Three Rivers Flute Master Class 2008
Class Information

Located at the beautiful St. Anthony's Retreat in Three Rivers CA, USA, and now in its fifth consecutive year, this exciting three-day master class will be held from July 24 through July 26, 2008 and will feature master classes with Yamaha Performing Artists and Clinicians Mary Karen Clardy, Jim Walker and Tracy Harris with world renowned guest accompanist Svetlana Rudikova-Harris and concert harpist Wendy LeBlanc. The class will also include orchestral excerpt classes, performance practice classes, flute choir classes, ensemble practice classes, flute and harp classes and much more all offered in a nurturing, supportive environment.
 
Yamaha prizes will be awarded at the end of the class and all performers will be awarded class participant certificates. Private lessons with all artists will be available during the class. The class will also include a live televised gala concert on the last evening featuring performances by all three clinicians, the class flute choir and Yamaha competition winners as well as a world premiere of a flute choir piece written for the class by composer Todd Harris. 
 
The class is open to all levels, and auditors are most welcome. Please see the on-line application for application details.

Application Deadline: All applications for early admission must be received in our office by no later than April 1, 2008. Early admission applicants will be given top consideration for acceptance. All applications for standard admission must be received in our office by no later than June 16, 2008.
 
Click here to apply now.

Click here to order your official Three Rivers Flute Masterclass 2008 T-Shirt or Tank Top. *T-Shirt or tank is required for all participants to be a part of our traditional class photo. More great flute gift items also available.

Contact Information

Contact us via Mail:
Mrs. Sandra Harris
P.O. Box 3326
Visalia, CA 93278 USA
Ph: (559) 782-3104
e-mail: TracyHarrisFlute@Yahoo.com

Masterclass Staff:

Tracy Harris: Yamaha Performing Artist & Clinician, and Concert Flutist

Tracy Harris is well known for her superb interpretation of flute music, with technique, soul and the solid performance of a seasoned and highly talented artist. Miss Harris has left audiences breathless with her profound and moving interpretation of the great composers from all ages. Her concerts are typically given thumbs up by critics across the country. Her versatility has seen her playing with Sting on PBS and Disney Studios with equal aplomb. Tracy has been fortunate to have studied with most of the greats of our time, including Dr. Julius Baker, Claude Monteux, James Pellerite, James Walker, James Pellerite and others. Tracy was selected by Yamaha to join the likes of  Dr. Julius Baker, Jeff Khaner and Jim Walker to become a Yamaha Performing Artist, a title bestowed on only the best instrumentalists in the world. Ms. Harris was invited to perform at the National Flute Association's 2005 Convention in San Diego.
 
Tracy concertizes extensively as a soloist and with her award winning trio called "Wyndfall" performing with her sister Wendy Harris-LeBlanc on harp and her sister-in-law Russian concert pianist Svetlana Rudikova-Harris.   Ms. Harris has also worked in the studios with such Emmy winning composers as Carl Johnson for Disney.   Ms. Harris was selected as a participant in Julius Baker Master Class in Carmel, California and the Western Connecticut State University Julius Baker Master Class.  She has also been a participant in master classes given by James Pellerite, Ann Zentner and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Ms. Harris was invited to attend the Juilliard School of Music by Dr. Julius Baker at the age of sixteen and attended the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.  She holds degrees in flute performance and is also a two-year graduate of the famous Music Academy of the West.  Ms. Harris has received numerous awards and honors from such organizations as; The National Society of Arts and Letters, The Pillsbury Foundation, The Santa Barbara Foundation, and the New England Conservatory of Music.  Ms. Harris has won many local and national honors including; winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters grant competition, winner of the Pillsbury Foundation scholarship competition eight years in a row, winner of the Santa Barbara Symphony Young Artists competition, the UCSB Music Affiliates award, winner of Santa Barbara Music Club scholarship, winner of Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation Competition, and winner of the American Scandinavian Foundation competition.  Ms. Harris has been a flute instructor at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California, and she maintains a large private studio in addition to conducting flute clinics and lectures throughout the country. Tracy Harris was recently one of a select few invited to audition for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Lincoln Center.
 
Ms. Harris has performed solo recitals, chamber music, and concertos across the United States and has premiered many new pieces.  As an accomplished soloist and orchestral musician, Tracy has performed concertos or has held principal chairs with many different ensembles such as; the Santa Barbara Symphony, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, the Coastal Valley's Symphony, the Tulare County Symphony, the West Coast Symphony, the Santa Barbara Chorale Society, Ojai Requiem Orchestra, Santa Ynez Valley Orchestra, the Santa Maria Symphony and the Tulare Symphony to name but a few.  Ms. Harris  has  served as Artistic Director of the Coastal Valley's Symphony Chamber Series and has performed in many new music premieres with such composers as Patrick Cassidy for his U.S. premiere of  "Famine and Remembrance".  She has also performed in the world premiere of  Phillip  Lasser's  "The Alchemist".  Ms. Harris has made recordings with the Pacific Coast Chamber Orchestra and has recorded for the PCPA Theaterfest. 
 
