Welcome to my website.
For more than twenty-five years I have made flutes and flute head joints. At the beginning of my flute-making journey I was keen to investigate the possibility of finding a richer colour and a bigger sound from metal instruments.
However, I did not find the sound I was looking for in silver or gold. I found it in wood.
The decades of experience and skill which go into my wooden concert flutes have helped to make them the instrument of choice for many leading flutists throughout Europe, America and Asia. My flutes are designed with the modern flutist in mind and they have the projection and tonal flexibility to bring repertoire of all genres to life, from music of the Baroque to cutting edge contemporary works.
The warmth and richness of the wood used for my flutes is imcomparable. Through the warmth of the low notes to the heights of the sparkling third register, a wealth of tonal colour is invariably present in the sound.
There are several types of wood with a beautiful sound, each having a distinct difference in timbre. Because of this, I wanted to make flutes from seven varieties of wood, so as to give the flute player of today the ultimate choice of sound. I am the only flute maker in the world to use such a wide variety of different woods.
The woods I construct my flutes from are African blackwood, cocuswood, coromandel, cocobolo, mopane, palisander and two types of rosewood.
However, the wood alone does not guarantee a beautiful instrument. Only after a great deal of research and experimentation did I discover the sound I had been searching for, which led to an ease and convenience in playing with the purity and reliability of the flutes as they are now. For more information please see ‘Making Flutes’.
All my flutes are easy to play, with a naturalness of shaping the sound, a whisper soft pianissimo and a powerful fortissimo. They have a rich diversity of colours and the sound projects well, even to the farthest corners of large concert halls.
Flutists who play on an AV flute have all made clear personal choices about a particular type of wood for their instrument. These flutes can be seen and heard on this website on concert recordings or in short video clips. There are also articles and short stories where flute players talk about the flute of their choice.
Please feel free to explore the site which also incorporates various pictures and videos ranging from the latest new developments and instrument construction methods, to flute players trying out AV flutes in the atelier in Alkmaar, to my instruments featuring at international flute conventions in various countries.
Despite the extent of the information on this website, of course only the flutes themselves can attest to their wonderful sound and diversity of possibilities. If you would like to personally experience the sound world of the AV flute, I warmly invite you to send a message, to call or make an appointment. Be welcome!
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