19/10/2025
Two weeks post-AFF, our Co-Directors would like to reflect and express their gratitude to all involved:
"It was wonderful to see the creative ideas and inspiring performances come to life in a frenzy of flute festivities over the four days. As big of a job as organising a festival of this size can be, I am enormously honoured/proud/grateful to be able to bring everyone together. Thank you to everyone who attended, performed, presented and shared in their joy of the flute. Particularly in today’s fraught world, we are truly lucky to have our fantastic Australian flute community." - Merryl Neille
"For two years, we had carefully planned the 2025 Australian Flute Festival, both internally at F&F and also together with our Advisory Committee (Tim Munro, Julia Grenfell, James Kortum, Mary-Anne Blades and Paula Rae) and Marcus Hodgson at the Sydney Conservatorium Open Academy. For a long time, we lived and breathed everything that the Festival was going to become, and I loved watching that process of evolution. From when the first ideas started to form in our minds about what the 2025 edition was going to be about, to reading all the proposals that started to pour in (if only we had the time to fit them all in!), and then to that moment of truth when guest performers, teachers and attendees started to arrive.
But it was at that moment, on the very first day, when the very first person arrived, that the dynamic completely changed in my mind. It was no longer something that we worried and stressed over, because it then belonged to everyone who came. Everyone took part in creating this Festival and turning ideas into reality. It was truly a team effort (a team of over 500 people!). This transformation was heartwarming, rewarding, validating and inspirational. For this reason, I want to thank everyone who attended AFF2025. You all helped to make it the success that it was, and I feel immense gratitude to our wonderful flute community and honoured to be a part of it.
Upwards and onwards to 2027!" - Mark Xiao
