About Flöte aktuell

Flöte aktuell

Flöte aktuell is the official quarterly journal of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flöte e.V. (DGfF), the German Flute Society. Appearing four times a year – on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October – the magazine serves the society's members with portraits, instrument studies, style-historical research, competition information, reviews of books, scores and CDs, pedagogical practice tips, and Fluteenie, the section for children and young players. The society, founded in 1985 in Frankfurt am Main, is the largest flute society in Europe by membership, with around 2,000 members, and the journal is the medium through which this community communicates.

Overview

Flöte aktuell is the journal of the German flute world: the quarterly magazine that connects the members of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flöte – professional flutists in cultural orchestras, teachers, students, amateurs and young players – with the news, knowledge and culture of their instrument. Each issue combines current society announcements with substantial editorial content: portraits of flutists, contributions on instrument science, style-historical studies (including the flute in jazz), information on competitions, reviews of books, sheet music and recordings, tips from pedagogical practice, and the Fluteenie pages for children and young people.

The readership is the society's membership: around 2,000 flutists of all levels, from the professional orchestral player to the amateur enthusiast, from the conservatory student to the schoolchild. The magazine is included in the annual membership fee – €60 regular, €40 reduced, €135 for companies – and members can read and download the complete journal online after registration. Older issues, going back some twenty years, can be ordered individually through the society's shop.

The journal's tone is that of a learned society's organ: scholarly without being academic, practical without being superficial. The portrait series presents the great figures of the flute world – the society's honorary members have included Sir James Galway, Aurèle Nicolet, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Peter-Lukas Graf and Trevor Wye – while the instrument-science contributions address the flute as a technical and historical object, and the pedagogical pages serve the teachers who form the backbone of the flute community.

The society behind the journal is itself a remarkable institution: founded on 3 July 1985 in Frankfurt am Main by two flutists from German cultural orchestras, inspired by the American model, the DGfF has grown into the largest European flute society and one of the strongest single-instrument associations in Germany. The journal, founded with the society in 1985, has documented this growth and the flute world's development for four decades.

History

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flöte was founded on 3 July 1985 in Frankfurt am Main, on the initiative of two flutists from German cultural orchestras who wanted to create, following the American model, an association of like-minded flutists. The founding idea was a forum for mutual exchange among transverse flutists of all levels – amateurs and professionals, teachers and orchestral musicians, students – united by their instrument.

From the start, the society needed a journal: Flöte aktuell was founded with the society in 1985 as its official organ, carrying the ISSN 0930-8563. The quarterly rhythm – 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, 1 October, with editorial deadlines on 1 November, 1 February, 1 May and 1 August – has structured the society's communication ever since.

Over four decades the society grew into the largest flute society in Europe, with around 2,000 members, and one of the most member-strong associations in Germany representing a single instrument or instrument group. The journal grew with it: from the early issues produced with Graphicon in Frankfurt to the current production with Engler Schödel's design studio together with Schott Music in Mainz, printed by Zeidler in Mainz-Kastel – the journal's production has always been rooted in the Rhine-Main region's musical infrastructure.

The society's presidents have shaped the journal's direction: András Adorján has served as president, with the board – including chairs Ruth Wentorf and Marco Lehmann-Waffenschmidt – forming the editorial team. The journal has documented the society's competitions, its festivals – including the International Flute Festival Essen – its masterclasses and its youth work, building an archive of the German flute world's recent history.

Content and Sections

Each quarterly issue of Flöte aktuell combines society business with editorial substance. The portrait series presents flutists of note – soloists, orchestral players, teachers and instrument makers – in in-depth features that document the personalities of the flute world. The instrument-science contributions (Instrumentenkunde) address the flute as a technical object: construction, acoustics, historical development and the craft of flute making, with features on workshops such as Verhoef Flöten.

Style-historical studies explore the flute's repertoire and performance practice across the eras – including the flute in jazz, a topic that reflects the instrument's versatility beyond the classical canon. The competition pages inform about national and international flute competitions, while the review section covers books, sheet music and CDs – the new publications that flutists need to know.

The pedagogical practice pages serve the teachers: tips and methods for flute instruction, from the design of lesson openings to the challenges of teaching young beginners. Fluteenie, the section for children and young players, addresses the next generation with age-appropriate content – the journal's investment in the future of the flute community.

Society announcements – the "Aktuelles" – keep members informed about the society's events, competitions, festivals and organizational matters. The online archive makes the journal's back issues accessible to members, building a searchable library of four decades of flute journalism.

Publisher and Organization

Flöte aktuell is published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flöte e.V. itself – the journal is the society's own organ, edited by the society's board. The publisher's postal address is Gutenbergstrasse 39a, 61231 Bad Nauheim, and the society's contact runs through floete.net.

The editorial responsibility lies with the board of the DGfF: the chairs, the treasurer and the board members form the editorial team, with the president – András Adorján – at its head. The journal carries the ISSN 0930-8563 and appears quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October.

The society behind the journal counts around 2,000 members, making it the largest flute society in Europe and one of Germany's strongest single-instrument associations. Membership includes the journal: regular members pay €60 per year, reduced €40, companies €135 – and receive Flöte aktuell four times a year, with online members reading the journal as a PDF. The production – design by Engler Schödel together with Schott Music in Mainz, printing by Zeidler in Mainz-Kastel – reflects the society's integration into the Rhine-Main region's musical and publishing infrastructure.

Digital Presence

The digital home of Flöte aktuell is floete.net, the website of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flöte. Members can read and download the complete journal online after registration, and the online archive provides access to the magazine's back issues – a digital library of the society's journalistic history. Older print issues, going back some twenty years, can be ordered individually through the society's online shop.

The website carries the society's current announcements – competitions, festivals such as the International Flute Festival Essen, youth exchanges and masterclasses – extending the journal's quarterly rhythm into continuous communication. The online membership option allows readers to access Flöte aktuell as a PDF on computer or tablet, reflecting the digital transformation of society publishing.

With four decades of publication history, a quarterly rhythm, a membership of 2,000 flutists and its position as the official organ of Europe's largest flute society, Flöte aktuell remains the central journal of the German-speaking flute world – the magazine that connects the flute community across generations, from the orchestral professional to the Fluteenie reader.