For flutists, Massachusetts is Mecca

Boston Globe

5 days ago

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A detail of an engraved lip plate in 14-karat gold at Powell Flutes in Maynard.
David L Ryan/ Globe Staff
These firms make flutes that range in price from a few thousand up to six figures. Their instruments are prized by classical soloists and orchestral players worldwide, as well as jazz musicians and even the occasional rock star such as Ian Anderson, founder of the 1970s band Jethro Tull. Anderson is partial to Powell flutes, and recommended them to amateur musician and astronaut Cady Coleman, who took a Powell along when she went up to the International Space Station in 2010.
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Are these the world's finest flutes? It's not that simple, says Abigana. 'Western European classical music likes to think it's the be-all and the end-all, but there's a lot more to the story.'
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The flute is probably the oldest of all musical instruments, with examples dating back at least 50,000 years. 'There are flutes in every culture in the world,' said
Starting in the 17th century, European societies became obsessed with innovation in every sphere of life, including music. Pretty much every musical instrument was re-engineered, including flutes. Upgraded versions could play a greater variety of notes. They could play louder, to accommodate large concert halls in the days before microphones and amplifiers. And their control keys were redesigned to make them easier to play.
Aleks Shtyrkov has worked over three decades with Powell Flutes.
David L Ryan/ Globe Staff
And of course, composers from Mozart to Duke Ellington wrote music tailored to the capabilities of the latest instruments. And if that's the kind of music you like, then Boston-made flutes are among the best in the world.
The tradition began in 1888 when the principal flutist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra asked New Hampshire silversmiths George and William Haynes to make him a new wooden flute with metallic keys. The brothers had a knack for it. They moved to Boston and launched their flute-making business, migrating to the production of all-metal flutes in silver and gold.
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Decades later, Kansas silversmith and flutist Verne Q. Powell made his own silver flute for use in recitals. One of the Haynes brothers was so impressed with its quality that he hired Powell and brought him to Boston in 1916. A decade later, Powell was running the Haynes factory, but in 1927, he struck out on his own and formed Powell Flutes.
Many Powell veterans have launched their own local companies. Apprentice Bickford Brannen and his brother Robert launched Brannen Brothers in 1978. Another Powell employee, Lillian Burkart, founded a flute-making company in 1982. Di Zhao worked at Powell for 13 years before launching his company in 2006. Lev Levit apprenticed at Powell and Brannen Brothers before starting his own flute factory in 2012.
There's a lot of advanced technology in a modern flute. Powell invented a way of bonding sterling silver and gold to create a lighter, less-expensive flute that still conveys the warm, rich sound of a 14-carat instrument. Many of the flute parts are contracted out to local machine shops. Here the parts are fabricated in computer-controlled milling machines to tolerances within a thousandth of an inch, much thinner than a human hair.
The idea is to build an ideal flute, with performance as predictable as a Toyota transaxle. And yet, soulless precision is the last thing a musician wants.
An employee icut the headjoint by hand at Powell Flutes in Maynard.
David L Ryan/ Globe Staff
'We're not making toasters or phone cases. These are going to be the tools that someone's going to use to express their artistic vision,' said David Schipani, Haynes's director of product design and development.
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It's during final assembly where Haynes's largely female workforce make the subtle adjustments to valves, pads, and keys that will give each flute the unique sound and feel that each customer seeks.
'All of that sensitivity and connection with the musician starts here on the benches,' Schipani said.
A certain amount of precious metal is lost along the way. Schipani said that Haynes recaptures gold and silver dust worth hundreds of thousands of dollars by sweeping the floors, benches, and chairs.
'I'm surprised they let me wash my clothes at home,' he said.
Each flute has two basic components — the flute body, and the headjoint, the part where you pucker up and blow. A good headjoint, according to Verne Powell is 90 percent of a good flute, and these smallish tubes can cost several thousand dollars each.
Hilary Abigana, an award-winning flutist and sales manager, demonstrated the sound of a Powell Flute.
David L Ryan/ Globe Staff
Joy Roberts, director of quality management, has her own headjoint that she uses just for testing the new flutes. By using the same joint in every test, she can rely on what she's hearing. By the time Roberts tests the flutes, 'they are all very unique individuals,' she said, 'and the journey is always different for them to get from parts to a flute to a Haynes.'
Down the hall from Roberts, Aiven O'Leary hones a new headjoint, using a bit of sandpaper glued to a stick. It's an odd use of her time, since O'Leary is Haynes' president. But she insists on doing the headjoints herself. 'I wouldn't be the president if I didn't work on this,' she said.
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At Powell, 'we have six different headjoint cuts, Abigana said. 'They all sound incredibly different from each other. We want to make sure that our flutes can be as individual as the players who come to us.'
And these flutes are designed to last for a lifetime and then some. 'We see Powell flutes from the 1930s that are still in excellent condition,' said Abigana.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at