Now that we have your attention…
The GBFA Address
(The States of Our Union)
Many scores and as many years ago
as puts you back in 1991, our father & mother (Fenwick & Leone) brought
forth on this continent a new flute society, conceived in musicality, and dedicated
to the proposition that all flutists (and flautists!) are created equal, except
that some are GBFA members and some not, those that are members being either actively involved or not.
Now we are engaged in a great
growth cycle (both in number and demographics), testing whether that flute
society, or any flute society so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure
without the dedicated and passionate involvement of its members. We are met on the
great vista comprising New England’s proud
states, each of which plays an important part in that union. We have come to
dedicate the entirety of that vista, as the never-ending birthplace of those
who here give their time and energy (and yes, passion) that that flute society might continue to flourish. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this (although
sometimes for proper fitting it’s got to go back to the shop).
But, in a larger sense, we can
not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—our beloved New England. The brave flutists (and flautists!), present
and past, who struggled and struggle here, have consecrated it and do
consecrate it still, far above anyone else’s power to add or detract. The world
will hear more notes because of those brave souls, notes that will help the
world long remember what we say here—and never forget what they did here. It is
for us the current GBFA membership base, rather, to remain dedicated to the
unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It
is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that
from these honored predecessors we take increased devotion to that cause for
which they gave so much measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that those
predecessors shall not have predecessed in vain—that
this New England flute community, under GBFA, shall have a new birth of freedom—and
that a GBFA of the membership, by the membership, for the membership, shall not
perish from New England.
The states of our union are strong—let’s
come together!