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Elizabeth Petcu At National Gallery

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Elizabeth Petcu

Elizabeth Petcu in concert.

On Sunday, August 23, Martin Doyle‘s good friend Elizabeth Petcu is scheduled to perform highlights from her debut solo flute music album Just Me at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin.

For over 25 years Elizabeth served as the principal flautist with Ireland’s RTÉ Concert Orchestra until a hearing problem (otosclerosis) sidelined her career. This from Elizabeth’s web site:

Irish flute player Elizabeth Petcu seeks new ways of exploring and presenting music and her debut solo album Just Me captures in essence Elizabeth’s true authentic sound through a brilliant interpretation of her favourite repertoire.

Particularly innovative is the use of the keyless wooden Irish flute for the Telemann pieces (tracks 3 and 4). The Liam Bates composition, Moth Manoeuvres (track 12), was commissioned by Helen Gaynor for her art exhibition in May 2007 — a project that was part-funded by the Wexford County Council Arts Department and the Arts Council. Elizabeth premiered Moth Manoeuvres at Newtownbarry House in Bunclody, County Wexford. Just Me also includes the music of Karg-Elert, Bach, Debussy and others.

Elizabeth will be performing at the National Gallery of Ireland on a Muramatsu concert flute fitted with a wooded head joint made by Martin Doyle and a traditional Irish flute that was also made by Martin Doyle.

The concert will begin at 3 pm in the Shaw Room, National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square West, Dublin. Tickets are €10, concessions €7.

Tanzania Update

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In a recently post, Martin Doyle, Tanzania And The Music Tree, we highlighted Martin Doyle’s upcoming trip to Tanzania in August with British composer and sound designer Nina Perry. Two excerpts from that post:

Martin Doyle is to feature in a radio programme to be called The Music TreeNewstalk. The project is being headed by Nina Perry (who also produced Sounding Post which looked at the use of wood for instruments and featured several instrument makers including Martin Doyle) for Falling Tree Productions. […] The Music Tree is to accompany Irish flute-maker Martin Doyle from County Clare to Tanzania where he plans to demonstrate Irish flute making so that accomplished local craftsmen might learn his skills to boost the economy surrounding this rare wood and, for the first time, hear the sound of instruments made from the local blackwood trees.

Nina Perry has very kindly offered this update on the trip:

Continue reading →

Irish Translation Added

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Diarmuid Breathnach

Diarmuid Breathnach.

Recently added to Martin Doyle Flutes is a translation of the About Martin Doyle page. It has kindly been translated into Gaeilge (Irish language) by Irish biographer and encyclopaedist Diarmuid Breathnach of Bray in County Wicklow, whom Martin Doyle has known for many years.

Born in 1930, Diarmuid was educated at University College Dublin and became a librarian in Kilkenny, then a sound archivist and chief librarian at RTÉ from 1974 to 1986. His major achievement is the compilation, with Máire Ní Mhurchú, of Beathaisnéis, a multi-volume dictionary of modern Gaelic culture. On May 17, 2002, the National University of Ireland conferred honorary degrees – The Degree of Doctor of Celtic Studies – upon Diarmuid Breathnach and Máire Ní Mhurchú at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

Our heart-felt gratitude to Diarmuid Breathnach for his kind efforts and abundant patience – he is indeed a grand gentleman! The new page can be viewed here: Sceal Máirtín Ó Dubhghaill »

Aikido Classes With Martin Doyle

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Martin Doyle has just published a new website that introduces his Aikido classes to the world via the internet.

Clare Aikikai

Clare Aikikai – Aikido classes with Martin Doyle in Liscannor, County Clare, Ireland.

Martin Doyle first became interested in Aikido in 1987 at the recommendation of a friend and is now a nidan (2nd Dan (rank)) Aikido instructor – or sensei (teacher) in Japanese. He offers twice weekly Aikido classes for adults and children at Liscannor, County Clare.

Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as “the Way of unifying (with) life energy” or as “the Way of harmonious spirit.” Ueshiba’s goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury. Read more: Aikido »

For more information about Martin Doyle’s aikido classes in Liscannor, visit: Clare Aikikai » (no longer exists)
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Elizabeth Petcu Featured In The Irish Times

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Elizabeth Petcu playing a Martin Doyle simple system wooden (Irish) flute.

Elizabeth Petcu playing a Martin Doyle simple system wooden (Irish) flute.

