The transverse flute is an aerophone whose sound is produced by the friction of an air stream against the edge of the lateral embouchure hole. Although traditionally classified in the Woodwinds section, the modern flute is almost exclusively constructed from metal (silver, gold, or platinum). Its current morphology consists of a cylindrical bore tube, coupled to a head joint with a slightly parabolic interior profile.
Acoustically, it behaves like an open tube at both ends, which allows it to produce all harmonics of the natural series and overblow to the octave. The absence of a reed or mouthpiece gives it an extremely fast articulatory response and an agile, clear, and brilliant timbre, capable of enormous virtuoso dexterity.
Historically, the Renaissance flute and the Baroque traverso were built of wood, featuring an inverse conical bore and a very limited number of keys. The instrument's structural revolution occurred between 1832 and 1847, through the Bavarian flutist and engineer Theobald Boehm. The "Boehm system" redesigned the holes based on purely acoustic criteria and introduced a complex mechanism of keys and rings, establishing the definitive standard for the modern flute.
Teachers
Courses with this instrument
Born in Porto (1997), Inês Golegã holds a Master's degree in Music Education from ESMAE. In her academic career, she highlights professors Ana Cavaleiro, Marco Pereira, and Gil Magalhães as pivotal figures in her training. She also enrolled in the Master's in Performance at the Hochschule Musik Luzern, Switzerland.
Durante a sua formação, foi premiada em concursos como o "V Concurso Internacional de Sopros do Alto Minho". Paralelamente privilegia a aprendizagem contínua através de masterclasses, tendo trabalhado com nomes de referência como Peter-Lukas Graf, Júlia Gállego e Sarah Rumer.
In the pedagogical field, she gained experience in various specialized educational institutions, including the Conservatórios de Música de Paredes, Conservatório do Vale do Sousa, as well as the Academia de Música de Viana do Castelo. Currently, she teaches Flute and Chamber Music at the Conservatório de Música de Loulé - Francisco Rosado and the Academia de Música de Penafiel.
Her artistic side is marked by collaborations with groups such as the Orquestra Filarmónica de Braga, the Orquestra do Algarve, the Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa, among others. Recently, she created, together with professors Bruno Carneiro and António Hipólito, a chamber music trio (flute, double bass, and harpsichord). Outside the world of music, she is a sports and good gastronomy enthusiast, valuing the balance between professional life and her personal time.
João Lourenço
Deputy Director, Flute, Wind Orchestra
João Lourenço began his musical studies at the Instituto Militar dos Pupilos do Exército and divided the first stage of his training between the Conservatório Regional de Ponta Delgada and the Escola de Música do Conservatório Nacional, studying with professors Yuri Pankiv and Alexandre Branco. He continued at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and at LUCA – School of Arts (Leuven, Belgium) in the flute classes of professors Nuno Ivo Cruz, Nuno Inácio and Berten D’Hollander, thus completing master's degrees in performance and music education. He attended several masterclasses with renowned pedagogues, who strongly influenced him as a performer and as a teacher.
As a musician, highlights include concerts performed with the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa, the Orquestra Clássica do Sul, with which he regularly collaborates, the recording of soundtracks for French and Dutch film productions, and frequent participation in various chamber groups.
In recent years, he has taught throughout the Algarve and led masterclasses in flute in Lagos and Ponta Delgada. Currently, he is a teacher at the Music School of the Sociedade Filarmónica Artistas de Minerva and is a member of the faculty, as a flute teacher, at the Conservatório de Música de Loulé – Francisco Rosado.