sentinel staff writer
Kathleen Purcell’s father learned to play his $60 Sears & Roebuck flute from a book. But he followed that book so closely that his daughter still strives toward his perfect tone.
That pure tone of the virtuoso flute can be heard Saturday night at Holy Cross Church, where Purcell will be accompanied by Vlada Volkova-Moran on piano and organ.
They will take listeners on a musical world tour to visit the ethnic modal sounds of classical composers, including Chopin, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Miyagi Haru.
Purcell took time out of her busy teaching schedule to talk about her early exposure to music (she started at age 4) and her love of teaching.
What have you been listening to lately?
Kathleen Purcell: Doppler, one of two brothers who were famous 19th-century flutists. They wrote music for two flutes and were virtuosi in their own right.
| One of the pieces on the program is by Doppler. What I love is that the solo piece can sound like two flutes playing instead of just one. The first time one hears it, it can be mesmerizing. And it’s fun to play. |
The flute is such a beautiful instrument to work with on these pieces.
Do you perform a lot locally?
Purcell: Not as much as I’d like to. I have a full studio of adults and kids, but every six months or so Vlada and I will perform, usually at Holy Cross. They have that wonderful, brilliant organ, and she’s a great musician.
What are your challenges in playing the flute?
Purcell: When I need to do technical work on a piece, I get to use a wonderful technique passed on by a mentor and great pedagogue, Sam Baron. I teach it to all of my students as well. It’s the most fun thing, and it also relates to all aspects of life.
It’s about relaxing and never thinking that you’re supposed to be some other place than you are right now.
You’re not supposed to be at another tempo, but instead you tune in to your body and see how fast you need to play. You trick your brain by playing the notes repeatedly at a slow tempo. You create neuro-pathways that make it effortless.
It’s the most important thing to me to instill in my students: that sense of being OK with who they are right now.
I’ve heard the term "prodigy" associated with your name. That title seems like a heavy one for a kid to carry. Did it ever get unwieldy for you?
Purcell: That word is not something anyone said around me. I was doing what came naturally to me. I didn’t go into it to perform, but because I enjoyed the feeling and sound and process.
I did find myself in places that were somewhat unusual for my age.
Are you from a musical family?
Purcell: My uncle used to play in a big band in the Bay Area in the ’30s: the Louseman’s Lousy Loggers. He was a logger, and he and a bunch of his cronies would get together and perform. He’s in his 80s now, and he’s still playing music.
My mother had perfect pitch and lived for music. She was a pure heart and would resonate with what music does for a person.
My father is the person who got me to play the flute. When he was 19 he went on a search for a perfect instrument. It had to be portable and sound good.
He chose the instrument with the simplest fingering system, got a book and taught himself.
He did everything perfectly, even though he was self-taught. So I heard what the flute was supposed to sound like.
It’s why tone has been so important to me. I don’t want anything else but that pure tone I heard as a child.
Contact Nancy Redwine at nredwine@santa-cruz.com.