Ms. Harris is also the Director of Music Theoretic Studies at The Pacific Center for Advanced Studies which was formed in 1993 for the purpose of advancing our knowledge of the world in an environment free of constraints. The center is composed of five advanced institutes, encompassing major segments of contemporary science; The Institute for Mind/Brain Research, The Institute for Computational Neurological Research, The Institute for Theoretical Physics Research, The Institute for Music-Theoretic Research and the The Institute for Information-Theoretic Research. The Pacific Center is dedicated to helping us promote our understanding of the world while improving our lives through research. This research has resulted in hundreds of original papers and a range of other publications aimed at both experts in the various fields and the general public, interested in the results of cutting edge research.
 
*Tracy plays on a Yamaha heavy Wall, 14K 892 Julius Baker Model Flute with a “K” Cut Headjoint.
 
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Mary Karen Clardy International Soloist, Chamber Artist , Author, and Teacher.

Mary Karen Clardy, Professor of Flute at the University of North Texas, appears throughout the United States, Great Britain, Europe, the Far East, and South America as a soloist, chamber artist and teacher. A frequent performer for the NFA, including Boston, Dallas, Denver, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, St. Louis, Seattle, Washington, D. C., and Los Angeles, she has also appeared twice at the British Flute Society’s international conventions. Ms. Clardy’s newest recording on the EPR Label (Solos and Sonatinas) features the world premier recording of Steven Harlos’s Sonata Rubata, and she recorded a solo recital of American music for the BBC’s Radio 3, including works of Copland, Liebermann, and Barber. Renowned as a teacher, she regularly gives master classes at home and abroad, including Shanghai’s Conservatory of Music, London’s Royal and Trinity Colleges; Conservatorio da Venizia and Boccherini Institute in Italy; and Oberlin, Yale, and Manhattan Schools. By invitation of the Ministry of Culture, she has taught in Taiwan’s Summer Music Institute, and her students have been prize-winners in competitions throughout the world, including Rampal., NFA, MTNA, Markneukirchen, and Flute Talk. Ms. Clardy’s three books available from European American are in multiple reprint, and her edition of Altès Daily Exercises, published by Leduc, is available for the first time separate from the Complete Method. Recent publications include Classic Duets 2 and Classic Solos for Flute from Universal Edition and Fauré Melodies, Volumes 2 and 3 from Leduc. 2006 scheduled appearances include tours to Brazil, Asia, and Flute!™ Events in California, Colorado, and Texas.

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Jim Walker

Defining Jim Walker is no easy task. There are few musicians today who cross stylistic borders with the ease and beauty that is this man's legacy. im's flute as the lead voice of Free Flight creates its own niche in the musical heavens, not merely reshaping one idiom, but allowing a hybrid sound to emerge which propels Free Flight light years beyond jazz fusion.

Motion picture soundtracks bask in the lovely sound from his golden flute.Symphony orchestras sparkle with his dazzling technical marches and velvet-like melodies. Recital halls glow from the splendor of his classical interpretations. Students marvel at the power and control of his playing "up close".

In 2003 Paul McCartney invited Jim to join him in his performance at the Academy Awards broadcast. It was certainly the largest audience (up to 1 Billion Viewers) to have seen Jim performing.
The product of a musical household--his father, Bob, a public school band director and jazz clarinetist, his mother, Barbara, a church organist--Jim Walker's youth in Greenville, Kentucky was filled with piano (age 6) and flute lessons (age 10).

High school in Central City, Ky gave him many opportunities including exposure to other instruments; a starting guard position on the varsity basketball team; and through record clubs he sampled the latest in jazz.

A scholarship to the University of Louisville started Jim Walker in the direction of Music Education - but the "orchestral bug" bit him, committing his efforts to classical flute. He graduated with Honors and today holds the prestigious "Distinguished Alumni Award" as well as being named the first "Alumni Fellow" from the School of Music.

Following college Jim enlisted in the Army and went to West Point to join the USMA Band, simultaneously studying flute with Harold Bennett, principal flutist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.Other significant teachers have been Sarah Fouse, Francis Fuge, James Pellerite, and Claude Monteux.

In 1969, an audition with the Pittsburgh Symphony landed him the desirable position of associate principal flutist. After eight years in Pittsburgh, Jim set his sights on Los Angeles and won the principal flute position at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A further sign of his orchestral ability was the invitation of Zubin Mehta to play principal flute in the South American tour of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1982.

