernandez and guitarist João Luiz, she recorded Mangabeira, a CD featuring works by Piazzolla, Brouwer, Hand, Assad and Luiz, about which Ken Keaton wrote in American Record Guide: “First let me say that these are fine musicians, and they present a set of performances that are unfailingly strong, expressive, and imaginative.” Formerly a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Porter was recently appointed Principal Flute of North Carolina’s Brevard Music Center, where she will perform as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Highlights of Ms. Porter’s 2019-20 season include a tour of Missouri with Trio Virado and appearances at the Brevard Music Center as Principal Flute, The University of Kansas, and MidSouth Flute Festival. She will also perform Daugherty's "Trail of Tears" with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. Recent study guide releases include her latest “THE GAUBERT CYCLE: The Complete Works for Flute and Piano by Philippe Gaubert” with guests Tim Carey and Penelope Fischer. The printed edition, Philippe Gaubert Treasures for Flute and Piano, is published by Carl Fischer. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Ms. Porter graduated from The Juilliard School and pursued further studies at the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg. She plays a 14K white gold flute with rose gold engraved keys made for her by the Wm. S. Haynes Co. My adult workshop at The University of Michigan is called The Anatomy of Sound - A Workshop for Flutists and it happens every year in collaboration with Jerald Schwiebert, Assistant Professor of Theater and Laura Dwyer, Certified Yoga Instructor and professional flutist. Through this class we have been able to help many people to find their distinctive voice on the flute. This class attracts amateurs, students and professional musicians, all in different levels of life and music. After leaving the workshop they all seem to find a deeper meaning in their art because they've let go and heard their own voice in new ways. Students find that they are producing tone by using the body's wisdom, further assisting them in finding their own way in music and in life. I can see now that this pathway is touching hearts. Some students come away using the "Anatomy" and the "Sound" lessons in their daily life, and they are transformed. Healed. Productive. Happy and healthy at the same time!
Label: Equilibrium Item Number: EQDVD03 Format: 2-DVD Set Year Recorded: 2012 A comprehensive 2 disc DVD study guide for all musicians to use as a teaching tool for instrumental sound production. Amy Porter combines her research with performance and pedagogy and brings her workshop into your practice room, helping you find your most beautiful sound. "Learning to perform has to begin with knowing who you are, using your own life as inspiration and knowing you CAN make a sound from what's already inside you." - Amy Porter Amy Porter, Professor of Flute at the University of Michigan, presents the ‘Anatomy of Sound’ workshops every year, and this very enjoyable two-disc DVD set is a product of these workshops. The title may suggest that it is a tone focus DVD but, in fact, it covers all aspects of flute technique. Amy and her colleagues present a holistic approach to playing the instrument with perspectives involving body, mind, and spirit. It consists of short bite-sized lessons including a 30-minute yoga class. There are lots of great tips and advice to try, and on more than one occasion I found myself pressing the pause button and reaching for my flute. I particularly enjoyed a section where Amy demonstrated and gave advice on how to approach the standard daily exercises by Taffanel and Gaubert, and others. This was a very helpful inclusion. Laura Dwyer, a Certified Yoga Instructor as well as a professional flautist gives a 30-minute yoga class which has been specifically tailored to benefit the flautist. It is evident that a lot of thought has gone into this class, and when you try playing your flute afterwards, you will be pleasantly surprised with the outcome. The DVD also has extremely helpful insights into breathing, and it is evident that these have been well researched. At the BFS Convention in August 2012, Amy give a beautiful recital and it was lovely to have the opportunity to hear her play again on DVD. All levels of players will benefit from the tips and advice offered by Amy and her colleagues in this workshop, but it will be of particular benefit to intermediate and advanced students. I must also note that the quality of production and editing is of a high standard. The only reservation I have is that American style of effusive enthusiasm does not always translate well for an Anglo-European audience, thought this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of this informative DVD. This disc would make a lovely Christmas gift for the serious flute player or enthusiast. At USD $75 (approximately ₤50), it is not a cheap DVD set, but does represent good value in terms of the hours of learning with leading professionals which it contains. The DVD is available online via Amy’s website at www.amyporter.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||