From Canary Islands, Spain to Salvador, Brazil

December 15, 2011 By

Viviana in Canary Islands, Spain

It was a loooong trip:  San Francisco, London, Madrid, Canary Islands.  But what a pleasant surprise when I checked into the luxurious 5 star hotel!  The Santa Catalina is a historic 1890 hotel right on the port.  In the lobby of my exquisite hotel, the pianist played campy Spanish bullfighting music while foreign languages dissipated like smoke from every table.  The balmy Canary Island evening breeze caressed my face whilst I ate a magnificent meal in the terrace restaurant with the former Ambassador of Ghana in the United States that I met in the elevator.  I felt like I was in a James Bond movie!

The orchestra I played with was very good.  It was nice to see some familiar faces.  I got a standing ovation after performing for 2,000 people, yes!  This always puts a huge satisfying grin on my face.

Next was Salvador, Bahia, Brasil.  I wish all my audiences were Brazilian audiences!!!  WOW!!!!  What energy!  What enthusiasm!  What love of life!  The most supportive audiences of the world are the Brazilian audience, hands down!!  There is nothing more satisfying that performing for Brazilian and feeling the audience love in their standing ovation and cheers.  Thank you Brazil!!!  Watch the Brazilian audience response in this video:

YouTube Preview Image
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Recital in Thailand, My 119th Country to Visit & Perform

December 14, 2011 By

Viviana with tuk-tuk

I’m proud to announce that Thailand was the 119th country that I have performed in.  I had such an INCREDIBLE time in Bangkok.  WOW!!!  What an amazing city!  I was so well received and taken care by Mr. Mongkol who graciously picked me up at the airport with his lovely wife, Dao.  He had me staying in an amazing 5 star hotel that had an ice bar downstairs… in the middle of Bangkok!  I was honored to be invited and to attend a very special dinner hosted by the Ambassador of Chile to Thailand, Javier Becker.  He and the Deputy Head of Mission, Gabriel Jara came to my concert, too.  It is as a result of meeting these two gentlemen that there is talk of a possible Grand Asian Tour 2012 sponsored by the Government of Chile.  I will keep you posted as details evolve.

 

From the river

I was there during the flooding which was sadly affecting the suburbs of Bangkok.  One evening while driving back from a rehearsal with my pianist, I saw waters that would have come just below my knee had I been walking.  I was in a car and praying that the car would not stall.  I took a small ferry to go see the Grand Palace where again, I saw a lot of the affected areas.  As usual, it was mainly the lower income houses that were falling into the river.  The high rise buildings and majestic hotels seemed untouched by the rising waters.

Flooding in Bangkok

 

The Bangkok Post gave me a nice write-up.  I presented a masterclass and played a concert with pianist Sun Hee Kim at the Goethe Institute that was sponsored in part by Altus Flutes both of which were fruitful.  But most of all, I have to admit, were the $10 massages that I was treating myself to every day.  I highly recommend a nail, pedicure and one of those famous Thai massages at Burberri Hair and Nail Salon in Silom near the Holiday Inn.  In fact, my last day in Bangkok I got 4 hours of treatments there.  I was in heaven!

Deputy Head of Mission from Chile in Thailand, Gabriel Jara

With Chilean Ambassador to Thailand, Javier Becker

Thai Students after performance

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10 Holiday Flute Gift Ideas for the Flutist in Your Life

December 12, 2011 By

 

Viviana Guzman proud owner of a Fluterscooter Bag

1.  Gift the sensational Fluterscooter Flute Bag!

 

2.  Gift a Skype Lesson or Business of Music Internet Coaching via PayPal from the following:  a) Viviana Guzman twitter@FluteQueen, b) Lisa Schroeder twitter@SchroederFlute, c) Alexis Del Palazzo twitter@sensibleflutist

Bettine Clemen-Ware

 

3.  Gift a flute repair session, always necessary!  a) Anne Pollack in NYC.  Her website is Your Fluteworks  b) Lori Lee in San Francisco c) Joan Sparks’ Flute Pro Shop in Willmington, DE

 

4.  Gift Flute Holiday Music:  a) Bettine Clemen-Ware’s  Angel’s Noel  b) Fluterscooter’s Holiday Treasures

 

Greg Pattillo's 3 Beats for Beatbox Flute

5.  Gift original music by our favorite flutists:  a) Gary Schocker I found a Sheet Music Plus page with several of his charming works here  b) Greg Pattillo released his 3 Beats for Beatbox flutes this year and can be ordered here.  

 

Gary Schocker will be performing at the SF Flute Festival 2012

6.  Add to the flute collection by gifting exotic ethnic flutes:  a) For a Native American Indian Flute, the best quality for a good price, I think are Odel Borg’s High Spirits Flutes,  b) For Bansuri Flutes check out the  Joshua Geisler Bansuri Flute  c) Purchase a Penny whistle at your local music store usually for under $20.

