ABOUT CAMILLA HOITENGA:
Flutist Camilla Hoitenga is internationally known for her close work with composers like Kaija Saariaho and Karlheinz. Stockhausen. Praised by The New York Times for her seamless blend of technical brilliance and expressive depth, she has appeared at major venues like the London Royal Festival Hall or the Beijing Concert Hall, premiering concertos by Saariaho, Peter Köszeghy or Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi with leading orchestras and conductors worldwide. Her repertoire ranges from Baroque to interdisciplinary projects with live video, electronics and improvisation. Based in Cologne and North Carolina, she also teaches and mentors worldwide, both in person and online.
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Look & Listen
SOUNDCLOUD:
VIDEOS:
RECORDINGS:
Premiere recording of Peter Gilbert’s “Channeling the Waters” for flute and percussion, “ on a portrait CD brought out by New Focus Recordings.
With percussionist Magdalena Meitzner
“Alterity Stream presents a unique composition cycle by Christopher Dell, the internationally acclaimed composer and vibraphonist, who is known and highly respected for his experimental music. Taking the confrontation of the jazz quartett and classical wind ensemble as point of departure, Dell transforms this hybrid into an ecstatic montage of forms. …
With Christopher Dell, Theo Jörgensman, Christan Ramond, Klaus kugel, Anja Scmiel, Bernhard Kösling, Christine Chapman
Premiere recording of Karola Obermüller’s solo for bass flute “…silbern” on a portrait CD brought out by WERGO!
“… inspired by ancient poetic texts as from the greek poet Sappho… the essences of human existence like light and night, eros and longing…”
Music– Kaija Saariaho
The DVD of Saariaho’s latest opera, which also features wonderful writing for piccolo, concert, alto and bass flutes!!
Music– Kaija Saariaho
Performer: Camilla Hoitenga, with Da Camera of Houston, Heloise Dautry, Daniel Belcher, Anssi Karttunen
Record company: Ondine
(contains Lost in the Desert for flute solo, Camilla Hoitenga, Flute)
Record company: Arvydas Malcys (2012)
Cracks and Corrosion, 2009
Music: Örjan Sandred
“Whirl of Leaves” Camilla Hoitenga, flute, Héloïse Dautry, harp
Navona Records | Amazon
Music: Arvydas Malcys
Flute concerto “Vox clamantis in deserto”(1995)
Camilla Hoitenga, flute
Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Robertas Servenikas, conductor
Arvydas Malcys SEM-001
Music : Anne LeBaron
Transfiguration: Lucy Shelton, soprano Camilla Hoitenga, flute June Han, harp William Trigg, percussion Rand Steiger, conductor
New World Records 80663 | Amazon
Music : Shoko Shida
Fukura-Semè: Camilla Hoitenga, flute and noh-kan
AYA: Wilhelm Bruck & Theodor Ross, guitar and percussion, Camilla Hoitenga, alto flute
Fontec FOCD2561
Zack Browning, Network Slammer for flute and tape
Capstone Records (CPS-8697)
CD-ROM
Discovering today’s music through the work of Kaija Saariaho.
ISBN 951-0-24532-1 | available through Petals
Kaija Saariaho
“NoaNoa” for flute and electronics
Ondine (ODE 906-2)
Kaija Saariaho
“Laconisme de l’aile” (for solo flute)
“NoaNoa” (for flute and electronics)
BIS 1997 (BIS-CD-307) | Amazon
Berlin Philharmonic, April 10, 1997
Anne LeBaron: “Solar Music” (World Premiere) with Alice Giles, harp
Ruth Zechlin: “Duo for flute and voice” with Christine Ascher, mezzo-soprano
Teresa Procaccini: “Introduzione e Allegro op. 39” with Caroline Weichert, piano
Heiner Grenzland: “Caravelle”
Intermusic 1995 (IM 41801)ˇˇˇ
Kaija Saariaho: “NoaNoa” for flute and electronics
Neuma 1994 (Neuma 450-87)
INTERVIEWS:
PODCASTS:
Neue Musik Leben with Irene Kuka (September 2024)
Flutist Camilla Hoitenga talks about her pathway into playing flute and contemporary music and about how she follows her interest and her gut feelings. She also reflects on traveling, routines and her friendship and collaboration with Kajia Saariaho.
