Guildhall School teaching studio dedicated to flute pioneer Geoffrey Gilbert
Room named after former professor to house the Geoffrey Gilbert Library
The Guildhall School yesterday named one of its teaching studios the Geoffrey Gilbert Flute Room in honour of former Guildhall School professor and pioneering flautist Geoffrey Gilbert. Gilbert, who was renowned for introducing the French Method to British flute-playing, taught at the School from 1948 to 1969 and many of his students went on to have high-profile performing careers, including Sir James Galway and William Bennett.
The Geoffrey Gilbert Flute Room is a newly-refurbished studio dedicated to flute teaching, equipped with LCD screen, speakers, and DVD/CD player/recorder. It houses Geoffrey Gilbert’s personal collection of flute music, scores and books, retaining his original classification system and files. The School held a Fundraising Concert of performances by professors and students in February 2008 to raise donations for the Room.
To mark the dedication of the studio, a selection of Geoffrey Gilbert’s friends and previous students and colleagues attended a lunchtime event at the School, including: William Bennett, former student of Gilbert and former Principal Flute with the LSO and RPO; Trevor Wye, former Guildhall School professor and founder of the British Flute Society; Adrian Brett, Peter Lloyd, Patricia Morris, David Nicholson, Peter Ramm, Rainer Schulein, all former students of Geoffrey Gilbert and many renowned teachers and performers themselves; Angeleita Floyd, author of a book about Gilbert and professor at University of Northern Iowa School of Music; John Selwyn Gilbert, former BBC TV director and son of Geoffrey Gilbert; and current Guildhall School flute professors Averil Williams, Sarah Newbold, Ian Clarke and Philippa Davies.
The event included performances by Guildhall School flute students and a viewing of the Flute Room, with the chance to see some of the Geoffrey Gilbert Library and a DVD of Gilbert teaching. A light lunch was preceded by speeches by Edward Blakeman, Editor at BBC Radio 3, who is currently editing the Cambridge Companion to the Flute, and Barry Ife, Principal of the Guildhall School. This was followed by performances by Guildhall School ensemble Trio Anima, and performances by professors Averil Williams, Sarah Newbold, Ian Clarke and Philippa Davies.
ENDS/
The Guildhall School is provided by the City of London Corporation.
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Note to editors:
Geoffrey Gilbert was once described by The Times as "the most influential British flautist of the twentieth century." Born in Liverpool in 1914 he began playing a tin-whistle at the age of six, graduating to a very simple piccolo, then flute. He was awarded scholarships to Liverpool College of Music and Manchester's Royal College of Music, becoming a member of the Hallé Orchestra at the age of 16, followed by principal positions with the Liverpool Philharmonic, the BBC Northern Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 19.
He took a teaching position at the Guildhall School in 1948 and taught there for over 20 years, during which time his students included William Bennett and James Galway. He founded the Wigmore Ensemble, which he directed for 21, and was particularly renowned for introducing the French Method to British flute-playing. In 1969, Gilbert accepted a position as Director of Instrumental Studies at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He remained in Florida until his death in 1989, giving masterclasses throughout the world long after his retirement from university teaching.