Jazz had always been a hobby in high school and college, Jim says, and exposure to L.A.'s live music scene rekindled his interest in jazz improvisation. By 1980 (after three years of improvisation practice) he was ready to move beyond the classical world, organizing a quartet featuring flute, piano, bass and drums.

This tradition-breaking group became Free Flight. Leaving the Philharmonic to gain the freedom to pursue the group and the freelance life must have seemed like a crazy risk in 1985. But, many recordings, successive "most valuable player" awards, a number one record ("Slice of Life"), four appearances on The Tonight Show, features on the Today Show, concert hall success and a growing demand for his master classes have proven his instincts correct.

Resident Composer for Three Rivers Flute Masterclass 2008: Todd Harris

(Click on this link for samples of Dr. Harris's recent musical and literary work.)

Students will have the opportunity to learn a new piece by a contemporary composer who will interact with the student performers and help them to understand the composer’s viewpoint.

Dr. Todd Harris has written music and poetry since his childhood. He lives and works in California, with his family and wife, Svetlana, a Russian Concert pianist. Dr. Harris is a commissioned composer and a research scientist, Director/Physicist at the Pacific Institute For Advanced Studies. He is completing his book on Sonology. His poems have been published in numerous books. Dr. Harris has pioneered in the development of contemporary composition. He developed the Modular Tonal system of composition and has written ten major piano concertos and several orchestral and chamber works using his new system. His works have been performed by major artists and concert orchestras.

Mr. Harris received his B.A. in Physics and Music from the University of California at Santa Barbara where he studied with composer Peter Fricker. He received his PhD. in Music and Literature from Sussex University in England.

Dr. Harris was awarded grants from the Edith Pillsbury Foundation for work on his Modular Tonal System and its application through his Piano Concerto #1. Mr. Harris is registered as a composing member of the Santa Barbara Chapter of the National Federation of Music Clubs. He is also a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, the National Physics Honor Society, and is listed in "Young Community Leaders of America."
In the recent notes written for the premieres of his works in Visalia’s Fox Theatre

Harris Speaks about his Sonology Theory:
"The purpose of all of my theory is to provide the modern composer with a compass, to guide him and to ensure that he will not be left unguided when he wanders from the familiar world of tonality to the new families of notes that make up today’s aesthetic. Modulation is controlled by new and more complete rules, and its underlying principles reborn into the world of modern consonances and dissonances. The New World of today’s sound is as unfamiliar and unexplained as the sounds of Bach’s time, before counterpoint was truly formalized - where formally there were no guides through the wilderness of note mixes which were undefined by traditional or conventional means, Bach brought order and rules to work in his sonic world. Centuries later, faced with a new sound crisis, Schoenberg spoke of his rules as providing an emancipation for dissonance. Today I speak of rebirth and salvation and even re-incarnation of modulation. Our new freedom comes in a time of post-post chromatic, and serial practice. I go beyond but include memes such as traditional scales and church modes. My theory explains musical anomalies of the past, while providing directions for the future. It explains, using recent advances in Brain theory, the discovery of what makes something sonorous versus chaotic or discordant. This understanding gives the composer the ability to govern and control his materials so that he can retain sonorousness without losing personal identity. There is no sacrifice of personal uniqueness - these rules are not stone-dwelling. Rather, the uniqueness will simply sound more controlled and less haphazardly experimental. Composers will understand how to shape their Modulations so that they become a matter of inclusion, and where exclusion is necessary to preserve a desired direction of motion."
 
(Click on this link for samples of Dr. Harris's recent musical and literary work.)

Staff Accompanist for Three Rivers Flute Masterclass 2008: Concert Pianist, Svetlana Rudikova-Harris

Svetlana "Lana" Harris' performances have been described as "outstanding" and "magical". She has been featured as a concert pianist, choral conductor, composer, vocal music arranger, and vocal accompanist in over 160 concerts in Russia, its adjoining countries such as Ukraine and Georgia as well as the United States. Mrs. Harris has lived in the United States for over 9 years and is well versed in Western pedagogical techniques. Mrs. Harris graduated with the Highest Honors from the Krasnodar Academy of Arts and Culture in Krasnodar, Russia, with a Masters Degree in Piano Performance, Piano Accompaniment and Choral Conducting in 1990. Mrs. Harris served as assistant chairperson of the Opera department in the Academy as well as Chairperson of the Vocal Accompaniment Department. Mrs. Harris has performed with such renowned artists as Alexander Malinin, Concert Pianist with the Moscow Conservatory of Music, Sergei Dorensky, Concert Pianist with the Moscow Conservatory, Natalia Kirichenko, Concert Soloist and Chief of the Vocal department of the Krasnodar Academy of Music. Mrs. Harris is the winner of many competitions, both national and international and has received various gold medal awards for outstanding performance. Mrs. Harris has held the position of staff accompanist for the College of the Sequoias music department and is a highly sought after vocal and instrumental accompanist. She is also the accompanist for Yamaha Performing Artist Tracy Harris and is the pianist in the award winning Wyndfall Trio. Mrs. Harris has played with the Santa Maria Symphony and the Tulare County Symphony among others.
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Staff Accompanist for Three Rivers Flute Masterclass 2008 Concert Harpist-Wendy Harris-Leblanc

