Wissam Boustany

Wissam Boustany
Birth name Wissam Boustany
Born (1960-10-01) October 1, 1960
Lebanon
Genres Classical
Occupation(s) Solo Concert Flutist, Composer
Instruments Flute
Years active 1982 –present
Labels Nimbus Alliance, Chandos, Deutsche Grammophon
Website www.towardshumanity.org

Wissam Boustany (born October 1, 1960) is a Lebanese/British concert flutist. Boustany has toured and collaborated with a number of symphony and chamber orchestras. Conductors Boustany has worked with include Claudio Abbado, Ivan Fischer, Bramwell Tovey, John Elliot Gardiner, Roger Norrington, George Solti, Peter Szilvay, Lubnan Baalbaki, James Judd, Jordi Mora, Volodymyr Sirenko, Levon Parikian, Nicholas Cleobury, Martyn Brabbins, Michel Brandt, Varujan Kodjan, Clark Rundell, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Evelyne Aiello, Ludwig Carrasco, Nader Abbassi, Andrew Morley and Toby Purser. He is a recipient of the prestigious Crystal Award, awarded to him in 1998 at the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland.[1]

Background

Boustany was born in Beirut, Lebanon,[2] the son of a pipeline engineer, Fayez Boustany. His mother, Nadia Saba, is of Palestinian descent. Raised in Lebanon, Wissam studied flute with Dr Hussam Yacoub (Iraqi flute player) and his step-father Emile Nouné (Lebanese violinist). In 1977, at the age of 17, Boustany left Lebanon and the civil war behind to study with Trevor Wye at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester, England, graduating from the RNCM in 1982.[3]

Early career

Upon graduating Wissam moved to London, where he started his freelance career. He was Principal Flute of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under the conductor Claudio Abbado[4] at the age of 23 and was also associated with several orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, London Chamber Soloists Chamber Orchestra. During the mid-1980s, Boustany presented his London debut concerts at the Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Barbican Centre. In 1986 he stood down from all orchestral playing in order to pursue a solo and teaching career.

Instruments

Boustany plays on a Brannen Kingma-System Flute,[5] a revolutionary key system that facilitates the playing of quartertones, multiphonics and allows for subtle venting/shading to improve intonation and tone quality. Boustany has recently switched to a wood headjoint made by Tobias Mahncke.

Professional works

Boustany has performed in many prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Barbican, St John’s Smith Square, St James Piccadilly, Lincoln Center, Musikverein, Concertgebouw, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Kilden Performing Arts Centre, Beiteddine Festival, Al-Bustan Festival and many others. As a soloist he has collaborated with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philhamonic, London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, State Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Utrecht Chamber Orchestra, St Paul’s Sinfonia, Polish Chamber Orchestra, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Cairo Opera Orchestra, Orquestra 5 de mayo and Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra.

Boustany has cultivated a close association with contemporary music and has collaborated with several composers on commissions and première performances; composers include: Bushra el-Turk, Houtaf Khoury,[6] Yevhen Stankovych,[7] David Sutton-Anderson, Alun Hoddinott, Tarek Younis, Paul Reade, Peter Cowdrey,[8] Carl Witt, Pierre Thilloy, Paul Renan, Dai Fujikura,[9] Michael Oliva, Beat Furrer, Simon Holt, Boghos Gelalian,[10] Waleed Howrani,[11] Marcel Khalife,[12] and Shaun Bracey.

Boustany has developed a rare duo partnership with pianist Aleksander Szram,[13] which has developed a unique reputation because they both perform from memory on stage and when recording.

Boustany has recorded music on several labels including Nimbus Alliance, Deutsche Grammophon and Chandos.

