Marina Piccinini is an international treasure. She grew up in Brazil and was born to an Italian father and a Brazilian mother. When the family moved to Switzerland, she heard the Mozart opera "The Magic Flute" and told her father she wanted to play the flute. "My love of the flute stems from that performance, which is really an opera and a vocal performance."
Internationally recognized flutist Marina Piccinini will perform Thursday at the New World Center in Miami, and be in residence for workshops and master classes. Credit: Steve Riskind
Piccinini's flute playing combines an intensely communicative performance with a powerfully magnetic stage presence, and a global perspective that informs her work.
The internationally renowned flutist is in Miami at the New World Center for an intensive week of masterclasses, workshops, lectures, concerts and exhibits, with the overarching aim of facilitating artistic inspiration and development in a supportive and collaborative setting.
The in-depth institute is a passion project for Piccinini as she passes on her extensive knowledge of musicianship and style, as well as sharing her breadth of career experience as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, and chamber musician.
Piccinini's intense commitment to education inspired her to create the Marina Piccinini International Masterclasses (MPIMC), which, after a decade at Baltimore’s Peabody Institute, has recently moved to the New World Center in Miami, launching an exciting new partnership with the New World Symphony. She is currently on the faculty of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and was formerly Professor at the Hochschule fur Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover, Germany.
She has always cited her mentors as the reason for her breadth of knowledge and skill.
After her family moved to Canada, she started to play flute in the school band. Her band teacher, a trumpet player, introduced her to the breath skill needed to play the flute. At the age of 16, she went to Toronto to study with Jeanne Baxtresser. Baxtresser played for 15 years as Solo Flutist of the New York Philharmonic, invited by music director Zubin Mehta to the position.
"I couldn't have been luckier to have her as a mentor. Two years after I studied with her, she told me I should go to New York," says Piccinini.
She followed in the footsteps of Baxtresser, going to Manhattan's The Juilliard School, where she studied with legendary teacher and flutist Julius Baker.
The program at New World includes daily masterclasses with Piccinini and collaborative pianists entitled, “Beyond the Score: Expression through Interpretation,” which explore the varied repertoire for the flute including both orchestral and solo selections.
In addition, students benefit from open discussions focused on career issues of the modern musician, exploratory repertoire workshops delving into the complete repertoire available to the flute from classical to contemporary. Guest artists of the 2019 Marina Piccinini International Masterclasses are flutists Claire Chase, Jennifer Grim and Eva Amsler, and Mark Janello who will lead a special lecture on 'How to Write your own Mozart Concerto Cadenza."
By the way, she is always a Shaolin Fighting Monk, so you may see Piccinini with her flute students on Miami Beach engaged in Kung Fu lessons.
Maria Piccinini's intense commitment to education inspired her to create the Marina Piccinini International Masterclasses (MPIMC) now at the New World Center in Miami. Photography: Steve Riskind
The MPIMC will also welcome many of the world’s finest flute-makers and their flutes, allowing students and auditors the opportunity to see the craftsmanship and history of the instrument.
"There are so many aspects of my musical life that I enjoy," Piccinini shared in an interview where she in troduced her 14-karat white and rose gold flute made specifically for her by Wms. S. Haynes Co.
"There's the variety of all I can do playing concertos with orchestras, recitals, and recording and teaching. The second aspect is I am constantly able to improve and learn. The curiosity is never ending. You are always searching for something as an artist uncovering more things."
Scholarships and Awards
MPIMC Award is given to one student of the current MPIMC session for a full tuition scholarship for the following year. Piccinini and current faculty select the winner based on merit and performance during the current year’s masterclass sessions.
Galway Festival Award
MPIMC and the Galway Flute Festival work together to provide the opportunity for one student from MPIC to attend the Galway Flute Festival the following year and one student from the Galway Flute Festival to attend the MPIC the following year tuition free. The special relationship with Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway is an important collaboration for both institutions and their genuine passion for young flutists and the repertoire.
Schedule At A Glance for MPIMC 2019:
Thursday, May 23, 7:30 p.m.: Opening Gala Recital. $25 general admission, $10 students. Click below to buy tickets.
May 24-30: Exhibitions and Guest Artist Workshops
- Guided tour of the New World Center and meeting with NWS Staff "Expression Through Interpretation" Masterclass with Marina Piccinini.
- Guest Artist Workshops "Control Your Breath" with Femi Oladeji.
- Master class concludes with a final performance at the Betsy Hotel, 1440 Ocean Drive, on Thursday, May 30 at noon. Admission is free link: https://www.thebetsyhotel.com/calendar/piccinini-festival-flute-concert