Arminta Wallace has recently published an article for the Irish times about Martin Doyle’s good friend Elizabeth Petcu who resides in the coastal town of Bray in the County Wicklow. For over 25 years Elizabeth served as the principal flautist with Ireland’s RTÉ Concert Orchestra until a hearing problem (otosclerosis) sidelined her career. Despite this impediment, Elizabeth has gone on to record a solo flute music album, Just Me, and has formed the inspirational music ensemble Rune with Martin Doyle (flutes) and Deborah Armstrong (piano). Here are two excerpts from Arminta Wallace’s article:

The ability to hear plays such a crucial role in making music that it’s almost impossible to imagine how a professional musician feels when they’ve been diagnosed with a condition called otosclerosis, or progressive deafness. “I’m in good company, apparently,” says the flautist Elizabeth Petcu with a wry smile. “Beethoven is thought to have had it as well.” […] Petcu formed a trio with the pianist Deborah Armstrong and the traditional flutemaker and player Martin Doyle. They call themselves RUNE, and they take an innovative approach to live performance; their concerts blend visual imagery, poetry and prose with various different kinds of music, from baroque to improvisation via the slow air. “I wanted to keep playing. But I didn’t want to do the very conventional, formal kind of classical recital,” she says. “So what we do is, we pick a theme and tie the music together with words and the beautiful visual imagery of Martin’s photographs.

The entire article can be viewed here: An Irishwoman’s Diary »

Martin Doyle, Tanzania And The Music Tree

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Flutes for Africa

Mpingo logger, Tanzania.

Mpingo logger, Tanzania.

Martin Doyle is bound for the East African nation of Tanzania this coming August to take part in the production of a radio programme.

Tanzania is home to the famed Mpingo tree from which the highly valued timber known as African Blackwood is harvested. This wood has been one of the first choices for woodwind instruments such as clarinets, oboes, bag pipes and flutes for over 150 years now, but was also valued by furniture making as far back as the time of the Egyptians. It is a timber favoured for it’s density, durability and exceptional tonal qualities.

Martin Doyle is to feature in a radio programme to be called The Music Tree that is being produced for the Irish radio station Newstalk. The project is being headed by Nina Perry (who also produced Sounding Post which looks at the use of wood for instruments and featured several instrument makers including Martin Doyle) for Falling Tree Productions. This from Nina Perry:

Nina Perry

Nina Perry – music, sound and radio.

“The Music Tree is to accompany Irish flute-maker Martin Doyle from County Clare to eastern Tanzania where he plans to demonstrate Irish flute making so that accomplished local craftsmen might learn his skills to boost the economy surrounding this rare wood and, for the first time, hear the sound of instruments made from the local blackwood trees.”

Continue reading →

New Testimonial Added

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Martin Doyle has just received a very nice testimonial from Paul MaCarthy – a self professed ‘flute player for the fun of it’ – who hails from Clonmel in County Tipperary. Paul’s kind comments are as follows:

Paul McCarthy

Paul McCarthy with his Martin Doyle flute.

“Having played other flutes (mainly African Blackwood with headliner) and been dissatisfied with their somewhat capricious nature, I started searching for an instrument which did not have these flaws. After scratching around the country on and off for months and visiting several well respected flute makers, I failed to find what I was looking for. Maybe it was me and not the flutes but I found them very unacceptably fickle.

Eventually in the autumn of 2005 I found myself in a snug workshop in Bray talking with a very relaxed and affable flute maker who invited me to sit into the corner and try any flute I could find. There were several on a rack on the table next to me so I started with the one closest to me and worked my way along about 7 or 8 of them. Being of a methodical nature, I played the same tune (a slip jig called A Fig For A Kiss) on each of them to better judge their performance. All were sweet toned, balanced and uncapricious. Then my eye lit on it. A nice looking Cocuswood, unkeyed, unlined flute at the end of the rack. The feeling I got on playing those first few notes I can still recall. Absolutely gorgeous tone, weight and balance, not a hint of fickleness and with that lovely soft, mellow reverberation which comes with good tone. Low D? No problem. Another fifteen minutes playing passed interspersed with question and answers with Martin. The decision to buy this particular flute was not made by me nor by Martin but by the flute. This thing of beauty is of the rare sort and gives massive enjoyment.
Thanks are not enough Martin Doyle!”

Thank you Paul – your kind words are great encouragement!

More comments from flute players all over the world can be viewed here: Testimonials »