Thomas Flippin
The Atlanta Music Project welcomes guitarist and composer Thomas Flippin. Mr. Flippin will perform the famous Concierto de Aranjuez for solo guitar and orchestra by Joaquin Rodriguez. His performance is part of AMP's World Music Festival, celebrating World Cup games taking place in Atlanta.
Don't miss Thomas Flippin with the AMP World Music Festival Orchestra on Sunday June 14 at 5:00pm at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church. Details and tickets here.
In an interview with AMP, Mr. Flippin reflected on his music teachers, his upcoming solo performance with AMP, and gave some advice for young musicians.
You attended the Yale School of Music with AMP's Co-Founder & CEO Dantes Rameau, and conductor of the AMP Senior Youth Orchestra John Concklin. What are your best memories of your time at YSM?
I will always cherish the outreach work I did through Yale's Music-In-Schools initiative, which our classmate and friend, the late John Miller, ran. For years I taught music and performed concerts for New Haven public school students. It was deeply rewarding to be a part of the local community and see how music can bring people together and positively impact young people's lives.
What role did music teachers play in your musical and personal development?
I owe my entire artistic identity to my music teachers: Ben, Denis & Julie.
You don't realize it in the moment, but music teachers can become some of the most important influences in a student's life. They play a special role as some of the only teachers you interact with weekly for years.
My teachers attended my wedding. They've performed my compositions around the world. They've encouraged me with opportunities and pep talks when I needed them. I see their influence every day in how I teach, practice, perform, and live my life.
What makes the Concierto de Aranjuez so beloved around the world, and what is your favorite thing about the piece?
Conceirto de Aranjuez is unique because it's one of the rare guitar concertos with both musical depth and mass audience appeal, featuring beautiful melodies, passionate drama, rhythmic grooves & exhilarating virtuosity. I love the incredible sense of optimism the music conveys about life. Performing it, you feel it expresses a real truth about the human experience.
What are your pre-concert rituals, if any?
I am guilty of two things: obsessively practicing warmup exercises, and painstakingly filing and buffing my fingernails until they are smooth as glass on the strings.
What advice do you have for young musicians that want to pursue a career in music?
I believe that becoming a better person makes you a better musician. So I encourage young musicians to develop their world knowledge so they have something interesting to say, hone their craft while staying humble, and cultivate kindness so that others want to work with them. If you do these things, your talents will be ready when opportunity arises.