Flute Talks with Renata Kambarova (January 2022)
Her workshops were always informative, with a nice atmosphere, extremely inspiring. They gave me very interesting tools and gave me courage to create and share moments of music interacting with art. One month later, I was in Darmstadt and was surprised to learn that Camilla herself was there too! And couldn’t resist asking her the favor of interviewing her for this podcast, and I am very honored that she accepted.
ARTICLES:
COVER FEATURES:
| Flute Talk, January 2001 Pages 7-10 ‘A Passion For New Sounds, An Interview with Camilla Hoitenga’ |
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| Pan, June 2003 Pages 22-25 ‘Stretching the Boundaries’ |
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| Fluit, Edition 1 2021 Pages 7-11 ‘Camilla Hoitenga, Saariaho-kenner en Meer’ (Dutch) |
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SPECIAL INTERVIEWS:
| Köln, 1984/85 ‘Im Veedel’ (German) |
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| The Flute, May/June 2001 Pages 12-14 (Japanese) |
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| Pan, June 2002 Page 15 ‘Flights of Fancy’ |
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| BBC Music Magazine, December 2002 ‘French Influence Takes Wing’ |
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| NY Flute Club Newsletter, November 2005 Pages 1-7 ‘A Chat With Camilla Hoitenga’ |
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| Sonic, March/April 2010 Pages 118-120 ‘Camilla Hoitenga: “Ich liebe Überraschungen!”‘ (German) |
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| Huilisti, Edition 1 2011 Pages 16-18 ‘Camilla Hoitenga – monipuolinen huilisti’ (Finnish) |
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| Aplaus, Autumn 2012 Pages 18-19 ‘Nüüd & muusikast! Nüüdismuusikast?’ (Estonian) |
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| The Calvin Spark, 2012 ‘Have flute, will travel’ |
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| Music & Literature, November 2014 ‘The New York City Launch of Music & Literature NO.5: Scandinavia House/20 Nov 2014’ |
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Available online, read here. |
WRITTEN BY CAMILLA HOITENGA:
src=”https://www.hoitenga.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pan-2023-snippet.png” alt=”Pan Snippet 2023″ width=”200″>
| Fluit, Edition 2 2021 Pages 22-24 ‘Jack Moore no. 42: Maatwerk’ (Dutch) |
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| Music & Literature, October 2014 No. 5 – Pages 92-94 ‘The Flute Music of Kaija Saariaho – A Personal History’ (Available online) |
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Also available on my website under ‘Saariaho’, read here. |
| Pan, November 2023 Pages 18-23 Kaija Saariaho – A Personal Reflection |
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PRESs:
QUOTEs:
… the most exciting program of new music this listener has heard so far this year… Tim Page in the New York Times
… an eccentric genius on her instrument… General-Anzeiger Bonn
…playing that let one forget the time…. The Flute, Japan
Tout ce périple musical servi par la virtuosité, le charme, la seduction instrumentale de … Camilla Hoitenga. La Gazette Provencale
…a lively and alluring soloist… The Independent
A shimmering aura enveloped the melodies, gently vibrating and devotedly celebrated by Hoitenga, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
….transported her audience to another world. The Flute, Japan
…a captivating soloist, meltingly tender in the opening slow music and coquettishly lithe in the fast music of the second movement. She flung off the works trappings of virtuosity with ease… Daily Telegraph
…charismatic and exciting playing…all flautists should hear Hoitenga play. Pan
…virtuosic with compelling intensity and such vitality…. Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten
Camilla Hoitenga is more than a good instrumentalist: she lives this music. She twirls and sings, she hisses and purrs. Hamburger Morgenpost
… a magic flutist…. Südkurier
CD CRITIQUES:
KAIJA SAARIAHO: LET THE WIND SPEAK, 2015
- Camilla Hoitenga’s playing is often astonishing, not least in the way she melds her human voice with her instrument’s. (CD-Kritik, L’aile du songe),
Gramophone Magazine, December 2015 - “Let the Wind Speak” is as much an exploration of Kaija Saariaho’s flute writing as her long-time collaboration with soloist Camilla Hoitenga, who plays everything from piccolo to bass flute, vocalizing and executing multiphonics with organic ease.
WQXR- FM, January 2016 - Throughout the CD there is a truly astonishingly display of virtuosity especially in the way Hoitenga melds the voice to the instrument.
