大象传媒

James Galway, this afternoon's soloist, plays a flute made of gold - and the penny whistle. These are two extremes of this instrument. People have, everywhere and always, fulfilled their need to make music by blowing into and across a reed or a hollow bone.

Keith Waithe, the Guyanese jazz flautist and composer, has played in the Americas, Africa, India and the Far East and, on his travels, has gathered members of the flute family from all over the world. He now has 207 flutes, of bamboo, bone and even pottery.

For the interval of this matinee he takes Julian May around the collection, around the world, and around his kitchen table, telling the stories of the flutes - their provenance, their use, how he came by them - and he plays them in 'The Global Flute Fraternity'.

Keith Waithe has been a resident with the 大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra, his band The Macusi Players, performs widely and he composes for the theatre and radio. He has also made a theatre show using his collection of flutes, performed at BAC.

Producer: Julian May.