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"If music be the food of love, play on!" - William Shakespeare

The Flautadors Recorder Quartet

We formed The Flautadors in 1997 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. From the outset our repertoire has been diverse, covering 900 years and thereby including many styles and forms. As our repertoire has grown, so has our collection of recorders, now totalling over 80. This seems a good time to reflect upon our professional life as a recorder quartet.
  Our versatile programmes have featured in many festivals including York, Beverley, Greenwich, Oundle and Cork. We have relished the opportunity to play in prestigious concert halls such as Barbican's Milton Court, Wigmore Hall, Holywell Music Room in Oxford and the Purcell Room on London’s Southbank.  Churches, chapels, and cathedrals from medieval to modern have been frequent concert venues over the years: Southwark Cathedral, Stydd Chapel in Lancashire and St Martin-in-the-Fields, London to name just a few. Much of our music finds a fitting place in the historic homes in which we have played, such as the Handel House Museum, Ingatestone Manor, Essex and Duff House, Aberdeenshire.
  An interest in multiple art forms has led to performances in the National Portrait Gallery, the Olivier Theatre and the English National Opera’s production of Charpentier’s Medea. We have collaborated with various artists including soprano Emma Kirkby and actor Christopher Simpson, as well as appearing alongside singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan at the Union Chapel, London. We have also played at the outdoor festivals of Niasvizh, Belarus and Carfest South, performing on a vast stage to over 30,000 people. Additionally we have commissioned and premièred new works from composers of our own generation that have challenged us, and stretched the technical boundaries of our instruments.
  Through our performing, teaching and recording, we demonstrate the fascinating possibilities of the recorder. We have worked with schools, universities and music colleges such as Hertfordshire Music Service, the Centre for Young Musicians, the National Centre for Early Music in York and Leeds University. Our previous recordings have reached an international audience and have featured on Germany’s WDR, Ireland’s Lyric FM, Australia’s ABC network, Classic FM, Russian and Belarusian radio and television. We have played live on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune, and the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Radio 2, reaching millions of listeners.