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At the last Flute Day in February 2022, each flutist had to wear a mask at all times, only taking them off while playing. However, this Flute Day was a special reunion for central New York flute players, returning back to the regular arrangement.

“I am so glad to get back to playing our flutes normally,” said Dana DiGennaro, the event’s organizer.

The sound of flutes reverberated in Setnor Auditorium all day Sunday as teachers, students, professionals and flutists of all ages came together to celebrate all things flute. Flute Day has happened every other year at Syracuse University for 10 years and this year’s events included instrument tuning, live performances and informative masterclasses.

The day started with a tuning session — “Ten days to a better flute tone!” hosted by DiGennaro. Starting the day off with the tuning lesson allowed people to prepare for the day.

“I love being able to share my passion for playing the flute and also for teaching the flute and I think that flute day is a perfect opportunity to mix the two,” DiGennaro said. “Everyone is going to be learning something but everyone’s also going to get to participate.”

Each Flute Day features a special guest and this year’s was Demarre McGill — a world-renowned flutist, said the event’s organizer Dana DiGennaro. In the Setnor Auditorium, McGill performed four selections with his pianist Daniel Schlosberg. All attendees were thrilled to watch his performance because of how breathtaking he was, local flutist Nicole Damon said.

“He had been this up-and-coming flutist and now he’s established in the world of music,” said Jeanne Pizzuto-Sauve, a local flutist who’s played for 45 years. “Just to see him perform — what a great experience!”

Four SU students and two high school flutists took the stage for McGill’s masterclass, where he briefly mentored each of the attendees. He gave them advice, like playing with more vibrancy or making the second notes as important as the first.

McGill emphasized pouring unlimited energy into playing the flute, especially when shifting dynamics from piano to fortissimo. He said that someone can easily be a flute player, but that it’s important to be more than that.

“Just playing the flute bores me,” McGill told the masterclass watchers. “Sorry — it’s just not enough.”

Through the masterclass, flute teachers sat in the audience learning how to help their students when they go back to teaching after Flute Day. Even though Damon knows the techniques, it’s a nice reminder of ways she can help her students.

An event like this allows SU students to connect with high-profile professionals, from internationally known musicians to directors like Damon. DiGennaro said this is important because there are a wide range of majors in the music department like music education and music industry. These networks are especially important to connect central New York musicians to SU too.

“I’ve seen a lot of people that I professionally play with. I’ve seen some students that I’ve taught,” Damon said. “It’s very nice to be amongst the people.”

At the final event of the day, all the flutists played in a flute choir together. They included piccolos, C flutes, alto flutes and bass flutes. Damon last played with other flutists in college and she said Flute Day was an opportunity to have a little fun.

“As a flutist, we share a definite camaraderie and friendship just because we all play the flute,” DiGennaro said. “The events we’re holding really show that we can all learn no matter what our age or what our ability is, what our background is.”

Published on February 18, 2024 at 9:51 pm

Contact Rosina: rlboehm@syr.edu