The Flute Choir started its life about 20 yrs ago as the Harborne Flute Choir, meeting at the Martineau Adult Education Centre in Harborne. Our founder conductor was Penny Collier. Then Sandy Hay took over as Musical  Director in 2002. Since September 2006 we have become independent, changed our name to the Birmingham Flute Choir and now play at the Friends Meeting House, Corner of St James Road and George Road, Edgbaston. See here for map.

We meet together to play and rehearse a wide variety of music arranged for flutes (including piccolo, standard C flute, alto and bass) and from time to time we perform at concerts and other gigs.

We number 21 members at the moment and would like to build the choir up to about 25. So we welcome adult flute players of various abilities, though a minimum standard of Grade 5 is recommended. No audition is required but Sandy Hay reserves the right to refuse membership. So, come along for a Taster session to see if you would like to join us. 

The fees for each term are currently £25 (for 5 sessions). New members joining during the term are asked to pay a reduced subscription calculated at £5 for each remaining session. 

If you would like to join us contact Merryn Lloyd: info(at)birminghamflutechoir(dot)com.
We meet five Mondays a term 7.30 - 9.00pm. See Events Page for calendar of meetings/events.

Conductors: Sandy Hay and Sara Wilson

Committee:

Chairman: John Smith

Secretary: Fran Munby

Treasurer: Sarah Jones

Publicity Officer: Merryn Lloyd

Sandy Hay was born in Scotland and studied Community Music as an undergraduate in Glasgow, then moved to Birmingham to study flute with Kevin Gowland and Kate Lukas at the Birmingham Conservatoire.  During his early years in Birmingham, Sandy undertook a number of roles including working in both state and independent sectors as flute teacher and conductor.  He has also held the positions Education Manager of the Birmingham Early Music Festival, director of the Birmingham Festival of Flutes and co-founder and director of the Queen's Park Sinfonia, a chamber orchestra for Young Professional Musicians.  Sandy has sat on the panel as an adjudicator for the Lions International Music Competition and on numerous occasions for the Albert Cooper Flute Competition as part of the Stratford International Flute Festival.  Sandy currently holds the position of Head of Woodwind within Birmingham Music Service leading a team of 56 Woodwind teachers within the 400 schools within the City.  He has recently helped establish the Flutewise National Youth Flute Choir of which he is the conductor. 

Sara Wilson moved to the Midlands in 1991 to study flute at Birmingham Conservatoire. Since graduating she has taught in a variety of schools, including Edgbaston High School where she is director of both the junior and senior school flute ensembles. At Stratford Music Centre she was the founder of the flute ensemble and junior wind band and was part of the team running the Magic Flutes workshops at Stratford International Flute Festival. Sara has worked extensively with blind and partially sighted musicians, teaching for the RNIB in Worcester for 10 years. During this time she spoke at national conferences on the teaching of music to blind children, and ran composition workshops at some of the RNIB’s national music days. She has also adjudicated at the Alcester Music Festival and the King Edward VI Aston Boys Music Festival.
Currently, as well as her work at Edgbaston High School, Sara teaches at King Edward VI Aston School for Boys, where she runs the school flute choir and tutors the Birmingham Schools Flute Choir.