At Ealing Flutes we are pleased to support the Ealing food bank.
We are raising money through our concerts and from our recordings, please donate generously!
Find out more about Ealing Food Bank.
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Chris Hankin the Festival Director writes:
Cast your mind back to June 2025. The weather was stunning, and blue skies and warm sunshine beamed down on the beautiful little church that is St Mary’s, Perivale, the home of the inaugural Ealing Mid-Summer Flute Festival. St Mary’s is the beating heart of music in this part of West London with three concerts a week throughout the year, so it was wonderful to be able to use this lovely venue.
I had forever dreamt of running my own flute festival but had always been too tied up with life in general to take on such a big responsibility. Then suddenly in the summer of 2024 out of nowhere I decided that the time had come. I have a great deal of experience in most things flute but none in running an event like this. Even so, it seemed quite simple to me. I wanted to make it local and decided that everyone involved had to have a connection with Ealing. It was also important that Ealing Flutes, my adult flute group, hosted the festival. We started raising money for the Ealing Food Bank a few years ago with concerts on my driveway and fund-raising events at Christmas in the local tube station. That we could continue this here seemed too good an opportunity to miss. All the events would be fundraisers – perfect!
To make my dream happen I needed a plan. This was my ‘back of an envelope’ sketch:
I then added:
And then there was the money. I’m hopeless at this but I was determined that I would pay every performer properly - no mates rates whatsoever. I was also determined that entry to all the concerts would be free. I tentatively approached some specialist flute music publishers to help, and I was so completely astonished that they were willing to support me that I altered some of the programming to include their music. The wonderful Michie Bennett was more than incredibly generous, and Just Flutes and Altus also contributed. It still wasn’t enough though, so eventually I approached the Arts Council. Anyone who has ever applied for an Arts Council grant will know how infuriatingly difficult it is but after the many frustrating hours online that I will never get back, amazingly they gave me some money.
Finding performers was less problematic than I thought it would be. Margaret Campbell, principal flute of the Royal Opera House Orchestra who lives in Ealing, Paul Edmund Davies who lived for many years in Chiswick, and Anna Kondrashina, one of Wibb’s last students who now teaches at the University of West London in Ealing all accepted my invitation to play which was clearly more than I could have dreamed of! Engaging with local flute teachers was harder than I had anticipated with public exams and a busy summer term being the main issues, but eventually the two education events also came together. The amazing Sally Goodworth is the accompanist for Ealing Flutes and she was a real asset, helping me to marshal all the students and playing for both Paul and Ealing Flutes.
Margaret was just the right player for the all-important opening concert. She was so entertaining, playing a wonderful programme and sharing insider ROH stories and gossip. She started with Piper’s Dream by Cecilia McDowall, another local resident, who came to the concert – extra stardust!
The young player concert was a rip-roaring success. Eleven students of around grades 4-7 level each had a short rehearsal with Sally, all came perfectly prepared and played everything from Telemann to Andy Scott. I had also sent out parts for a simple group piece and after another short rehearsal that was added to the concert. As you can imagine, the reception for all of this was fantastic, and teachers and parents enjoyed a well-deserved lunchtime glass of wine afterwards. Paul’s masterclass for the flutes of Ealing Youth Orchestra was inspiring for everyone and all of us learned a huge amount. He is so good, using all his expertise to give these players an experience they were not expecting and will never forget. His concert was also excellent and he too had plenty of LSO and studio stories to tell to keep us all amused.
Ealing Flutes gave our annual summer concert to a packed house with Michie Bennett and Lynda Coffin (flute royalty) in the audience. A mix of flute choir pieces, smaller chamber groups and solo pieces made up the programme so it was quite a concert. This was followed by a stellar recital by Anna Kondrashina and Pavel Timofeyevsky in which they performed a wonderful programme including their own arrangement of a Beethoven string trio, a Wibb/Elgar arrangement and, bringing the Festival to a fitting conclusion, Clifford Benson’s Song for Wibb.
