Felix Skowronek (August 21, 1935 – April 17, 2006) was an American flutist and professor of music.

Education

Skowronek studied in Seattle with Fred H. Wing and Frank Horsfall, and for a few summers with Donald Peck. He later studied with William Kincaid at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

Career

Skowronek played principal flute for the

Seattle Symphony The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra also serves as the accompanying orchestra for the Seattle Opera. History Beginnings The orchest ...

(1956–57 and 1959–60), Seventh Army Symphony (1957–59),

Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra (PRSO) (''Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico'' in Spanish language, Spanish) a musical ensemble sponsored by the Government of Puerto Rico. It has 80 regular musicians from around the world performing a 52-we ...

(1960–66), and St. Louis Symphony (1966–68), and was a member of the Casals Festival orchestra in Puerto Rico. He was a founding member of the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet. He became a member of the faculty of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, followed by the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. He also served as president of the National Flute Association and Seattle Flute Society. He was a leading figure in the revival of wooden

Boehm Boehm () is a German surname, transliterated from Böhm (literally: Bohemian, from Bohemia) or reflective of a spelling adopted by a given family before the introduction of the umlaut diacritic. It may refer to: * Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm (bo ...

-style flutes in the USA. He was an expert in the use of various hardwoods in flute manufacturing. He was also a consultant with Verne Q. Powell Flutes Inc. in its attempt to reintroduce the wooden flute to the United States on a major scale.

References

External links

Felix Skowronek memorial website
American classical flautists Curtis Institute of Music alumni University of Washington faculty 20th-century American classical musicians 20th-century American flautists 1935 births 2006 deaths {{flautist-stub