Flutes, food and flies!

Hooray! The start of Flutes in Tuscany is almost upon us with everyone arriving tomorrow! We are so excited to get under way with lessons, masterclasses and ensembles, and we are really looking forward to meeting everyone and hearing everyone play.

The first group of the Tuscany team arrived yesterday afternoon, and enjoyed a lovely first evening in Tereglio. Course tutors Liz Walker and Sarah Murphy have taken this welcome opportunity today, before the course starts and the intensely busy timetable begins, to rehearse for their tutors concert which is happening later in the week. It’s sounding wonderful so far and I’m positive everyone will be in awe when they perform on Friday evening!

Unexpectedly for us today was the crazy amount of rain which fell whilst we were eating lunch on the balcony. The serene atmosphere was suddenly interrupted with the biggest rainstorm any of us had ever seen. Lots of very thick rain drops, falling very heavily, soaked the valley immediately and was a real spectacle to watch. We came to the conclusion that it was “really wet rain”! Maybe we should’ve put umbrellas and raincoats on the packing list!

“Flutes, food and flies” really sums up the week to come. The humid weather, the heat and the location unfortunately comes with the downside of mosquitoes, however, even though on previous years we have been bitten beyond belief, the rest of the week really makes up for it! We have come armed with many anti insect repellents and we won’t let it dull our experiences!

Another key feature of the week every year has to be the amount of glorious Italian food we get to eat. Each meal comes with heaps of luscious food provided by the local inhabitants of Tereglio with so much variety and flavours that no one will go hungry! When the course starts on Sunday, everyone will get to enjoy the vast amount of local, Italian food and we just can’t wait!

Obviously being “Flutes in Tuscany”, our days are filled completely with flute playing. Through the streets of Tereglio, even now as Liz and Sarah rehearse, the sound of the flute can be heard. It’s a glorious feeling! On Sunday, individual lessons with all the tutors begin, and guest tutor Phillippa Davies will run her first masterclass. Everyone will learn so much from listening to each other and taking on board all the advice from the tutors.

All day, students on the course have access to ensemble music and are able to play with whomever they choose. In the evenings, the large ensembles take place which is such a fantastic opportunity for everyone, regardless of different abilities, to enjoy playing together in this beautiful place.

This week will be fantastic and the spirit of Tereglio will really be felt when all the flute players have arrived!

Written by Martha-Lilly Dyer
4x Flutes in Tuscany attendee