My dream was to create a festival which would involve lots of great flute playing. The reality was so much better than that. It was a resounding success with every concert packed and this enabled us to raise almost £1500.00 for the Ealing Foodbank. Music and the flute really can make a difference and that is definitely something to celebrate!
In aid of Ealing Food Bank
In memory of William Bennett
Ealing Flute Festival Supporters and Sponsors
A personal appreciation of Wibb by our Festival Director here
Ealing Flutes hosted this wonderful musical weekend where we celebrated everything that is fabulous about the flute. All the performers have a local connection to Ealing and the surrounds, so it was also a celebration of our area.
Coupled with the stunning venue that is St Mary’s Church, this Festival was one of the most memorable events of our musical year!
Ealing Flutes regularly raises money for the Ealing Food Bank, and the Ealing Mid-Summer Flute Festival was no exception. All the events were free so audiences could give more generously to this most important of causes.
Photos from 2025 Ealing Festival here
Friday 20th June 6pm
6pm Opening recital:
Margaret Campbell - Flute
Kate Shipway - Piano
Principal Flute of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and Ealing resident.
Saturday 21st June 12:00am
12am Ealing Flutes Musicale:
This concert featured some exciting young performers from the local area!
Saturday 21st June 2pm
2pm Masterclass:
With Paul Edmund Davies ex-principal flute London Symphony Orchestra and long-time Chiswick resident.
Saturday 21st June 6pm
6pm Evening recital:
Paul Edmund Davies - Flute
Sally Goodworth - Piano
Sunday 22nd June 12:00am
12:00am Ealing Flutes concert:
This long-established Adult Flute Group showcased their skills.
Sunday 22nd June 3pm
3pm Closing concert:
Anna Kondrashina - Flute
Pavel Timofeyevsky - Piano
Margaret Campbell began her musical studies at the Aylesbury Music Centre before winning an Open Scholarship to the Royal College of Music where she studied with John Francis and Sebastian Bell, winning both prizes for the flute. During this time she also attended masterclasses with James Galway. At the age of twenty, she left the RCM to take up her appointment as Principal Flute with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, appearing on several occasions as soloist including at a Henry Wood Promenade Concert. In 1981 she won the National Federation of Music Societies Award for Young Concert Artists which led to numerous recital and concerto engagements all over the country and broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 with her pianist John Lenehan. In 1986 she moved back to London as Principal Flute with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In addition to this post she appears regularly as guest Principal Flute with the major London orchestras. She was the flute/piccolo player in the orchestra for the Coronation of King Charles in May 2023. She is professor of flute at Trinity Laban.
Kate Shipway is a pianist at The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, London. Having studied at The Birmingham Conservatoire she then worked as a freelance performer, accompanist and piano teacher before joining the Royal Ballet School as a trainee ballet pianist. In 1998 she became a rehearsal pianist with Birmingham Royal Ballet, and in 2005 was invited to join the music staff of the Royal Ballet. Kate works regularly as a soloist with The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House performing piano concertos. She plays as an orchestral pianist and accompanies rehearsals and ballet classes. Her recent repertoire includes: A Month in the Country, Concerto, Twinkle, Poulenc double Piano concerto, Joey Roukens Double Piano concerto, Five Brahms Waltz’s in the Manner of Isadora Duncan. She has toured extensively with the Royal Ballet and has performed in Japan, Australia, USA, Cuba, Russia, Brazil and China.
Kate is on the staff of the Royal Welsh college of Music and Drama as a Collaborative Studies piano coach and is a mentor to the Associate Pianist Trainee at the Royal Ballet.
| Cecilia McDowall | "Piper's Dream" | |
| J. S. Bach (attrib.) | Allegro - Adagio - Allegro | Sonata in g-min |
| Philippe Gaubert | Modere - Lent - Allegro moderato | Sonate |
| Elgar (arr. Spiegl) | "The Serious Doll" | From "Nursery Suite" |
| Francis Poulenc | Allegro - Lento - Allegro | Flute Sonata |
| Cecilia McDowall | "Piper’s Dream" for Flute and Piano |
The Piper’s Dream begins with an expansive, illusory reference to bagpipe birls, almost unmetered in its quality. Following the introduction, a lively Scots dance introduces elements of strathspey feel with weighty beats and the scotch snap rhythm. This is contrasted with a second theme of a sweet and innocent quality. At the end of this fantasy, pitch bends in the flute allude to the sound of a bagpipe bag and its distinctive fall in pitch, as it ends a tune. Cecilia is a resident of west London and has very kindly sponsored the festival.