 

Christina Jennings will be performing at the SF Flute Festival 2012

7.  For the budding toddler flutist, gift Barbara Siesel’s Green Golly and Her Golden Flute CD.  Charming, original, and perfect stories for your little ones set to the beautiful flute playing of Barbara Siesel.  Listen to sound samples and order from CD Baby here.  My 4 year old niece loves this recording!

 

8.  Books written by flutists:  a) Book of poetry, Love Soliloquies by Viviana Guzman  b)  Practice Books by Trevor Wye  c) Scale Studies by Meerenai Shim

Paula Robison

 

9.  Gift Favorite Flute Recordings:  a) Paula Robison (her album, “The Holy Land” is my personal favorite) Preview it here.  b) Check out the Italian Artful Mastery of Mario Caroli’s discography here  c) Take a listen to Christina Jennings’ beautiful records on Amazon here d) For Gary Schocker’s Amazon discography click here.  e) Order my own Viviana Guzman Classical, Latin, Flamenco, Meditation and Tango CD’s from Amazon here.  FYI, Mario Caroli, Gary Schocker, Christina Jennings and I will be performing at the San Francisco Flute Festival on June 16 & 17, 2012!  

 

Viviana Guzman will be performing at the SF Flute Festival 2012

10.  A Golden Gift Opportunity:  24K Altus Handmade Flute.  As price of gold continues to rise, investing in a golden flute would seem to be a wonderful investment.  The 24K Altus Flute is a gem with soaring sounds from the warm high register and lush low register.  A golden opportunity indeed!  Visit  AltusFlutes.com  

Trevor Wye is an Altus Artist

 

 

Mario Caroli will be performing at the SF Flute Festival 2012

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Welcome to FluteChats.com!

November 28, 2011 By

FluteChats.com interview with Paula Robison

I was scheduled to perform in Charlotte, NC at the National Flute Association Convention on Thursday.  My next concert was in Edinburgh, Scotland the following week.  Rather than going all the way home to San Francisco, I decided to come up with a small project that would keep me busy during the NFA week.  Ahhhh… that small project turned into a rather LARGE project… Ta Daaa!!  Welcome to FluteChats.com

 

I decided to take the opportunity to interview various flutists at the convention.  I throught I would create a new website where people could watch and hear advice from today’s leading Flute Stars.

 

As of the time of this posting, I have uploaded the following wonderful interviews:  Greg Pattillo, Paula Robison, Carol Wincenc, Robert Dick, Brad Garner, Fluterscooter, Nicole Esposito.  Coming up you will find Trevor Wye, Alexa Still, Jimmy Walker, Katherine Kemler, Christina Jennings, Lisa Schroeder, Annie Wu, and a few wonderful surprises, too.

 

Whew!  It has become quite the project involving loads of time and several trips to my awesome webmistress Linda Shum’s house (check out ShumDesign.com) to fix different frustrating issues.  I have learned so much from this whole process.  All in all, it has been very rewarding, even if highly labor intensive.

 

I hope you will feel inspired to visit often FluteChats.com, or even subscribe in iTunes here.  Be sure to rate and leave a comment!

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Summer 2011 Music Videos

November 10, 2011 By

On set of "The Lady of The Lake" Music Video

It was a busy and fulfilling summer.  My first time in 15 years NOT to travel for 3 months…  amazing!  In fact, turned down work as I’m hoping to find a perfect balance between my time on the road and my time at home.  My focus this summer was creation.  I started off by recording an album of French Music with the fabulous French guitarist, Jeremy Jouve.  We recorded at the best recording studio in the world:  George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Marin for the audiophile record label, Reference Recordings.  What a pleasure this whole project was!  The South Bay Guitar Society helped create a mini tour for us just prior to recording so that we’d be in tip-top shape.  Our repertoire included a new works by Roland Dyens and Atanas Ourkouzounov and our own arrangements of French “standards” by Ravel, Faure, Satie, Bizet.  The album is scheduled to be released January 2012.

Flute Mermaid 2 from Music Video in 3D

Next on my summer agenda was creating two music videos.  I embarked on what turned out to be a successful fundraising drive and managed to triumphantly find contributors who donated generously towards the creation of my Music Video in 3D.   This video was then premiered at a beautifully renovated art deco movie theater in Moraga, CA.  This showing was followed by a European Premiere in Edinburgh, Scotland only to be followed by another showing at the Orinda Movie Theater (this Sunday, Sept. 18th at 7pm!) near Berkeley, CA.  It was a pleasure to work with Aldo Chaidez and Gabriella Prado and their crew on this music video.

