Natalie benefits from overseas experience

Music

Flautist Natalie Nowak is that rare breed - a talented musician who is also blessed with superior organisational skills and marketing initiative to boot.

The 22-year-old, who is in her final year of a Masters in Music Performance with the University's Elder Conservatorium of Music, returned from the United States in late January after a whirlwind trip to meet some of the world's leading composers and flautists.

In the space of just four weeks Natalie criss-crossed the country from New York to Louisiana, back to Boston and across to New Jersey, conducting interviews with - and receiving lessons from - the likes of well-known flautists Dr Katherine Kemler, Paula Robison, Susan Rotholz and composers Lowell Liebermann and Robert Beaser.

In between, Natalie also managed to squeeze in a visit to Powell Flutes, the world's leading producer of professional quality flutes and piccolos.

The whole trip was organised off her own bat, including the budgeting, applications for funding, flights, accommodation and teeing up meetings with all the musicians.

Natalie's postgraduate studies at the Elder Conservatorium are centred on the works of US composers Lowell Liebermann and Robert Beaser. At the conclusion of her studies Natalie will present selected works by these composers in two recitals and hopes to one day record them.

In New York she organised a lesson with Paula Robison, the first American to win the Geneva International Competition, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious music competitions.

"Her recordings have inspired me greatly. She has such a wealth of knowledge and is one of the most highly regarded and respected flute players in America," Natalie said.

She also organised a lesson with New York-based Susan Rotholz on the Variations for Flute and Piano, a piece commissioned by Susan for her debut recital at Carnegie Hall.

In Louisiana, Natalie met up with Dr Katherine Kemler for a lesson on the Sonata for Flute and Piano, and the Soliloquy for Solo Flute. "I gained a much better technical understanding and approach to playing these works, thanks to her guidance."

In Boston, Natalie visited three flute factories - Powell, Brannen and Nagahara - to learn about each step of the crafting process and how custom model flutes differ from the intermediate range.

A highlight of the trip was her interview with Lowell Liebermann, one of America's most frequently performed and commissioned composers. "It was wonderful to finally meet the man behind the music I have been playing, music that so many others have enjoyed in Australia as well," she said.

Natalie was also granted an audience with Robert Beaser, composer of the Variations for Flute and Piano, which she performed for him. "He gave me some very useful feedback, particularly in regard to the subtleties I was missing, and I came away with a new level of insight into the music."

Natalie received funding for the trip from the University of Adelaide, Foundation for Young Australians, Helpmann Academy and Performers' Trust Foundation.

She is due to finish her Masters at the end of 2008 and hopes to secure an orchestral job and continue her teaching work in Adelaide.

"I love both teaching and performing because each offers its own rewards," she said. "My United States trip has also given me a taste for more international study which I would like to pursue down the track."

Story by Candy Gibson