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| J.S. Bach | Sonata in G minor for Flute and Keyboard |
Did J.S. Bach even write this sonata? When it first came to light the copy bore the name of J.S. Bach but no documentation has been discovered to support the claim that he wrote it. There was also a suggestion that it was written for the violin although it uses none of the violin’s quite different capabilities. It could have been written by a gifted contemporary or another member of the prodigiously talented Bach family. I don’t think that we mind.
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| Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941) | Sonate No 1 for Flute and Piano |
Gaubert’s mother occasionally cleaned house for the great flautist and composer Paul Taffanel. The six year old Philippe was given some lessons and in the fullness of time, at the age of 13, he began studying with Taffanel at the Paris Conservatoire. Gaubert became principal flute at the Paris Opera and subsequently principal conductor. This sonata was written in 1917 and dedicated to Paul Taffanel.
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| Edward Elgar arr Fritz Spiegl | "The Serious Doll" for Flute and Piano |
Elgar wrote his Nursery Suite for orchestra after the birth of Princess Margaret in 1930. He dedicated it to her, her elder sister the Queen and their mother, the Queen Mother. It was first performed in 1931 at the Proms by the LSO with Gordon Walker playing principal flute. Frederick Ashton used it for a ballet at the ROH to commemorate the Queen’s 60th birthday. The Serious Doll, perhaps the gem of the suite, is the 2nd of seven movements.
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| Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) | Sonata for Flute and Piano |
Written in 1957 (a vintage year) this sonata was composed in memory of the wealthy American patron of the arts Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge but was effectively for the French flautist, Jean Pierre Rampal. He premiered the piece that year at the Strasbourg Festival with Poulenc himself at the piano. Poulenc selected it for his 60th birthday concert as it was one of his favourite compositions.
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Concert by Ealing young flute players.
This initiative will be led by Chris Hankin and is an exciting opportunity for flute players of grades 3-7 and who are resident in the London Borough of Ealing to perform with the wonderful Sally Goodworth.
Here are some of our talented performers:
Karen Christopher
| Karen Christopher | Bernstein (arranged) | Mambo from "West Side Story" for Flute and Piano |
| Ashwin Balkrishna | James Hook | Allegretto for Flute and Piano |
| Mira Akpinar | Tony Cliff | "Holiday Time" for Flute and Piano |
| Anaya Sheikh | Maria von Paradis | "Sicilienne" for Flute and Piano |
| Leylan Meran-Weston | Claude Arrieu | Allegretto from "Sonatina" for Flute and Piano |
| Jason Feng | Abreu arranged Nikki Iles | "Tico Tico" for Flute and PIano |
| Melissa Wang and Yi Yang | JS Bach arranged Chris Potter | Aria no. 4, "Wie Schmeckt der Coffee" from "Coffee Cantata" for Two Flutes |
| Kenan Ismayil | Andy Scott | "And Everything is Still" for Flute and Piano |
| Clara Marsden | GF Telemann | "Cantabile and Allegro" from Sonata in C major TWV 41 for Flute and Continuo |
| Annabelle Tan | Wilhelm Popp | "Nightingale Serenade" for Flute and Piano |
| Ealing Flutes Musicale | John Cacavas | "Shimmering Flutes" for Flute Choir and Piano |
For performers the format is:
Paul Edmund Davies is the most wonderful flute player, teacher and musician, and this chance to play and learn from his expertise is invaluable. There are 6 places available. Initially open to the flute section of EYO, these will be allocated on a first come basis.
You can choose anything to play.