Wendy LeBlanc is an accomplished and award winning concert harpist and currently concertizes extensively with her award winning trio called "Wyndfall" performing with her sister Tracy Harris, Yamaha Performing Artist and Concert Flutist, and her sister-in-law Russian concert pianist Svetlana Rudikova-Harris.

Ms. LeBlanc combines extensive experience as a soloist, duo with flute, orchestral, show and chamber musician, performing in concert halls and private venues across the country as well as for hundreds of special events and festivals. As an accomplished soloist and orchestral musician, Wendy has performed concertos or has held principal chairs with many different ensembles including: Coastal Valley’s Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Coast Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Maria Symphony, the Santa Ynez Valley Orchestra, Santa Barbara Harp Ensemble, the Prisms New Music Ensemble, the Music Academy Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Barbara Opera Theater, the Lompoc Performing Arts Society, the Town and Gown Chamber Music Series at the Faulkner Gallery, and the Tulare County Symphony Orchestra to name but a few. In addition, Wendy has made recordings with the Pacific Coast Chamber Orchestra and the PCPA Theaterfest and is currently recording with the Wyndfall Trio.

Ms. LeBlanc was invited to attend the Juilliard School of Music when she was just 15, and attended the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She is also a graduate of the famous Music Academy of the West. Ms. LeBlanc has won many local and national honors including; winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters grant competition, winner of the Pillsbury Foundation scholarship competition three years in a row, winner of the UCSB Music Affiliates award, the Music Academy of the West scholarship award, the New England Conservatory of Music scholarship award, and the UCSB Music Affiliates award, to name a few. Wendy is also a member of the Golden Key National Honors Society, and is also a member of the prestigious 3000-member American Harp Society.

Ms. LeBlanc studied harp with master teachers including Ann Hobson-Pilot, renowned recording artist and principal harpist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. Ms. Leblanc also studied with Suzanne Balderston, master harpist, recording artist, composer, and author of numerous books on harp instruction, and master harpist Mary Jane Barton, a professional RCA studio recording artists and Los Angeles Philharmonic performer. Ms. Barton studied under the world-renowned harpist and composer Carlos Salzedo and played under the baton of Leopold Stokowski of the historically renowned NBC orchestra.

Ms. LeBlanc is also a harp instructor, and currently teaches in her private studio in Tulare County. In addition, she owns her own retail business dedicated to the beauty, elegance and long history of the harp called CraftyHarp. Ms. LeBlanc designs all of the original artwork in the Gallery and personally manufactures exclusive gifts and crafts for the harp and music industry. www.CraftyHarp.com.
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Class Location and Accommodations

Rising 500 feet above Hwy 198 into Sequoia National Park, breath taking St. Anthony Retreat offers a panoramic view of the San Joaquin Valley. Nestled on 35 acres, St. Anthony’s Retreat offers natural privacy and seclusion among rolling green hills with the Sierra Nevada’s in the background. St. Anthony Retreat has 50 rooms each with private bath, capable of either double or single occupancy. Three meals are provided daily and snacks are also provided throughout the day. Click here for directions to St. Anthony Retreat.

Click Here for Facility and Class Pictures

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Directions to St. Anthony Retreat

St. Anthony Retreat St. Anthony Retreat Center is located on the Westernside of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range.  We are East of Hwy 99 which runs North and South in the San Joaquin Valley.  We are centrally located between the cities of Bakersfield, CA and Fresno, CA.  From either direction you would take the Hwy 198 exit off of Hwy 99 and head East past the city of Visalia. Three Rivers is located about 30 miles East of Visalia. Once you reach Three Rivers, go all the way through the town.  You will see a sign on your right that says "Narrow Bridge," the road up the Retreat Center is to your right immediately after this bridge.
 
St. Anthony Retreat is located four miles west of the entrance to Sequoia National Park is elevated at approximately 1500 feet.

St. Anthony Retreat
PO Box 249 + 43816 Sierra Dr/ Hwy 198
Three Rivers, CA 93271
Phone: (559) 561-4595
Fax: (559) 561-4493
email: stanthonyretreatcenter@yahoo.com

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