Here are highlights from our chats and things she wanted to share for this project. I asked her to share her favorites, such as composer, song, memory and more. Enjoy!
Afternoon with a Flutist, Interview with Robin Etter,
Who is your favorite flutist? "I must admit is Sir James Galway, I just love his sound, it's so unique." Robin, started piano at age 8 (still her first love) and continued through college with both piano and flute. Went to Interlachen in the summer during high school. Teachers: Robert Willoughby (Oberlin), the late Geoffrey Gilbert (London Symphony) and Tim Day (Baltimore Symphony), Kazuo Tokito (Philadelphia Orchestra), Toshiko Khono (National Symphony). Her Mother took her to her first orchestra concert with the Fairfax Symphony and they were performing "Afternoon of A Faun" by Debussy. It was an awakening! "I didn't even know what a flute was, but I wanted to add an instrument to the piano and my brother suggested I try the flute (he was listening to Jethro Tull "Aqualung" at the time). My Mom drove me to the music store that day and we rented a Gemeinhardt Flute. This was the 7th grade. What is your favorite memory related to Music? My favorite memory- spending six months touring as concerto soloist with the American Wind symphony (aka "barge band"). It was a really talented group of recent college graduates. We toured all over the east coast and Mexico and stayed with host families - moving to a different city each week. I learned to cook during the month in Louisiana, and feel in love with Florida as well. The Florida Symphony was my first orchestra audition- it was 2nd flute. I was the youngest member of the orchestra for many years. Moving to Florida was like being transported to paradise.
Bio: Robin Etter, Professor of Flute, received her B.M. in flute performance form the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She is the professor of flute at Rollins college, in winter park, FL and is Principal flute with the Bach festival orchestra. She served as Principal flute with the Orlando Philharmonic from 1993-1997, was the associate Principal flute with the Florida symphony orchestra from 1984-1992 and has performed as principal flute with the Montovani orchestra, the palm beach ops, the 101 strings and the Walt Disney World orchestra, Ms. Etter performs chamber music with the Raintree Chamber Players, is an active recording artist in central Florida (including her solo CD " Afternoon of a Flute"(Essence Music) and is also the published author of "Suwannee Notes: A Musician's Journey."
Overiew of the Book: Follow Etter, a flutist, and her husband, Scott, as they conquer the wilds of North Florida. The two restore an abandoned house along the banks of the historic Suwannee River, and along the way Robin finds a balance between her life as an urban classical musician and that of an outdoor “earth mother.” She skins catfish, snorkels with manatees, befriends a stray dog, battles squirrels, and slowly comes to terms with the “nitty-gritty” process of house renovation. She is now a research librarian as well and resides in Mount Dora with her family.
I also asked Robin to share a funny story too. "In the Northern Virginia Youth Symphony, we were playing Peter and the Wolf. We had a terrific guest conductor who, while rehearsing, would refer to each instrument as its character (Grandfather, the cat, etc.). In one rehearsal he kept asking me to being at letter A, or some such section, by saying “little bird, let’s start at letter A.” Finally, he put down his baton and said “I’m sorry. That’s silly. What is your real name?” When I replied “Robin” everyone cracked up and the nickname “little bird” stuck. Coincidentally, in college, my colleague Mark Sparks (Principal, St. Louis Symphony) started calling me “bird” and then the rest of the male flutists at Oberlin started calling me “bird” – I think because it was a less personal way of referring to a girl who was both a friend and a competitor."
Here's a copy of a thank you note I sent to Robin after we played The Candlelight Processional together at EPCOT - Robin said, she was going to put this comment on her epitaph - really! It was such an honor to play in a performance I have wanted to be a part of for a long time with my favorite flutist. I have played with many players over the years – but have never encountered a player like you, elegant, and a master in an understated fashion. Indeed Robin is a Master Flutist. Photos used by Permission and material therein. - c.2012BeautifulMusic.cc
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