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Australia
Swiss-Australian soloist, chamber musician, free lance principal flautist and highly dedicated teacher. I love to help and inspire!
About Bridget - "She mastered flute playing to a point where both technically and tonally only a few flautists worldwide get to " Emmanuel Pahud
Hi there !
I'd love to share my flute playing skills and music knowledge with you. I was a student of Peter-Lukas Graf at the Basel Music Academy and now with over 30 years of performing and teaching experience behind me, I enjoy solving technical problems and inspiring flautists to find their own voice and to realise their full potential as a flute player . I've played principal flute wth the Zurich Philharmonia, Zurich Chamber Orchestra , St Gallen Symphony Orchestra , Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra . I perform at chamber music festivals around the world and have received international acclaim for my CD recordings. As a teacher, I focus on beautiful tone production and phrasing, intonation, clear articulation and fluent finger work all through that which is fundamental - a correct breathing technique. I believe that every musical and technical difficulty can be overcome through a good breathing technique in order to master perfect air flow. I use simple language and try not to intellectualise everything, thus making fine flute playing feel as easy as possible !
Experience & Education
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Basel Music Academy 1987 – 1991
Soloist's diploma - master's degree in performance . -
Basel Music Academy 1987 – 1991
Soloist's Diploma - master's degree in performance .My principal teacher was Peter-Lukas Graf and I also had masterclasses with Alain Marion, Jean-Pierre Rampal and William Bennett -
Zurich Opera Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra , St Gallen Symphony Orchestra , Basel Symphony Orchestra , Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra , Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra 1992 – Present
Principal flute /guest and contracts -
Australian Festival of Chamber Music , Huntington Chamber Music Festival, Curitiba Music Festival, Ainey Chamber Music 2000 – Present
Guest artist -
Sydney Conservatorium of Music and High School 2004 – Present
Flute teacher, chamber music teacher , artistic advisor -
New Sydney Wind Quintet 2004 – Present
Founding Member"Superb playing. Bravo. I cannot imagine these pieces played better! " Vladimir Ashkenazy, November 2009. "NSWQ stand their ground against even the Berlin Phil quintet’s recording." Limelight magazine, December 2011. -
Sydney Chamber Music Festival 2008 – Present
Artistic DirectorAn annual boutique chamber music festival held at the Manly Art Gallery . -
Sydney Conservatorium High School Chamber Music 2016 – 2017
Artistic Advisor , Sydney Conservatorium High School Chamber MusicOn a team of Artistic Advisors and tutors for the Conservatorium High School chamber music program -
Australian Youth Orchestra 2018 – Present
Chamber Music TeacherElder Conservatorium of Music , Adelaide -
Sydney Youth Orchestra - Sydney Conservatorium of Music 2020 – Present
Chamber Music teacher / ensemble tutor
Reviews
Michael Burns
January
My daughter Maija has been taking lessons from Bridget ever since the pandemic began and we could no longer attend lessons in person with our local instructor. From the very first day it was apparent that Bridget's approach would be extremely beneficial to Maija. She was noticing areas of improvement in Maija's playing that her previous teacher never mentioned after several years of instruction. Even though the lessons were virtual, Maija began showing immediate improvement and has had some big wins and successes in high school flute under Bridget's tutorship. In some ways, you could say the pandemic was the best thing to happen to Maija's flute playing. One thing I really like about Play With A Pro is the ability to watch old lessons back again, its a great resource. I've watched a few of the lessons with Bridget over the years and never does a lesson go by without some kind of suggestion and agenda towards improvement. We can't recommend Bridget enough.
Kate Murphy
October
I feel incredibly fortunate to have found a teacher as insightful and inspiring as Bridget. She is quickly able to diagnose issues with my playing and devise workable solutions. Her explanations are clear and her style is warm and encouraging. I feel I am making real progress for the first time in many years and it's a joy.
Christine Monis
October
I had 5 lessons with Bridget so far. She is an excellent teacher, very dedicated and helpful. She always gives contructive feedback and takes time to explain in details any technical issue. I am very statisfied with her teaching and highly recommend her. Thank you so much Bridget!
Jean-Marc Baumgartner
October
I’ve been working with Bridget for several months as flutist amateur. I live in Switzerland, land that host Emmanuel Pahud. Bridget is a remarkable human and compassionate teacher. These important qualities are brought forward in a these particularly difficult times. She has a "sharp ear "and nothing escapes her. Her flute playing and musicality are overwhlming as well as her wise and sensible flutistic advices that allowed me to progress quickly and gain more and more confidence in me. She made several recordings on the net that I watched to perfect my flute playing and I’m fan . I can’t advise you better flute teacher. One regret is not being able to do duets in the classroom.
Jenna Rossi
March
I have taken lessons from Bridget about 4 years. I originally started in order to prepare for auditions for my masters and it has been great time learning from her. She is not only a great teacher with relevant knowledge but she is also thoughtful and kind. She knows me what my weakness is and gives me the proper practice method to further develop my skills. Lessons with her inspire me and encourage me to be a better flute player.
Jamey Smith
July
I had a 15 minute* free lesson with Bridget. I am so glad I did. Her instruction was focused, easy to understand and very helpful. She exhibited the perfect combination of encouragement and appropriate criticism. I am very much looking forward to working with her in the future.
Alistair Howlett
July
Bridget Bolliger was my teacher when completing my Bachelor of Music Performance degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Thanks to her deep knowledge of the flute, music and her generosity of sharing, I was able to win a position with the Australia Opera and Ballet orchestra, travelled the world playing with other notable orchestras in Germany, Sweden, Japan and now the United States where I currently play with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. With Bridget’s guidance, we managed to cover a huge selection of the flute repertoire. This included standard pieces such as the Partita by J.S. Bach and the Mozart Concerti through to contemporary pieces like Scrivo in Vento by Elliott Carter and Chant de Linos by Jolivet among many others. Bridget encouraged me to start taking auditions at a young age and is still a big influence on the way I approach any orchestral audition.
Evan Harris
June
I am a jazz saxophone and flute player, due to commence a Master of Music degree at the Juilliard School, New York City in September 2016. I learned classical flute from Bridget Bolliger for many years, and continue to seek her mentorship to this day. Bridget has shared with me her wealth of musical knowledge, having performed across the globe as a soloist, a member of a number of illustrious orchestras and as an acclaimed recording artist. Bridget's pedagogical approach has had a profound impact on the way I continue to practise music. I admire the careful balance between technique and what can broadly be conceived of as "musicality" that Bridget strives for. Despite having pursued a different musical discipline and instrument as my focus, I have found Bridget's teachings just as relevant, as she expressed to me her philosophies clearly. Bridget was able to effectively communicate and demonstrate advanced and highly abstract concepts to me as a young fla
Emilia Antcliff
June
My name is Emilia Antcliff and I am currently living in Europe and studying flute at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague. Bridget has been my flute teacher for many years. Her warmth as a person translates into her teaching making every lesson I have that much more enjoyable. Bridget always gives me the support and confidence to continue working hard. She approaches each lesson thoughtfully, always knowing exactly the right information to impart to help you keep developing into a better flute player and musician. Her broad knowledge and experience of chamber music and orchestral playing has helped me prepare successfully for many auditions, performances and recitals. Bridget realises the different needs of all her students and works encouragingly to bring out the very best in them technically, and most important, musically
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