Spiritual Winds Workshop

What is spirit? What makes something spiritual? That is the question explored in the spiritual winds workshop, which welcomes musicians who use breathing techniques as part of their instrument -- woodwinds, brass, and vocalists.

Barbara Siesel believes that the entire process of music is a spiritual one. It could be said that anytime we endeavor to master an activity be it an art or a sport or a craft we need the inner strength to push beyond the physical and psychic into the realm of spirit. In order to be able to overcome the challenges that mastery presents one must strengthen the spiritual muscle. We will discover what it takes for each of us to connect to our spiritual core and break through to authentic musical expression.

Barbara Siesel is a both a flutist and educator. As an artist her entire journey of mastering the flute has been a spiritual journey. On this journey she’s the co-founder of the Award Winning Green Golly Project, an organization established to introduce children to classical music.  Siesel has appeared as flute soloist in principal halls of China, Korea, Spain, Japan, Taiwan, Russia and the United States and was flute professor and director of woodwinds and contemporary ensemble at The New World School of the Arts in Miami and Colby College in Maine as well as lecturing on entrepreneurship at The Juilliard School. Founding editor of The Flute View online magazine Siesel has received grants and awards from the NEA, NYSCA, Ars Veritas Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Edward Cone Foundation as well as a 2015 “Deserving Person Award” from the Dr. David Milch Foundation. Her books and CD’s have won a Parent’s Choice Gold award and a Family Choice award and her music additions are all published by the Theodore Presser Company. Siesel is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she received both BM and MM degrees. This past summer Ms. Siesel  performed and taught at the James Galway Flute Festival in Switzerland. Upcoming tours in 2018 include Korea, China and the Midwestern US.