Hello to my Flutewise friends:
My name is Mimi Stillman and I am a flutist too. I live in the United States and I am 18 years old. I started playing the flute when I was six years old, after having studied recorder since I was five. I fell in love with the sound of the flute from listening to it in orchestral and solo settings. I chose the flute as my special voice.
I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, where I studied at the New England Conservatory Preparatory division. When I was 12, I auditioned and was accepted to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was the youngest wind player ever to be admitted to Curtis. I moved to Philadelphia with my parents and my brother in 1994.
Curtis is a fantastic school, and I studied there with Julius Baker, retired principal flute of the New York Philharmonic, and Jeffrey Khaner, principal flute of The Philadelphia Orchestra - two wonderful teachers! I graduated from Curtis with my Bachelor of Music degree in 1999.I won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1999. I am a Young Concert Artist and a Yamaha Performing Artist. I travel on concert tours, having fun playing concerts - solo with orchestra, recitals, and chamber music. I also love to teach - my private students, a lot of masterclasses, and I visit thousands of students in school residencies. I perform for the students and talk to them about my career in music and about setting goals for a rewarding and happy life. I would like to share what I tell them with you, my Flutewise friends.
If you study the flute, it is most important that you love playing. Listen to lots of orchestral music and to the way singers phrase and breathe. For all musicians, read great literature and study great works of art, as this will enhance your music. Bringing music to people is the most exhilarating thing a musician can do. The greatest joy for me is when a small child asks me to, "play another song." Write to Mimi Stillman