Each player will have a 20 - 25-minute slot. Orchestral extracts, pieces, studies and general technical issues will all be welcome and, as the class is open for anyone to come along and listen, you will gain from the performance aspect too.
The pianist Sally Goodworth will be on hand for you should you need an accompanist.
If you would like to participate in this masterclass, we are inviting flute players of Grade VIII+ standard to apply. There will be 5 places costing £25 each.
Now fully booked for performers but please come to listen!
To join waiting list to play, please use the form below.
Paul Edmund-Davies established his international reputation as flautist and soloist in the twenty years that he was Principal Flute of the London Symphony Orchestra and then a further five years at the Philharmonia Orchestra. He has performed concerti with Leonard Bernstein, Slava Rostropovich and Pierre Boulez.
In June 2007 his book, "The 28 Day Warm up Book for all Flautists…eventually!" was first published. This 150 page technical book, now in its sixteenth edition, has been translated into Japanese, Spanish and Russian and has reached most corners of the world. As a result of the success of this book, Paul launched a flute focused online educational website. Simply Flute is a platform dedicated to providing instruction and exercises to help flute players of all stages and ages on their respective musical journeys with the instrument. In the past two years, it has steadily become an online flute method. His second book, "A Consequence of Sequences", was published in February 2018, with the third, "Coffee Noodles" in 2021. Paul’s fourth method book, Daily Exercises, A Progressive Journey For Flute, Vol. 1, a 144 page practice book was released in April 2024 and has received critical acclaim.
He is a professor of flute holding the only named chair (Charles Nicholson) in the department at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Paul has also played on many Hollywood blockbuster film soundtracks, From Star Wars and the early Harry Potter films to Mission Impossible, Interstellar, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, Beauty and the Beast, Wonder Woman, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Victoria and Abdul. And more recently Godzilla, Shazam, Angry Birds 2, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Wonder Woman 1984 and the James Bond movie, No Time to Die. Most recent work on film scores has included Guardians of The Galaxy, Vol. 3, Wonka, Wicked, Beetlejuice 2 and Lion King, Mufasa.
He is equally very honoured to be Officier de l’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne.
Sally has performed as a collaborative pianist throughout the UK and Europe with an extensive
repertoire covering all orchestral instruments and all types of voice.
Her current role as Music Coordinator at Brunel University includes teaching, accompanying, organising student concerts plus choral and musical direction. She is also a staff accompanist for the London College of Music and the Oxford Flute Summer School and previously held similar roles for the RAF and Reading University, where she also taught Keyboard Skills and Piano Pedagogy.
Sally is also a visiting professional at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama on the MA Musical Theatre degree and Head of Piano for the Music Teachers Exam Board.
| Telemann | - | Sonata in F major |
| Fauré | - | Fantaisie |
| Andy Scott | - | Fujiko |
| Hoffmeister | - | Sonata in G |
| Bozza | - | Aria |
| Hue | - | Fantaisie |
| Glinka arr Matt Johnson |
Overture to "Ruslan and Ludmilla" | Ealing Flutes |
| A big thank you to Matt and UMMP who are a principal sponsor of this Festival | ||
| Richard Rodney Bennett | 1st movement from Summer Music for flute and piano | George Patria |
| Brahms arr. William Bennett |
"Waltz" for 2 Flutes, Alto Flute and Piano | Caroline Scollick, Maria Botova, Andrea Ma |
| Katherine Hoover | "Kokopeli" for Solo Flute | Takami Weaver |
| Prokofiev | 1st movement from Sonata for Flute & Piano | Nanako Nakamura |
| William Byrd arr. Ruby Wallace |
"Haec Dies" | Ealing Flutes |
| Georges Enescu | "Cantabile and Presto" for Flute and Piano | Fiona d’Souza |
| Halit Turgay | "Aegean Whispers" for Flute and Piano | Andrea Ma |
| Gabriel Faure arr. Elisabeth Parry |
"Apres Un Reve" for 2 flutes and piano | Nanako Nakamur and Fiona d’Souza |
| A big thank you to Aurea Capra who have generously sponsored us. | ||
| Ryohei Hirose | "Blue Train" | Ealing Flutes |
| JS Bach | "Sarabande" from Solo Partita in A minor | Carol Halliwell |
| Bernstein arr. Simon Walton |
"Maria" for Flute Quartet | Susan Powrie, Nanako Nakamura, Jill Waterfield, Jin Xu |
| Gabriel Faure arr. Chris Reding |
Two Songs for Alto Flute and Piano | Chris Reding |
| Bozza | 4th movement from "Jour d’Ete a la Montagne" for Flute Quartet | Nanako Nakamura, Fiona d’Souza, Andrea Ma, Chris Reding |
| Sherwin/Maschwitz arr. Mel Orriss |
"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" | Ealing Flutes |
| A big thank you to Wonderful Winds for their sponsorship. | ||
| Gabriel Faure arr. William Bennett |
"Pavane" for 6 Flutes and Piano | Ealing Flutes |
| A big thank you again to Matt and UMMP! | ||
The final concert of Ealing Flute Festival will be performed by flautist Anna Kondrashina and pianist & composer Pavel Timofeyevsky.
