Flute Orchestra

  • Fall Concert call times are available! Scroll to see details below.
  • Fall Quarter music will be posted on our website in PDF format by mid-September. All enrolled students will receive instructions via email on how to access and print these PDFs in September. In the meantime, email admin@byso.org with any questions.
  • Click here for Conductor’s Messages

Rehearsals will be held on Monday evenings from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Musicians are expected to arrive and be prepared to rehearse 15 minutes prior to start time.

FALL QUARTER 2026 DETAILS

Rehearsals Fall Quarter Dates
Mondays from 6:30 – 8:30 pm 9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16
Rehearsal Location Drop Off/ Pick Up
Odle Middle School Plan on prompt drop off and pick up to
502 143rd Ave NE avoid congestion.
Bellevue, WA 98007
Retreat Location Time & Date
Lake Washington High School Saturday, October 17
12033 NE 80th St 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Kirkland, WA 98033
Concert Time & Date
Meydenbauer Theatre Sunday, November 22 @ 6:30 pm
11100 NE 6th St Call times and more are below.
Bellevue, WA 98004

Student Checklist

  • Bring a music stand
  • Bring a pencil
  • Print your sheet music prior to first rehearsal (using link at top of this page) and bring with you to rehearsal
  • Arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of rehearsal to ensure you are in your chair and ready to play at the start of rehearsal
  • Have fun!

ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR LAST REHEARSAL BEFORE THE CONCERT

If a Flute Orchestra student misses the final Monday night rehearsal before the concert, their participation in the upcoming concert will be contingent on a music test. They will be required to submit a video of their performance of excerpts (details provided by the conductor) no later than Wednesday at midnight. The conductor will then make a decision whether the student can participate in the upcoming concert. This decision will be communicated by Thursday.

This also may apply to students who miss more than 30 minutes of the final Monday night rehearsal (by arriving late or leaving early).

For more details about the absence policy, please see the BYSO Student Handbook.

CONCERT DETAILS | Sunday, November 22 @ 6:30 pm

CALL TIME | 5:00 pm
All musicians should arrive promptly 5:00 pm.

DRESS REHEARSAL | 5:20 pm – 5:40 pm
This is when students rehearse on stage for a soundcheck. If students arrive at this time, they are late.

DROP OFF
Musicians can be dropped off via the Meydenbauer Parking Garage. The first 30 minutes are free.

PARKING
Parking is available in the Meydenbauer Parking Garage. Parking cannot be reserved ahead of time.

CONCERT ATTIRE
Be sure to check your ensemble’s concert attire requirements. Students must arrive wearing their concert clothing. They will not have a place to change later.

VOLUNTEERS – WE NEED YOU!
Volunteers will be a vital part of a successful day at Meydenbauer for all of our students. We need volunteers to help the check in process and supporting ensembles during their dress rehearsals. Volunteers have early access to reserve their seats in the hall. Click here to sign up!

CONCERT TICKETS
Families of enrolled BYSO students get priority access to concert tickets from October 15 – November 4. On November 5, tickets will be open to the general public on our website, here.

STAY THE WHOLE CONCERT
Performing students are expected to stay from their call time to the end of the concert. Listening to other musicians perform is an important part of each student’s music education, and it’s also important to support fellow BYSO musicians in this way.  Students who must leave early due to unavoidable schedule conflicts must get permission from their conductor and the BYSO office prior to the concert.

About

Flute Orchestra is an advanced ensemble for flutes. Flute Orchestra consists of BYSO flutists who were placed at the Philharmonia level after auditioning. Because orchestras need only a few flutes at a time, some of these students may take turns playing in Philharmonia during the year while also practicing and performing in the Flute Orchestra ensemble. The typical Flute Orchestra student has had several years of private instruction and substantial ensemble experience and is highly skilled on his or her instrument.

Flute Orchestra students prepare challenging music encompassing the entire flute family: piccolo, traditional C flute, alto, and bass. Flute Orchestra is a dynamic group where students can develop ensemble and specific flute-related skills in an enjoyable and rewarding setting. Past works performed include Camuglia’s La Danse de la Nuit, De Bosismortier’s Concerto in A for Five Flutes, and Bozza’s Jour d’été à la Montagne.

Recent Flute Orchestra Performance

Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra's Flute Orchestra and Flute Choir

Conductor: Dr. Merrie Siegel Parmley

Dr. Merrie Siegel Parmley holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Rice University. She won the New York Flute Club’s Young Artist Competition at age 19 and since then has performed with the Houston Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and Mozart Society of Philadelphia, among others. Learn more.

Contact Dr. Merrie Siegel Parmley at fluteorchestra@byso.org

Messages from the Conductor

Greetings, Fab Flutists —

Thanks for your dedication and brilliance at Monday’s rehearsal.  You continue to wow me every week!

REALLY APPRECIATE the huge interest in the Masterclass Series.  Zart Dombourian-Eby is an incredible flutist, piccoloist, pedagogue and amazing teacher and person.  Playing for her is a fabulous opportunity that is not to be missed!  Here’s the link to the Google form signup sheet.  Be sure to sign up asap before those spots are gone!  Also, attending a masterclass is just as interesting and helpful as playing so also plan on attending, even in you are not performing.

A few practice items:

Please make sure that all Holiday Tour repertoire is absolutely, 100% ready to go.  With limited rehearsal time and many newer, younger flutists in Flute Choir, we must make sure that we’re serving as leaders.  Also: in Hebrides, pretty please make sure that all sixteenth-note runs are clean and even.  Sloooooow practice is always the way to go to hear if fingers are even :).  As far as La Bruja Llorona goes: let’s strive for the most incredible dynamic contrasts as possible to help these legends come alive.

Here’s a link to my flute ensemble concert in Mexico.  La Bruja Llorona is on there, as well as the Fanfare and Dr. Bassigthwaighte’s premiere, both of which we’ll be performing/premiering at our March concert —

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u4g_gqfcijO1MZ0DP9O3TWrOdMvlEEAL?usp=sharing%0A

Have a great week, and keep on fluting!

Dr. Merrie

additional info:

Please note the Flute Holiday Tour order of pieces and please make sure to have all repertoire in order in your music organizer and ready to go.

First half, conducted by Dr. Tim.  Not sure where FC only piece will be, exactly:

Jingle Bell Rock, Let It Snow, Sleigh Ride, Silent Night, FC only piece

2nd half, conducted by me:

Ren Noel (Wenceslas, What Child, Pat a Pan), Carol of the Bells, Troika (FO only), Take Five, Christmas and Hannukah Medly (1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 12)

Looking forward to a great rehearsal,

Dr. Merrie

Prokofiev: Troika - Sokhiev / Berliner Philharmoniker

Alanna Ubach, Antonio Sol - La Llorona (From "Coco"/Sing-Along)

Here’s Fingal’s Cave, orchestral version:

Mendelssohn - Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave) (Abbado)

 

La bruja llorona

La Bruja Llorona by Rubén Flores: Desert Echoes Flute Project

Troika

Festive Flutes - Wonderful Winds - Troika (Lieutenant Kije)

Hebrides Overture (it says that it’s the same arrangement, so I’m guessing that the parts are all covered on C flute)

The Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave), by Felix Mendelssohn, arr by A. Cooper

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