Wil Offermans

Wil Offermans graduated from the Brabants Conservatory, Holland (1983), in classical flute (Cecilia Oomes; Lucius Voorhorst; Raymond Delnoye) as well as in improvised music (Willem Kühne). In 1982 he made a study-tour to the USA meeting numerous flutists including Robert Dick, Leone Buyse, James Newton and Hubert Laws. 1985/1986 He made a seven month world-wide flute-performance titled Round About 12.5. This solo project took him to 18 countries (in Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America) not only for concerts, but also to research many ethnic flutes. He has performed his music extensively in many different situations all over the world, both as a soloist as well as with musicians like Kazushi Saito; Tetsu Saito; Mototeru Takagi; Michihiro Sato; Sawai Kazue; Takehisa Kosugi; Llorenc Barber; Paul Termos; Jack Palinckx a.o. With Junko Ueda (biwa & voice) he performed e.g. all over Europe, in the US and Canada, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Colombia and Indonesia at festivals like Festival d'été de Quebec; Musique Action Nancy and the Singapore Festival of Arts. He has been awarded with the Kuiper prize 2002 of the Dutch Flute Society. In 2014 he composed Eternal Winds for 500 flutes for the anniversary concert of the Dutch Flute Academy of Emily Beynon.

With the intention to stimulate the contemporary and intercultural approach concerning flute playing he created the foundation The Magic Flute and a flute ensemble, which toured Japan in 1997. In 1998 he founded the Contemporary European Flute Ensemble eWave, uniting players from all over Europe. In 2001 he composed the citizens involving Dejima Suite for the celebration of the 400 year relationship Holland-Japan (Nagasaki). In 2003, eWave started a European project with GRAME, Lyon (5 new European live-electronic compositions), for which he composed OnTheMove (commission Gaudeamus).
Offermans also has been active in a wider cultural field of promoting and producing multicultural art projects especially towards Japan. From 2000 till 2010 he was initiator and organizer of the annual intercultural project 12xHolland introducing Dutch artists to Japan. In 2003 he started a working studio in Granada, Spain. In 2007 he initiated another intercultural project with Japan named BSXCaravan.

Offermans has given his flute workshops in numerous settings including the Hague Royal Conservatory, Holland; Guildhall School of Music, London, UK; Trinity College of Music, London, UK; RNCM, Manchester, UK; Hochschule Hamburg, Germany; Conservatoire Royal de Mons, Belgium; University of Music, Vienna, Austria; New England Conservatory Boston, USA; University of Michigan, USA; Kunitachi College of Music Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai Conservatory, China; Seoul University, Korea; German Flute Festival, (Freiburg; Frankfurt); Flute Festival Boswil, Switzerland; the NFA Flute Conventions (New Orleans; Las Vegas; Boston) and the Japan Flute Convention 2003 (Fukuoka). In 2001, he was a flute teacher at the Brabants Conservatory, Holland. Since more than 15 years Offermans has been presenting a Flute Day for amateur groups and children, especially at music schools throughout Europe. Since 1992 he is organizing an annual Flute Summer Course. Since 1997 he developed the Thumpy® flute: an exciting thumb flute for educational as well as performance purpose and an enjoyable alternative for both children as well as flutists.

Wil Offermans currently is performing on the following instruments:

• Gold Flute: by Kotato & Fukushima; 18K gold; open-holes; B-foot joint; additional open-thumb (idea and design by Wil Offermans)
• Silver Flute: by Haynes in 1963; open-holes; B-foot joint; additional open-thumb; Lafin headjoint
• Bass flute in C: by Kotato & Fukushima; B-foot-joint; open-keys (thumb; A; G and E); trill-keys
• Contrabass Flute in C: by Kotato & Fukushima, B-foot-joint; trill-keys
• Thumb Flute: by Wil Offermans; serial# 1; blackwood; (see Thumpy website).