John Wion Archives
John Wion has been one of the most prominent flute pedagogues of the 20th century, and we are honored he has agreed to let us host and preserve his material on the Whole Musician website. Mr. Wion’s advice on vibrato, phrasing, articulation, career advice, and countless other topics have provided flutists with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration, and we hope you will continue to return to these pages for his guidance.
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Click here to access John’s vibrato descriptions and troubleshooting, including audio files demonstrating vibrato slowed down 300x.
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Click here to access John’s information on articulation, including consideration of native languages with tongue placement.
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Opera Excerpts (volumes 1-9) are available for purchase here.
Wood, Silver, and Gold - a flutist’s life is available on both Amazon and Flute World, among many other merchant sites.
Sing! This book of arias for flute and piano is preceded by a four page introduction that Mr. Wion hopes will encourage flutists to think more vocally as they play to improve phrasing, intonation, and musicality. This publication is available through multiple merchants, including Flute World, Flutistry, Carolyn Nussbaum, and Just Flutes (UK).
Mr. Wion’s article on Bernhard Molique’s Flute Concerto and his life surrounding the composition
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NFA Lifetime Achievement recipient (2007) John Wion was professor of flute at The Hartt School from 1977 to 2007. In his many visits to Australia and New Zealand, he appeared as soloist with all the major orchestras in addition to performing recitals. He has also been an artist in residence, teaching and performing, in Australia, Italy, Mexico, England, Finland, Peru, and Canada. His editions and publications have been honored by the NFA’s Newly Published Music Competition. He served as president of this organization in 1985. He has recently completed his memoirs, Wood, Silver and Gold.
Wion’s early flute studies were with Leslie Barklamb in Australia. He continued these studies in New York with Julius Baker, Claude Monteux, William Kincaid, and Marcel Moyse. Wion was a founding member of Leopold Stokowski’s American Symphony, playing its first three seasons. His performing career brought him into contact with all the major singers, from Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo to Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills to Julie Andrews and Liza Minnelli. He performed under conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Georg Solti, and James Levine. In addition to opera and symphony, he performed with the Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and Bolshoi Ballet. He played many Broadway shows, from Camelot to Phantom at the Opera.
John Wion’s biographic material was supplied by the National Flute Association. Click here to access their site.