Discography

with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Claudio Abbado
This Opera featured Wissam Boustany on stage with the baritone Samuel Ramey
Beat Furrer, Face de la chaleur (Concerto for flute, clarinet and piano)
with the Anton Webern Chamber Orchestra,
conducted by Claudio Abbado and with Ernesto Molinari, clarinet, Thomas Larcher, piano
with Stefan Warzycki, piano
Frank Martin Ballade
Simon Holt Maiastra
Béla Bartók Suite Paysanne Hongroise (arranged Paul Arma)
Wissam Boustany Improvisation 1 for flute
Bohuslav Martinu Sonata
with Nigel Clayton, piano, and Gabriella Dall’Olio, harp
Tarek Younis Rising From the Ashes
Bach-Gounod Ave Maria
Beclard d’Harcourt Chants Peruviens
Hamilton Harty In Ireland Fantasy
Boghos Gelalian Quatre Jeux
K. Yamada arr. Yashiro Lullaby from the Chugoko area
Jacques Ibert Entr’Acte
Trad. Song arr. Yashiro Sakura Sakura
Anonymous El Quintapesares
Anonymous El Frutero
Anonymous El Cameleon
C. Bonet La Partida
Anonymous Camino Pelao
with Peter Manning and Stephen Morris, violins, Philip Dukes, viola, Tim Hugh, cello, Mary Scully, double-bass and Steven Devine, harpsichord.
Six Vivaldi Concerti, Op. 10
"Concerto No. 1 "La Tempesta" in F
Concerto No. 2 "La Notte" in G minor
Concerto No. 3 "Il Gardellino" in D
Concerto No. 4 in G
Concerto No. 5 in F
Concerto No. 6 in G
with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine conducted by Volodymyr Sirenko
Aram Khatchaturian Flute Concerto
Houtaf Khoury Mirror of Eternity
Yevhen Stankovych Chambr Symphony No. 3
with Aleksander Szram, piano
CD 1
Bel Bonis Sonata
Paul Hindemith Sonata
Joseph Jongen Sonata Op. 77
CD2
Carl Witt This Invisible World
Yevhen Stankovych Sonata of Serenades
Wissam Boustany And The Wind Whispered
Houtaf Khoury Après Un Rēve
Jean Sibelius Scaramouche
with the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Bramwell Tovey
Aztec Dances (for flute and ensemble)

Teaching

Boustany was Professor of Flute at Trinity Laban, London (1999-2009), where he was made an Honorary Member in 2011. He also taught at the Royal Northern College of Music (2010-2015).

He gives many intensive masterclasses worldwide, having launched his In Search of Inspiration[14] intensive summer courses in Minnesota, Brussels, Penzance, France and Greece. He has also been giving yearly summer masterclasses at the Scottish International Flute Summer School in St Andrews,[15] Scotland, and the Grolloo Sessions[16] with colleague flutists Matthias Ziegler and Ian Clarke, which take place in Grolloo, The Netherlands.

Central to Boustany’s teaching are memory, improvisation and the development of a unique personal approach to the student’s instrument. Boustany has served on many judging panels of examinations and auditions. He has served on the juries of competitions in several countries including the NFA Competition (USA), the BFS Competition (London, UK), Flute Meeting, (Larissa, Greece), and Abertawe Music Festival (Wales, UK).

Awards and Competitions

References

  1. ↑ http://www3.weforum.org/docs/AM14/WEF_AM14_ArtsCulture_Brochure.pdf
  2. ↑ "Flautists Wissam Boustany National Conservatory Music Beirut Lebanon, contemporary works". onefineart.com. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Wissam Boustany, flute, 1982". RNCM. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Wissam Boustany: Interview Jan, '15". principalchairs.com. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  5. ↑ http://www.kingmaflutes.com/mySite/ksback.html
  6. ↑ http://www.audaud.com/2012/05/mirror-of-eternity-aram-khatchaturian-flute-concerto-houtaf-khoury-mirror-of-eternity-yevhen-stankovych-chamber-symphony-no-3-wissam-boustany-flutevolodymyr-siren/
  7. ↑ "Yevhen Stankovych : Official site". stankovych.org.ua. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  8. ↑ As composer his commissions include Land of the Prophets, for flute and strings, premiered in the Royal Albert Hall by Wissam Boustany http://www.solihullsymphony.org.uk/soloists/cowdrey.htm
  9. ↑ Ten years ago, back in 2003, the flautist and peace activist Wissam Boustany asked me to compose some music for a concert he was organising in London to promote peace. The title of the piece, Poison Mushroom, referred to the mushroom clouds that formed after the atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I wrote a programme note for the concert which you can find at http://www.daifujikura.com/un/lw_PoisonMushroom.html
  10. ↑ "Boghos Gelalian - New York Concert Review, Inc.". nyconcertreview.com. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  11. ↑ http://nyconcertreview.com/tag/waleed-howrani/
  12. ↑ With British pianist Nigel Clayton, he will give the world premiere of Marcel Khalife’s "Love Birds," written especially for Boustany and inspired by two birds in Khalife’s garden. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/Art/1999/Apr-24/106780-flautist-makes-sonorous-return.ashx
  13. ↑ "Wissam Boustany & Aleksander Szram in Concert & Masterclass". The Victorian Flute Guild. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Leicestershire Music Education Hub - In Search of Inspiration - Flute Masterclass Day and Concert". leicestershiremusichub.org. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "Enter - Scottish International Flute Summer School". flutescotland.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  16. ↑ http://www.allflutesplus.com/event/grolloo-flute-session-1-matthias-ziegler-ian-clarke-wissam-boustany-leon-berendse-eva-kingma
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/5/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.