Music Web – International, 2016 - …Hoitenga executes these effects with an agile virtuosity that sacrifices nothing of the luxurious tone of the instrument.
Music & Literature, March 2016
L’AILE DU SONGE, 2002
- …a reborn Debussian refinement and languor with an occasional steely glint – a blend flautist Camilla Hoitenga achieves very naturally in her polished but also very vital performances (5-Stern CD-Kritik, L’aile du songe),
BBC Magazine, December 2002 - …a phenomal soloist…her spectrum of color ranges from full flute sound to modulating breath noises that refer to the aesthetic of the Japanese bamboo flute.
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 5.3.03 - The performance is simply breathtaking. (CD-Kritik, L’aile du songe),
Fanfare, May/June 2003 - The “pièce de résistance”is without a doubt L’aile du songe…enormously difficult for the soloist, but well-mastered by Camilla Hoitenga. One admires the long breath and the intimate understanding that she brings to this work which is dedicated to her. (5-Stern Kritik der Saariaho CD L’aile du songe)
La Scena Musicale, Vol. 8. Nr. 6, 2003
PRIVATE GARDENS, 1997
Kaija Saariaho
“NoaNoa” for flute and electronics
Ondine (ODE 906-2)
- Camilla Hoitenga achieves a delightfully fragrant harmony between her instrument and the electronics.
BBC Magazine, Oktober 2001 - …”Noa Noa”, porté par la flute virtuose et sensible de Camilla Hoitenga…
Diapason, Oktober 2001 - The interpretations of the soprano Dawn Upshaw, the flutist Camilla Hoitenga, the cellist Anssi Karttunen and the percussionist Florent Jodelet are exemplary.
Phono-Spektrum, 4.3.1998
PHOTOS:
All download photos are free for use in print or on the web, but please note copyrights and do credit the photographers.
Photos: 1 – 3, © Maarit Kytöharju, 4 – 8, © Sonja Dirscherl Drunken Queen, 9 – 10, © Helmut Schultz
PERSONAL STORy:
As a concert artist, I’ve been fortunate enough to perform around the world, teach both professional and aspiring musicians, and make lasting friendships wherever I go. I live a life full of music, travel, and meaningful connections.
However, what many don’t know is how my journey began. After college, I tried to follow the expected path—marriage, teaching, settling down. However, during graduate school, I realized that this mold didn’t fit me. So I left that life behind on an adventure to make it as a musician. In 1980, I arrived in Germany with just $200 and two suitcases. I knew a couple of people, but I had not applied for scholarships and I had no family or external support. I planned to earn a living as a street musician, playi
ng for passersby in bustling city squares. And, this I did! (See the photo!).
Finding My Own Path
Viewing my street-playing as “paid practice,” I played as much classical repertoire as I could from memory and also increased my skills by joining Irish bands and learning folk tunes. Already in the first months I was “discovered”: I was invited to perform with various local orchestras and chamber groups and then offered a job teaching flute at a music school. From there, opportunities continued to open up: I played concerts, won a solo competition, and soon started collaborating with composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen and Kaija Saariaho. Over time, I concentrated on performing solo repertoire and gradually carved out a career that felt truly mine.
Creating a Life Outside the Box
The road wasn’t exactly direct, nor was it smoothly paved: my income was often precarious, and emotional support in this pre-internet time of communication wasn’t always at hand. But somehow I carried on, refusing to settle for a “real” job. And sure enough, the right people and opportunities kept appearing, enabling me to perform in incredible places from art museums to Carnegie Hall, from Germany to Japan, playing music which I’m passionate about. Eventually, despite the unconventional path I took, I reconnected with my family and, later in life, was also “discovered” by an interesting man who insisted on marrying me!
Looking Forward
Today, I’m living proof that you can create a fulfilling, meaningful life outside the box, no matter how winding the path might be. Grateful to have found people and tools helping me along the way, it is now my mission to inspire you to find your own way to success.
instruments:
Playing alto and bass flutes made by Altus, I am also an Altus artist. https://www.altusflutes.eu/en/musicians/camilla-hoitenga.html
I continue to treasure the flute Jack Moore made for me in 1978 (#42) — read about its ingenious inventions under Media! — and the headjoint Albert Cooper made me in 1981 to go with it. As an alternative, in 2012, I added a headjoint made by Tobias Mancke https://mancke.com/