Anna and Pavel have been performing internationally as a duo since 2016. They began to create their own virtuosic transcriptions for flute and piano during the pandemic and later on this project was named "Rewired Music". Among other pieces, the duo will perform Beethoven's Sonata in G - their transcription of String Trio Op. 9 No. 1.
Flautist Anna Kondrashina is renowned for her communicative and inspiring performances. A prizewinner at the Kobe International Flute Competition (Japan) and the Nicolet International Flute Competition (China), Anna has recently been awarded the Worshipful Company of Musicians' Silver Medal.
In the UK, Anna frequently performs as principal and second flute with top orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic and Royal Ballet Sinfonia. She was selected for the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s and the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Fellowship Programmes, becoming Philharmonia’s Associate Flute for the 2021/23 season.
Anna has performed at major venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall and Suntory Hall. She has collaborated with artists such as Trevor Pinnock, Rachel Podger and Denis Bouriakov and inspired composers like Noah Max and Paul Henley to write new works for flute. Alongside pianist and composer Pavel Timofeyevsky, Anna created a unique collection of bespoke arrangements for flute and piano, titled Rewired Music. These transcriptions have been published by Just Flutes in London.
Anna is an Altus Flutes artist and performs on a gold-plated 1207 model. Based in London, she teaches at the University of West London and Rachmaninoff Music Academy, and regularly gives masterclasses worldwide.
Pianist and composer Pavel Timofeyevsky is gaining recognition as one of today’s most compelling artists. Described as a performer of “shimmering undertones and rapturous colours” (Pulse UK), he has appeared at major venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre. His acclaimed New York debut at Merkin Hall led to invitations to perform in Florence, Kenya, and South Africa. He recently performed with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra in Los Angeles.
Winner of the BBC/Guardian Young Composer of the Year Award, Pavel has composed for film and animation and recently premiered a new orchestral work at London’s Cadogan Hall.
He is the Artistic Director of Philomel Creative Circle, a concert series in residence at the Francis Crick Institute. In 2023, Pavel became Music Director of Devon Opera and Artistic Director of Notable, debuting at both companies with his arrangement of Puccini’s Tosca, which was featured on Channel 4 News and praised in Opera magazine.
Since May 2024, Pavel curates the programme and performs in the biannual chamber music and opera festival “Fêtes Musicales Saint-Maxime” in Côte d’Azur, France. An eloquent speaker, Pavel gives regular storytelling-concerts for Notable in Chelsea, London.
| Lili Boulanger | Nocturne | |
| L. van Beethoven (arr. Anna Kondrashina/Pavel Timofeyevsky) | Sonata after String Trio op 9 No. 1 | |
| E. Elgar | Salut d’Amour | |
| E. Elgar (arr. William Bennett) | La capricieuse | |
| F. Poulenc | Un Joueur de flûte berce les ruines for flute solo | |
| H. Dutilleux | Sonatine for flute and piano |
click images to enlarge
Affectionately known as Wibb (short for William Ingham Brooke Bennett) by all who knew and loved him, William Bennett was an extraordinary flute player and musician. He raised the profile of the flute to that of an instrument capable of a wide range of tonal colours, dynamics, and expression, giving it the depth, dignity and grandeur of the voice or a string instrument. He enjoyed a long period of collaboration with the pianist Clifford Benson, a partnership that cemented them both as artists of the highest calibre, and the recordings they made together profoundly influenced how we interpret flute music today.
