Category: Music

About Stephanie Bell

     Stephanie Bell is a versatile and experienced flautist, and has played 2nd flute and piccolo in the Victoria Symphony since 2017. She is an active performer of contemporary and classical music on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, as well as a music educator and private flute teacher.

     Stephanie has performed in many professional orchestras during her career, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Vancouver Symphony. She also regularly participates in many outreach programs through the Victoria Symphony, bringing music education and literacy to schools throughout Greater Victoria.

     Stephanie is a founding member of Duo 1010, which formed the ensemble in residence for Simon Fraser University’s music composition program in the 2018/19 academic year. Duo 1010 strives to expand the repertoire of experimental music for flute and clarinet, and has performed in Europe and North America.

     Stephanie completed her Masters in Flute Performance at the University of Southern California with James Walker, former principal flute of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and earned her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance and Music Scholarship at the University of British Columbia with Brenda Fedoruk, Principal flute of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra.

About the Performance

     In this program for solo flute, I wanted to highlight the variety of sounds, styles, and emotional range available on my instrument. I loved the experience of preparing a fully unaccompanied program, and am so grateful to have a chance to present it to you!

     The first piece, JS Bach’s Partita in a minor for solo flute (1723), is one of the most popular pieces in the flute repertoire. It is in four movements, Allemande, Corrente, Sarabande, and Bourée Anglaise. Each movement is based on a different form of dance, and though very distinct from one other, combine to form a cohesive musical experience. I love to perform this piece, as it contains great potential for expressivity within its organized harmonic structure.

     The second piece on the program, Icicle by Canadian composer Robert Aitken, was composed in 1977. Aitken was a great flutist in his own right, and used many effective contemporary techniques in his compositions. When listening to this piece I find it helpful to dispel any preconceived notions one might have about how a flute “should” sound, and instead pay attention to the expressive qualities of the air sounds and the great variety of timbres that are produced. This piece is very expressive, and I feel the title is very apropos to the atmosphere it creates.

     I have always loved playing piccolo, and decided to include two pieces for that instrument on this program. The first is a simple Fantasia by Telemann, published in 1722-23 that I feel is well suited to the instrument. The second piece is a contemporary work by Kaija Saariaho, entitled Dolce Tormento (2004). This piece is written extremely well for piccolo, and makes use of its beautiful low register, as well as the dramatic possibilities of its higher notes. The performer intersperses the whispering of a poem into the performance, as well as multiple contemporary techniques such as multiphonics, glissandi, and a variety of air sounds. As with Icicle, I recommend that the listener open their mind to the unfamiliar sounds in this piece and allow themselves to experience the “sweet torment” that this short work evokes.

     The final piece on this program is Sonata Appassionata by Karg-Elert, composed between 1915-18. This short but dramatic work is inspired by Beethoven’s piano sonata of the same name, and showcases the virtuosic capabilities that were given to the flute through technological advancements in the industrial revolution.