When flautist Gabor Vosteen plays music for his audience, he doesn’t just use one instrument. The artist plays up to five flutes at the same time – Vosteen produces the sounds of three flutes with his mouth and two with his nostrils. What sounds quite crazy and is also funny to watch creates a harmonious melody. With his show, which combines music and comedy, Vosteen has already appeared on various stages around the world. He is currently presenting his art at the Roncalli Christmas Circus in Bremen. And Vosteen also stopped in Delmenhorst last Friday to give an exclusive concert to children from the Deichhorst elementary school.
In recent years, Vosteen has traveled to several countries as an internationally booked artist. In South America, Hong Kong, Norway and France, among other places, he showed people how versatile flute music can be. In a sense, the origins of his career lie in Delmestadt. “I grew up in Delmenhorst,” says Vosteen, who now lives in Vienna with his wife and children. He completed his high school diploma at the Max Planck High School and studied music in Hanover, majoring in the recorder. Vosteen learned to play the flute at the Delmenhorst music school: “I started with early musical education as a child and then switched to recorder lessons.”
Combining comedy and music
During his studies, Vosteen dealt with music in different eras: “In the 60s and 70s, people tried out a lot and played with performances.” Vosteen was inspired by the fact that the musicians attempted something extraordinary. The 43-year-old was also fascinated by humor and comedy: “I did theater at school.” He liked the idea of using humor and music together. This is how his concept with several flutes came about: “My shows shouldn’t be serious – you can and should laugh.”
A colleague, who was himself active in a clown school, advised Vosteen to slip into the role of a character: “I tried that on an open stage and got a good response.” Over time he developed his stage character until the current character was created. Vosteen’s “Flötenmann” project has existed for around 20 years now. “The character speaks to the audience through the flute,” he explains. There is something childish about this because the character wants to play with the audience. Vosteen wants to inspire people with music in a humorous way. And this is particularly well received by children. Back then, Vosteen didn’t expect that he would become internationally famous: “I’m very grateful for that.”
Call of the squeaky beginner instrument
Many people probably don’t associate a recorder with a music career. It is considered a beginner’s instrument because it is inexpensive and easy to transport. It is also relatively easy to play a melody on the instrument. Some people remember it negatively because they had to try out playing the flute, says Vosteen: “Some people probably think of the squeaky sounds in the classroom during school music lessons.” And this despite the fact that every other instrument also sounds wrong when beginners first try it – but a violin, for example, evokes different associations in people.
For Vosteen, children are the best audience – because they are open and honest. “Children dream a lot, while adults are not as free and therefore have more limited options,” he says. In general, his program is very suitable for adolescents. That’s why the stages on which the artist performs around the world regularly include schools. “I spend a lot of time in schools, especially in Scandinavia,” he says. Because cultural offerings would be promoted differently there than in Germany. In Denmark, there is a government mandate that students attend concerts during school hours, explains Vosteen: “In Sweden, a certain number of cultural events must be completed per school year.” From an organizational point of view, it would be more advantageous to invite the artist to the school. These offers are financially supported at the state level.
Parents organize concert
In Delmenhorst, however, Vosteen’s performance was organized by the students’ parents. Without the support of the Lions Club Delmenhorst, Stars-for-Kids and Prinz Veranstaltungstechnik, the support association of the Deichhorst elementary school would not have been able to realize this event. The effort was definitely worth it: around 300 students gathered in the gym the day before the Christmas holidays. With fun and entertainment, Vosteen showed the children how exciting playing the flute can be.
Down to business
Flute show in the circus
“Performing at Roncalli has been my dream for a long time,” says flautist Gabor Vosteen. In 2011 he took part in the circus’ Christmas show for the first time, and in 2014/15 he appeared on the Roncalli tour. “In the circus the atmosphere is special, everyone is in the tent together and you perform on a round stage,” says Vosteen. The artists are a closed unit with the audience. “We take people into another world for a moment,” he says.
The current Roncalli Christmas circus can be visited on the Bremen Bürgerweide until Sunday, January 7th.
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2023-12-31 08:34:22
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