"Virginia Broffitt is one of today’s best young flute players.  She has a wonderful sound, great technique and beautiful artistry.  I am lucky to have had the opportunity to have worked with her.  She is great!"     - Brad Garner

Dr. Virginia Broffitt is Assistant Professor of Flute at Western Illinois University and flutist in the Camerata Woodwind Quintet. A versatile musician, she has established a successful career as a teacher, competitor, soloist, orchestral musician, and chamber musician. She previously served as second flute in the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and piccoloist in the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. Virginia was a former faculty member with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department and served as guest artist and faculty in residence for The North Carolina School of the Arts Musica Piccola festival.

Among Virginia’s notable accomplishments are winning the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition in 2004 and competing as a semi-finalist in the National Flute Association’s Piccolo Artist competition. She also competed as a semi-finalist in the Frank Bowen Competition and the Fort Collins Symphony Young Artist Competition.

An avid teacher and performer, she has given performance master classes and taught classes on performance preparation and performance anxiety, and has performed concerts throughout The United States and Europe. Virginia has also appeared as a soloist with the INTY Ensemble, CCM Philharmonia, and the WIU Symphony Orchestra. 

She has also performed at numerous NFA conventions. An enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, Virginia has had the opportunity to work with many notable contemporary composers on their pieces, including Chen Yi, Derek Bermel, George Tsontakis, Jake Heggie, Michael Fiday, and Moritz Eggert. She has given numerous premieres, including Michael Fiday’s 9 Haiku for flute and piano and Robert Denham’s Lament of Aeneas for alto flute and orchestra.

A native of Iowa City, Iowa, Dr. Broffitt received her Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she studied with Tadeu Coelho. She went on to receive a Master of Music degree and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in flute performance with a chamber cognate from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. While at CCM, she served as the Flute Teaching Assistant to Dr. Bradley Garner. Her past teachers include Dr. Bradley Garner, Randy Bowman, Dr. Tadeu Coelho, Jack Wellbaum, Dr. Irna Priore, and Kristen Rizzo.

 Interview:

We had the opportunity to ask Virginia a few questions. Check out her thoughts on preparing for competitions, relaxation techniques, as well as advice for controlling nerves/performance anxiety. 

1. As the winner of the 2004 NFA Young Artist Competition, how did you go about preparing for the competition?

 A lot of physical practice, and mental preparation! That summer, I was forced to step back and evaluate my own practice techniques because I knew that I could not waste time or risk practicing mistakes. I continued to hear the words “practice slowly,” uttered to me by so many teachers, echo in my ears. I began to practice each piece at half-speed or less, ensuring everything was correct, and that my tone color and pitch were always what I wanted. I also began to record myself more often than I had before. I would record myself playing a certain passage and then listen to it critically, thinking “what could I do to make that better?” In each of my practice sessions, I would spend as much time listening to myself as I would physically practicing. 

However, physical and technical preparation was only half of the battle. Preparing for the competition mentally was as equally important. I was constantly envisioning myself performing in a ballroom in front of hundreds of people. Thinking about how I would feel, what thoughts would be going through my head, and how I would deliver the music in a way with which I would be satisfied. I would also perform in front of people as much as possible. I would wander the halls of Memorial Hall at CCM and grab someone to come listen to me. It didn’t matter what instrument they played, as long as they put the pressure on. This way, I would actually give a live performance of each piece at least once a day.

   
2. Performing in the final round, amongst some of the highest critics: our peers and other great flute players, what advice can you give to those preparing as far as nerves/performance anxiety are concerned??

Play in front of people as much as possible! You need to get used to how your body and mind react to being nervous. Give a few recitals beforehand to get some of the kinks out. Think through your pieces mentally; think about how you want to play this passage, or how you want to sound on that note. It doesn’t matter if you can play every note of a piece perfectly if you don’t have the mental stamina to carry it out in performance.

But, remember to enjoy the experience. Trust the preparation that you have done. In a cutthroat world of note-perfect performances, don’t forget to make music, and don’t forget that this is what you love to do! I had a moment during the semi-final round that I will never forget. It was toward the end of Kenneth Frazelle’s Blue Ridge Airs II, which was the last piece on that round. It was a very slow and lyrical part where I became completely lost in the music. It seemed like time was standing still, and everything around me seemed to disappear, even the judges! Of course I was quickly jolted back into reality, but will never forget that moment. When feeling the pressure of a looming performance, if I ever find myself losing sight of the ultimate goal (making music and enjoying it), I always step back and think of that moment to bring things back into perspective.   

3. What types of techniques do you talk about in your relaxation seminars?

In talking about relaxation, I try to ‘displace’ relaxation and tension. If I find someone playing with very tense wrists and/or fingers, instead of saying “relax your fingers,” I’ll say “think about relaxing your elbow,” or “think about relaxing from your elbow.” Tension is a disease that is easily carried through your body. If one part of your body is tense, chances are, another spot nearby will be tense as well. If you can focus on relaxing something nearby, it will usually carry through to the place where you are noticing tension. Another example I like to use is when I find someone with a tense or clenched jaw I have them think about relaxing their ears or opening their sinuses. It sounds strange, but it works!

4. How did you come to choose Miyazawa as your flute of choice?

Miyazawas were introduced to me by one of my teachers, Tadeu Coelho. I bought my first Classic model almost 11 years ago, and am still playing on the same one! When I needed to buy a lighter flute due to injury several years ago, I tried many different flutes, and always went back to the Miyazawa. I love my Miyazawa! 

5. If you had one piece of advice to give for an upcoming flutist, what would you tell them?

Be prepared to meet a lot of roadblocks along your musical path. We all have them. You just have to find a way to jump over them, or find a detour around them. Don’t let the little disappointments cloud your vision of how much you love making music and playing the flute!
 

Guest Soloist - Cedar Rapids Municipal Band
July 28, 2010
7:30 PM
Jefferson High School
Cedar Rapids, IA

Guest Soloist - Cedar Rapids Municipal Band
August 1, 2010
7:30 PM
Ellis Park
Cedar Rapids, IA

Chamber Music Recital
National Flute Association Convention
August 14, 2010
10:15 AM
Anaheim, CA

Faculty Solo Recital - Latin Music
September 12, 2010
2 PM
Western Illinois University

Camerata Woodwind Quintet Faculty Recital
October 6, 2010
7:30 PM
Western Illinois University

Faculty Chamber Concert
Music of Igor Stravinsky
October 20, 2010
7:30 PM
Western Illinois University

Virginia plays a Classic RH Heavy Wall and a Classic RH Regular Wall