Flute Mermaid still from Music Video in 3D

I then embarked on filming one of my own compositions, The Lady of the Lake Music Video which is still in production at the time of this posting.  After two intense days of filming,  I am hoping to view the finished product soon.  According to the legendary “Tales of King Arthur”, The Lady of the Lake was the bearer of Excalibur and Merlin’s Mistress.  Her name was Vivian (or Viviana in Spanish).  My father named me after this popular fairy tale.  In this music video I show how The Lady of the Lake gives Viviana the magical sword and when she takes it, the sword turns into a golden flute thereby curing Viviana of her physical ills!  Half mythological, half biographical, I look forward to unveiling this video soon.

In short, It was an incredibly productive and rewarding summer and for this I need to thank my dear mother Clara for providing me with the gift of music, my dedicated father, Mario (RIP) for endorsing the pursuit of my dream, and for Steve, Anika & Sue for providing the inspiration and platform to continue to live a life in the arts full of music, dance, poetry, and above all, MAGIC.

On set of Music Video in 3D

 

Honor Roll of Distinguished Contributors towards the making of my Music Video in 3D:

Phil Berolzheimer                   Lori Lee

Drita Protopapa                     Ted Viviani

Steven Dibner                       Steven Weinmann

m muranami                          Kristin Douty

Paulina                             Mark Volkov

Linda Shum                          Peter Inglis

Lance Albertson                     Christine Holding

Christopher Lee                     Elizabeth Pickens

John Tyler                          aragons

harpo marx                          Gustavo Rabin

Karen Bentley Pollick           Mari Kimura

joan madson                         Lainie Veenstra

Steve Manning                       Ted Adams

Robert Foss                         Diane Grubbe

Elizabeth Gaston                   Veronica Barzelatto

Evan Herberg                        Nancy Tyler

Juan Carlos Bacino               Tina

Carmen Barruel                      Emely

Jane Heaven                         Rajarshi Chaudhuri

Judith Malear                       Sue Rupp

Dave Karlin                         Adnane Raiss

Nicole Esposito                     Robert Arns

JOHN SINGISER

T H A N K   Y O U ! ! ! ! ! !

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Showing my Music Video in 3D at the Orinda Movie Theater

September 12, 2011 By

NEWS FLASH!!!  I’m performing and presenting my Music Video in 3D at the Orinda Movie Theatre this Sunday for the Orinda Jazz Festival. The benefit jazz concert will be Sept 18th (which is also the Chilean Independence Day)  at 7 pm and features Grammy Winner, Mads Tolling, Frank Martin, Viviana Guzman, Mary Jenson, Carol Alban, Alvenson Moore, Holly Penfield and George Cole. Great lineup for only $20. Call 925.254.9065 for tickets and information.  http://lamorindatheatres.com/events_orinda.asp ‘  I will be promoting this event oin my interview for Univision KDTV Channel 14 on Friday, September 16 during the morning show (6:30-8am).

 

 

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Edinburgh Fringe part 2

August 18, 2011 By

Lovely Korean dancers busking in the streets of Edinburgh

I did it!  I had been wanting to participate in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival since my Juilliard days.  Well folks, I finally did it.  And boy what an event!  Today alone I saw a poetry reading, a singer/songwriter, a Persian music concert, had a photo shoot with Laleh, played my concert and then saw a comedy/accordionist (it was my first instrument), Liz Skitch’s “Skitch-Tease”.  WOW!!!  This has been truly memorable and exciting.  There is so much wonderful busking on every street corner, too.  It’s such a thrill just walking and listening to all the different global talents that congregate in this wonderful city.  I get so inspired watching other great performers in action.  I was thrilled with my well attended concerts and my audience response was fantastic.  I met so many lovely people and playing with Amy Abler (within music and at the pub) is always a blast.  Thanks also for these lovely fellows who graciously posed for a picture with us at the pub on my last night in Edinburgh.  Memorable.  Truly fantastic.  All of it!!!!

