After much thought and consideration, I have decided to discontinue Beyond the Masterclass. Since its founding in 2007, I had the privilege of working with so many wonderful flutists of all ages from all over the world. I was also able to collaborate with many remarkable guest artists and guest performers. I will be forever grateful for their participation and enthusiasm for my project.

My gratitude to Greg Milliren, the first executive director is profound. The concept of the class was born during several brainstorming sessions where we tried to create a concept of a flute class with more than the standard offerings. Clearly, we met that goal and I have many fond memories of that exciting first year.

Diana Morgan followed Greg as my executive director and was a crucial component of every class since she joined me in 2009. Her wisdom as a performer, teacher, and administrator is extraordinary. Her creation of the “DM Flute Studio” is evidence of her remarkable talents. I will always be grateful for her countless contributions and her dedication to me and to all the students.

Emma Neiman gets a special shout out for her work for the better part of 10 years. She was charged with keeping things running well, from website design, to the applications, to the logistics and to the day-to-day challenges of the actual week of BTMC. She proved to be the chief engineer of keeping the train on the track.

For the past few years, Sabrina Tu stepped into the role of assistant executive director and proved over and over that she is not only a truly gifted flutist/teacher, but an extraordinary organizer/administrator. Her brilliance and dedication will never be forgotten.

Those four individuals epitomize what I think today’s young musician needs to be: a dynamic flutist with great personal skills and an acute awareness of the business arena. If you had the privilege of attending any of the BMTC classes over the years, it was obvious that these individuals set the tone of what a true “role model” is!

I want to personally thank everyone who attended the past classes! Please know that each and everyone of you were part of something that gave me a tremendous amount of fulfillment. I will truly miss this week going forward, but a critical component in how I have lived my life and career has been to “know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.”

I send you my very heartfelt best wishes for your life paths!!

Goodbye for now! Jim Walker – founder of Beyond the Masterclass