Zoë Booth

Zoë Booth is a flautist, teacher and musician working in the Southeast of England in the UK.  She is a busy performer, tutor, conductor, writer and arranger.

Education
As a teenager Zoë Booth studied flute with Martin Feinstein, moving to Manchester to study - under a scholarship awarded from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music - with Peter Lloyd and Richard Davis at the Royal Northern College of Music.  Whilst at college she also took lessons with many of the UK’s most respected players, including Jo Boddington, Patricia Morris, Wissam Boustenay and Karen Jones.  In her playing career Zoë’s playing has been highly commended, and she has received several awards including the Hilda Collens Memorial Award, and prizes from the Music Sound Foundation and All Flutes Plus Senior Flute Competition.  As well as studying flute and piano, Zoë performs on several world flutes – the Japanese Shakuhachi, Chinese Dizi and North American Native Flutes to name but a few – as well as the alto flute and saxophone.

Performing
In her performing life Zoë appears regularly with the Galadriel Ensemble, a flute and strings ensemble which she established in 2000 to perform lunchtime and evening recitals of classical and contemporary music.  Since 2004 she has also performed with Pangenesis – a flutes and percussion duo with percussionist Dan Earley; the flexibility of this ensemble provides a vehicle to showcase Zoë’s enthusiasm for contemporary repertoire and world flutes, and Pangenesis’ mode of working also employs improvisation and collaborative work with other musicians, composers and performers within contemporary theatre.  Zoë performs regularly with her recital piano accompanist, Rachael Buxton; as a freelance performer she is in demand as a busy orchestral/ensemble flautist for concerts, opera, choral events and musicals.

One-to-one tuition
Zoë is a committed teacher, working with students of all ages of a one-to-one basis.  Zoë has taught flute at every level – from beginner to college level - although she specialises in supporting secondary-age (11-18) students and adults.  Although Zoë’s pupils have achieved much exam success, her approach and philosophy is to engender an enthusiasm and interest in music for life, inspiring self-improvement at every ability level.

Workshops and Flute Days
A natural combination of her performing with teaching, Zoë is experienced in presenting tailor-made music education workshops, working regularly with school-children, as well as working within the community and with children with special needs.  She has worked for the ‘Live Music Now’ and ‘Wider Opportunities’ schemes.  Zoë’s ‘Flute Days’ are becoming increasingly popular - as one-off and/or annual visit-days to adult flute groups and schools at locations across the UK - and feature interactive workshop sessions, flute classes and ensemble playing.

Conducting
Zoë is highly experienced as a conductor and coach for concert bands, orchestras and flute choirs for musicians of all ages; working with local ensembles and flute choirs for students of school age on a weekly basis, Zoë also conducts on residential tutor courses and ‘Flute Days.’

Residential Flute Tutor
In 2003 Zoë Booth established the ‘Flutes at the Barns’ series of popular residential flute courses for adult players, which are held several times a year and attended by players from across the world.   Zoë’s courses are each unique, however the focus remains on supporting and guiding players at every ability level in a friendly environment; each programme of events includes original workshop sessions, flute classes, performing, hints and tips, ensemble playing as well as individual tuition and piano accompaniment.  Zoë is now in demand on residential music courses for adult players across the UK, and is the regular tutor of the ‘Fantastic Flutes’ courses at Benslow Music Trust in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

Composer and Arranger
Zoë Booth began writing and arranging music for flute and other instruments in 2000; her first publications were released in 2006.  Her flute choir publications are highly in demand by British flute groups, and feature a wide range of well-known classical music and popular song titles alongside her own works; Zoë’s arrangement of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has achieved a certain notoriety amongst flute groups, and is performed regularly at eager performances across the UK.  Zoë’s own works for flute choir include ‘Symondsbury Farewell,’ Breaktime Boogie’ and ‘The Ash Groove.’