Laleh my photographer in Edinburgh

with David, Guido and Liz Skitch at the pub

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Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2011

August 17, 2011 By

Whew!  Just finished the first performance here at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2011 where I performed with pianist Amy Abler.  I flew in yesterday I was happily welcomed first by a Bagpiper named Neil MacLure and a light rain.  I had a quick dinner and ran off to rehearse with Amy in the flat where she was staying.  I didn’t get back to my hotel until very late and fell into bed as I was more than dead.  Today, there were so many set backs as it was one of those days.  All my equipment was out of juice as the hotel had warned me that I needed a converter and not an adaptor for my computer, cell phone and speakers.  As a result, everything went dead after the first 24 hours here.  Luckily, the guy at the electronic shop called Curry’s (yeah, I thought it was an indian restaurant, too) said that computers and cell phones and most newer appliances are built ready to be used globally.  He reassured me that I wouldn’t have any problem using an adaptor and that I didn’t have to buy a converter.  He was right!  It started off a beautiful but nippy day, but towards the mid afternoon, the rains blew in.  I was worried no one would show up for the concert as people tend to stay at home and settle for a night in watching TV when it rains.  But luckily I had a reallynice turnout.

photo: Viviana Guzman

Edinburgh Castle

I really love this place.  I have visited a few times now and each time I grow more and more fond of it.  The buildings are majestic and practically scream their history as one walks by.  The evening skies have been cobalt blue hues with the penetrating full moon lovingly illuminating the buildings casting picturesque historical snapshots of former centuries.  The streets are clean and the castle reigns dignified on it’s vigil on top of The Mound in the center of towne.  This 12th century fortress commands expansive vistas overlooking Princes Street (where my venue and hotel are located) and Royal Mile.  I feel incredibly thankful to be visiting such an impressive city, and even more, to be performing in it!

 

Edinburgh panoramic, view from the castle

 

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National Flute Convention

August 16, 2011 By

Convention Center in Charlotte

Have you ever woken up in the morning, exhausted?  I knew I had slept enough, yet this morning my feet were still pulsating and my head was slightly throbbing after the sensational weekend at the National Flute Association Convention in Charlotte, NC.   I flew out to perform on Thursday and since I was continuing on to Edinburgh on Monday, I decided to make the best use of my time Thursday through Sunday, by creating a delightful but demanding new project for myself.  I set out to interview the convention’s top flutists!  Initially I didn’t think it would be such a demanding project to embark on, but when you add on rehearsing, performing, catching up with old friends, attending concerts, and looking for the perfect head joint, it turned in to quite an exhaustive venture of 16 hour days and very little sleep.  The end result is that I feel thrilled with all the material I gathered for my new website www.flutechats.com (going live in September) and was especially happy to visit and connect and hear my beautiful fellow flute friends of which a small list would include Rhonda Larson, Paula Robison, Christina Jennings, Greg Pattillo, Jim Walker, Carol Wincenc, Robert Dick, Trevor Wye, etc.  I wanted to take this opportunity to mention a wonderful new resource to find flutists called www.supportflutists.com created by Terri Sanchez.  Off to Edinburgh, Scotland now!  Weeeeeeee!!!!

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7 Keys to Running a Successful Kickstarter Campaign

July 12, 2011 By

Flute Goddess photo by Susan Friedman

 

 

Dear Friends,

As grants for the arts quickly diminish, I wanted to introduce to you analternative way to raise funds for creative projects by using Kickstarter.com.

 

Click here to view my proposal and make a pledge create my Music Video in 3D:  http://kck.st/kw7FPD

 

 

 

Seven Keys to Running a Successful Kickstarter Campaign:

1)  Have good idea combined with a well written pitch.  This is a given, I suppose, but I have seen a few unsuccessful proposals that were too convoluted to make sense.  Short and to the point seem to work best.

 

2)  Produce a solid, well presented video which is clear and concise.  Again, this is probably obvious.  I can not express enough the importance of the video, where it is filmed, how it is filmed, with what camera and how it is edited.  This is your pitch.  Have fun with it while also making it informative about your goal.

3)  Have a built-in network of supporters (social networks, press, friends and family).  Keep in mind that it takes time to get the word out.  I only allowed myself a month and in hindsight I would have opted for 2 months which would give more opportunities to aim for different press sources, blogs, and networks.

 

4)  You might want to consider building a team of people to help collectively work on your project.  Like presenting a concert, it’s all about getting the word out and the more people you have rooting for you, the better.  I have seen that the most successful projects have a collaborative component.  The power to get the word out seems to increase exponentially with every person involved in promoting it.  I did not have a team, and in hindsight, I would have put one in place before starting the campaign.

 

5)  Work through as many details as possible before going live with a project.  Put together a roll-out plan to spread the word in different phases using creative strategies.  Don’t expect to just sit back and wait for the money to roll in.  You will have to put in considerable hours coming up with different ways to promote and help spread the word about your project.

 

6)  Review articles and testimonials from people who have used Kickstarter.  Compare successful and unsuccessful campaigns to determine what works and what doesn’t.  I enjoyed this process as there are a lot of interesting and creative ventures out there that never would have stood a chance for funding prior to this new platform called Kickstarter.

 

7)  Have fun with the process!  I certainly have.  I have learned tremendously through this undertaking and I hope that with this email I have been able to outline a few pointers to make your project successful, too.

Wishing you happy funding adventures!

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