He made the first English recording of the complete Handel flute sonatas and drew attention to the more contemporary flute works of Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, Olivier Messaien and Richard Rodney Bennett. He championed many unknown nineteenth century composers such as Ferdinand Ries and Reynaldo Hahn, premiered concertos by William Matthias, Diana Burrell and the Venezuelan composer Raymund Pineda, all of which were written for him, and recorded with artists such as the jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the legendary Jimi Hendrix.
His long orchestral career spanned five decades during which he was principal flute in the London Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the English Chamber Orchestra. He also enjoyed chamber music of all kinds and was a member of the Vesuvius, Melos, Nash and Prometheus Ensembles where he joined forces with other celebrated instrumentalists of that time. These ensembles also pioneered repertoire that was either new or neglected.
Wibb will be most fondly remembered as a brilliant teacher. He was able inspire everyone to improve in some way, however small. Always animated, he illustrated musical or technical points with an energy that was irresistible, and it was impossible to forget his enthusiasm and incredible humour, even years later. He was also a very generous man with a warm heart who cared deeply for the welfare of his students, many of whom still occupy principal chairs in orchestras around the world. Wibb’s legacy lives on, and his influence will continue to define flute playing for decades to come.
Wibb with Clifford Benson
My very first meeting with Wibb made such an impact on me that I can still remember what he was wearing. Dressed as colourfully as ever, his deeply resonant voice announced “Hello, I’m Wibb” and I was hooked!
He was an immense flute player. Standing tall and upright, his powerful stance instantly told you that something amazing was about to happen. He had a powerful command of the flute which enabled him to play even the most taxing of works, but it was the musicality he brought to everything that lit up any concert. His desire to make the flute sound as flexible and wonderful as the voice made a lasting impression on all who were lucky enough to have heard him. His partnership with Clifford Benson resulted some of the most incredible music-making I have ever encountered and will never forget. I fell in love with Clifford too!
As a young player I found Wibb’s teaching utterly mesmerising and that never changed. Studying with him was always a voyage of discovery. He made me realise that tone colour was the key as everything else depended upon it. However technical the problem, the solution was nearly always solved by ‘vocalising’ or improvising around the notes in question. This could result in a long session on just a few bars! Afterwards you could play the offending passage from memory with all the issues put into a musical perspective. He could always articulate exactly what he wanted and was able to improve even the most reluctant student by some means or another. His masterclasses were incredibly happy affairs, with Wibb either singing, dancing or generally leaping about to make his point to the huge enjoyment of all concerned.
His influence on my own flute playing was profound and I owe him so much. I am not alone. He was always so generous with his time and even came here to St Mary’s to hear an ex-student he thought was deserving of that extra bit of support. Thank you Wibb for everything, from me and from flute players everywhere!
Chris Hankin
Arts Council England
Altus Flutes
Just Flutes
United Music & Media Publishers
Cecilia McDowall - Composer
Aurea Capra - Flute Music
Wonderful Winds - Flute Ensemble Music
Michie Bennett - in memory of Wibb
As you can see, this exciting flute event was a brand-new initiative which I hoped would continue to blossom and grow.
For 2026 a venture like this needs funding and, as advertising is always a good idea, I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to showcase your business as well as support a good cause.
If you would just like to contribute individually that’s great too!
Your name and logo (if appropriate) will appear here and this information will also appear on the programme for each concert.
Any profit will be donated to the Ealing Food Bank.
If you are interested in supporting the 2026 Festival, please contact me, Chris Hankin, Festival Director and I will supply bank details etc.
Thank you!
