【华e生活青少年记者Emma Yu报道】悠扬的音乐在房间中回荡，钢琴与长笛和鸣，每个音符都充满了足以移山的激情；当丰富、和谐的旋律轻柔地流入温柔、自由的华彩，并在细腻的结尾画上句号时，观众被迷住了；随即，那陶醉似乎静止的瞬间被雷鸣般的掌声和欢呼声取代。这是11月9日罗利地区长笛协会（RAFA）举办第36届年度长笛展上闪现的一幕。
RAFA成立于1985年，是一个旨在促进北卡州长笛演奏的非营利组织。RAFA每年举办多项比赛、音乐会和大师班，数十位专业和业余长笛演奏者自愿担任赞助人。每年11月，他们都会举办一个非常特别的活动——长笛展。
来自全州各地的长笛爱好者，从初学者到优秀的独奏家，都前往高地卫理公会教堂，度过充满音乐和乐趣的一天。上周举办的RAFA评审和比赛的获奖者在获奖者展示音乐会上演出，而来自世界各地知名长笛品牌的卖家则展示他们最优质的乐器。
在参加比赛的80多人中，有20名学生是华裔，其中9人获奖，6人获得荣誉提名。
“我觉得[今天的RAFA演出]会激励我更努力地练习和提高。”第五组获奖者Caroline Huang说，“我认为练习演出是很好的，因为它让我为其他表演做好了准备。”
许多学生认为，该组织提供的多次演出机会对他们的长笛之旅产生了极大的影响，并将这些机会视为有意义的里程碑。
第三组获奖者 Prasad Velmurugan表示：“今天在RAFA的演出让我很兴奋。自从我开始演奏以来，我取得了很大进步，而开始私人课程真的让我看到了这些年来自己在长笛演奏上的进步……我非常感激今天音乐会的机会。”
不过，长笛展的益处并不仅限于学生的展示。RAFA董事会成员、私人长笛教师及评审和比赛的评委Emma Morris将整个活动视为成长和学习的机会。“对许多学生来说，这是他们第一次演奏优美的高档乐器或第一次吹奏低音长笛或短笛，我认为这对他们的音乐教育非常重要。很多时候，这是他们第一次在大房间里面对观众演出，这当然是非常好的学习经历。这也是他们第一次与更著名的音乐家互动，所以我觉得对我的学生来说，这是一次成长和成熟的经历。”
对她而言，这些比赛对她自己来说也很“有教育意义”，因为她觉得倾听不同学生对曲目的理解非常有趣。
当演奏厅中抒情的旋律逐渐消逝，第36届年度长笛展宣告结束。每位参与者——无论是学生、教师还是表演者——都带着新的收获回家。
报道原文：
A Day Full of Music: Raleigh Area Flute Association Hosts its Annual Flute Fair
Sweet music fills the room as the piano and the flute sing, each note filled with a passion enough to move mountains. The audience is captivated as the rich, harmonious melody flows gently into the tender, free cadenza and draws its conclusion at the delicate ending. Immediately, the fragile moment is replaced with the thunderous applause and cheers of the crowd. This is the sound of the Raleigh Area Flute Association (RAFA)’s 36th annual Flute Fair.
RAFA was started in 1985 as a nonprofit organization promoting flute playing in North Carolina. RAFA hosts multiple competitions, recitals, and masterclasses every year, with dozens of professional and amateur flutists volunteering as sponsors. Each November, they host a very special event: the Flute Fair.
Flute enthusiasts from all over the state, ranging from beginning students to accomplished soloists, travel to Highland Methodist Church for a day full of music and fun. Winners from the RAFA Review and Contest competition hosted a week ago perform in the winner’s showcase recital while sellers from famous flute brands all over the world display a selection of their finest instruments.
Of the over 80 people attending the competition, 20 students were Chinese, with 9 winners and 6 honorable mentions.
“I think [today’s RAFA performance] will push me to improve and practice more diligently,” says Caroline Huang, division 5 winner. “I think it’s good to practice performing because it makes me prepared for other performances.”
Many students feel that the organization’s many performance opportunities impact their flute journey greatly and see them as meaningful milestones.
Division 3 winner Prasad Velmurugan says, “performing at RAFA today excites me. I’ve made so much progress since I started playing, and starting private lessons has really shown me how much I’ve improved as a flutist over the years…I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity (for today’s recital).”
The benefits of the Flute Fair isn’t limited to the student showcase, though. Emma Morris, a member of the board of RAFA, private flute tutor, and judge of the Review and Contest competition, views the entire event as a chance for growth and learning. “[For] a lot of students it’s the first time they’ve played nice fancy instruments or the first time they play a bass flute or a piccolo, which I think is very important to their music education. A lot of times it’s their first performance in a big room with people in front of them, which of course is a great learning experience. It’s their first time interacting with more famous musicians, so I think it’s a very growing and maturing type of experience for my students.”
To her, the competitions hosted are “educational to (herself),” as she finds it interesting to hear different students’ perspectives on their pieces.
As the lyrical tune from the recital hall draws its last breath, the end of the annual Flute Fair is signaled, with everyone–student, teacher, and performer alike–going home having learned something new.
