- Completed on August 30, 1997 in Seattle, WA
- Sterling silver
- 0.016″ tubing
- 14K gold riser
- Drawn tone holes
- Open hole
- Pointed keys
- Inline G
- C# trill
- B-foot with gizmo key
- Embouchure: 10.18 mm x 11.85 mm
- Weight: 481
- Modern scale
- A=440 Hz
This flute has an unusual history. It took us a while to sort through all the information, but below are our latest findings as of December 2024. We apologize for any confusion.
This flute was a collaboration between Alexander Eppler (1955-2019) and Emerson DeFord (1928-2022) and made specifically for Felix Skowronek (1935-2006), a former flute professor at the University of Washington. Skowrenek was also a former principal flutist of the Seattle Symphony and founding member of the Soni Ventorum Woodwind Quintet. He was known for performing on wooden flutes and insisting that his students also perform on wooden flutes or, at the very least, wooden headjoints. Throughout his tenure as flute professor, he influenced a generation of flutists to appreciate the tonal qualities of wooden flutes. So, for Skowronek to commission Eppler to make a silver flute is quite interesting! Even more interesting is that Eppler is well known for his wooden headjoints. Skowronek referred to Eppler as “a genius, a wizard with wood,” and many of Skowronek’s students completed their music training on Eppler’s wooden headjoints.
Eppler enlisted Emmerson to construct the body and mechanism. Eppler made the headjoint (embouchure and tubing). Eppler’s and Emerson’s names are etched on the barrel, but only Eppler’s logo appears on the flute (barrel and headjoint). Below Eppler’s logo on the barrel are the words “for F. Skowrenek.”
After Skowrenek passed away in 2006, this flute changed owners a few times. The third owner replaced the original embouchure with one made by Brian Bertram, grandson of Emerson DeFord. This embouchure contains a 14k gold riser. (The current owner is the fourth owner.)
This flute is very powerful. You get an energetic, brilliant sound with minimal effort. The tonal quality is also consistent in all registers. Moving from one register to another or from the right hand to the left hand is virtually seamless. The sound is also very flexible, from hollow to dense, dark to penetrating, allowing you to readily adapt to other musicians.
The dynamic range is also very comprehensive. It can handle a lot of air for a booming, operatic sound and play softly with clarity and lightness.
The pads are in excellent condition. The mechanism is solidly built and reliable. The flute comes in its original case.
SOLD
