Biography:

TADEU COELHO has been a Resident Artist and Professor of Flute at the North Carolina School of the Arts since the fall of 2002. He previously served as Associate Professor of Flute at the University of Iowa from 1997-2002, as Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of New Mexico from 1992-1997 and as Visiting Professor at the Ino Mirkovich Music Academy in Croatia. Dr. Coelho frequently appears as soloist, chamber musician and master clinician throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. He has performed as First Solo Flutist of the Santa Fe Symphony, Hofer Symphoniker in Germany and the Spoletto Festival Orchestra in Italy, among others, as well as guest appearances with the Boston Symphony.

An avid proponent of new music and music of the Americas, Tadeu Coelho has commissioned, performed and recorded works by notable composers. His solo CDs include: 18th Century Flute Sonatas, Life Drawing (works for solo flute), Rompe! (chamber music from Mexico), Miyazawa Flutists of the World, and Flute Music from Brazil. He can also be heard performing works by Thomas Delio on 3D Classics and Villa-Lobos on Albany Records with his brother, bassoonist Benjamin Coelho. He has published the complete works of Pattápio Silva and other pieces for solo flute as well as collections of daily exercises with accompanying CDs.

Tadeu Coelho received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music as a student of Julius Baker and Ransom Wilson. Started on the flute by his father, Tadeu Coelho also studied with Keith Underwood, Thomas Nyfenger, Andrew Lolya and Arthur Ephross. He gave his New York recital debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in April of 1992. In his native Brazil, Dr. Coelho studied with Spartacco Rossi, João Dias Carrasqueira and Jean Noel Sagaard.

For further information or for concert and/or masterclass bookings contact:

Irna Priore, Tempo Primo Enterprises
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Interview:

We had the opportunity to ask Tadeu a few questions. Take a look at his thoughts on practicing, buying a new flute and preparing for college auditions!

1. What does a typical daily practice session look like for you?

I usually start my daily practice doing some stretches and light aerobic exercises to get my blood moving. After that, I do the following routine:

1. I work for about 5 minutes with the Breathing Bag and about one minute with the Breath Builder.
2. I do some embouchure warm-up exercises by using overtones before doing intonation exercises.
3. Then, I put on one of my Flute Workout CD’s and do intonation exercises by playing long tones and simple melodies, major or minor scales, extended scales (in this order) while walking on the treadmill. On odd days, I do minor scales and the altered scales (octatonic, whole-tone, be-bop, blues etc., from my Flute Startup Book).
4. I end my technical warm up session with the Allegro from the Bach C Major Sonata, Mendelssohn Scherzo, and The Carnival of the Animals. All of this routine takes about 45 to 90 minutes depending on how much time I have available for practice. The treadmill helps me to learn how to control the breathing when my pulse is accelerated, contributing to my physical endurance as well.
5. I practice the repertoire that I need to prepare for my upcoming performances.

I take frequent breaks (every twenty minutes or so) so my hands don’t get fatigued.

2. How do you recommend preparing for college auditions?

First, I recommend that students research as much as they can about the teacher, the school, and the required audition repertoire. Most schools publish their audition repertoire on their web page. I highly recommend that students take private lessons with the teacher they wish to study with. Choosing a teacher is a very important step in someone’s career, as it is a personal choice based on the chemistry between the student, the teacher and the qualifications of the student.

I recommend students to have their entire audition memorized at least two months prior to the audition date. The audition repertoire should be contrasting and challenging; the student should have complete command of the audition repertoire. I do not recommend students to choose a piece they are not ready to play. I cannot tell you how many auditions I sat through where the student comes with an ambitious repertoire that she/he cannot play. This is an awkward experience for the person playing and for those listening. Therefore, I recommend students to choose wisely and have several “mock auditions” prior to their first audition. I highly recommend one to contact current students at that particular school and ask questions about the studio and the school. Be honest with your assessment of the teacher and the school. It’s important to have the best fit between you, the school, and the new teacher. You should not choose a place for its reputation and then find out later that you have no chemistry with that teacher. It is a waste of time, money, and a bad way to begin a career. Remember that in most cases, the student “makes“ the teacher. The student’s attitude is perhaps the most important part of the chemistry with the teacher.

3. Do you have any tips or suggestions for a flutist looking to buy a new flute - either on the trial process or how to decide/narrow it down?

I recommend students have several instruments to choose from. Flute conventions are usually very good for this purpose. It is very important to bring along some friends who know your playing and can listen to you while you are trying new instruments. You should choose a flute by how it sounds and not just by how it feels or looks. Therefore, do blind tests. Choose different instruments and don’t tell your friends which is which. Remember that you are playing for an audience and that the audience has a better perspective on how you sound than you do. Make sure that you always tune the new flutes at a constant reference pitch. It can be deceiving at times when there are some pitch differences. Test the flute first with a beautiful melody for the overall sound. The beginning of a Mozart concerto is a very good choice so that the flute is tested with one coherent piece of music. Test the instrument in the third octave (using, for example, the beginning of the Daphnis solo) to find out how well you can control the instrument’s flexibility in the third octave. Also try the highest notes, such as the high D’s, of the Prokofiev Sonata or the Classical Symphony. Test articulation by playing the middle and low registers. The Mendelssohn Scherzo and The Carnival of the Animals are great test pieces for this purpose.

If you have your mind set on a particular brand of flute or headjoint, then nothing else will satisfy you. There are also people who are never satisfied with their instruments, and are constantly looking for something better. I believe this a mistake brought about by insecurities or other issues that are not related to the flute itself. Ultimately, you are the one who needs to produce the beautiful sound, not just the flute, and that takes work.

4. If you have one piece of advice for an upcoming flutist, what would you tell them?

At the final round of a job interview, it is not only how well you play but also how well you get along with your colleagues. If you are not a nice person, you will not be able to get or keep the job. Of course you have to practice, practice, and more practice, but always with love. Have fun practicing. Learn how to love practicing. If you hate practicing or if practice is a bore to you, this is the wrong profession for you. I remember fondly my teacher Julius Baker, and his legacy he left for us. One of his favorite times of his day was when he was doing his scales with the metronome. :)

Upcoming Performances & Summer Programs:

Quarteto Vivace Brasil US Tour:
January 9 & 10: New York, NY - Assoc. of Performing Arts Presenters
January 15: Milwaukee, WI - Wisconsin Lutheran College
January 17: Fallbrook, CA - Fallbrook Music Society
January 23: Antioch, CA - El Campanil Theatre
January 24: Lake Jackson, TX - Brazosport College
February 2: New Orleans, LA - University of New Orleans
February 5: Yuba City, CA - Tri-County Concert Association
February 6: Los Gatos, CA - Sunset Concerts
February 7: Santa Rosa, CA - Concert Association
Contact: Linda Lisa Sapinkopf
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www.quartetvivace.com

Indiana University South Bend Flute Festival
Recital & Master Class
March 6, 2010
South Bend, IN
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University of Minnesota
Recital & Master Class
March 26-27, 2010
Minneapolis, MN
Contact: Immanuel Davis
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Schulich School of Music
Recital & Master Class
April 14, 2010
3:30 & 6:30 Classes
7:30 McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec