Julien Beaudiment Interview

Julien Beaudiment is Principal Flute of the Lyon Opera Orchestra, Associate Flute Professor at the Lyon Conservatoire, and former Principal Flute of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  He will be in residence at Flutes by the Sea, teaching masterclasses and performing a recital on Saturday, June 27, 2020.

You teach at the Lyon Conservatoire. Tell us about this.  When did you start? How do you like it? Pros? Cons?

This position is one of the highest position in France with the positions at the Paris conservatoire. Before I got into this Conservatoire, Philippe Bernold and Maxence Larrieu were the former teachers. I was extremely touched and honored to come after those 2 amazing artists. I joined the conservatoire after I came back from my 2 years at the LA Phil, in 2015, and I went back to my previous orchestra, the Lyon national opera house. I love it, I love teaching and I have a class of 12 students. A full teaching position in Lyon or Paris is 12 students. It is very demanding with the orchestra and a solo career and the energy it needs is even more than playing in an orchestra or a recital. The « cons », if I would have to find some, is that today a flute teacher is not only a flute teacher. You have to be multi-tasker:  a shrink, a coach, a father, a teacher, etc etc…. and that is all very tiring. I find nowadays young students kind of lost, and sometimes I have to be an « educator », which is not my job but theirs parents’, but I guess all the teachers on this planet are facing the same issues. 

What projects have you been working on?

I am planing 2 big things. My book, about orchestra excerpts and my first recording, which I was waiting to do for years but I always was kind of lazy with it, as I don’t believe very much in recordings today, (look, the majority of students don’t even have a CD player today, I am a dinosaur when I propose to them to record a CD to help them…) but I guess it is important to still share what you can do. 

What concerts do you have coming up?

I have stopped my solo career since last May for personal reasons, it will start again from February, with even more energy and passion. There will be some nice projects in Europe, 2 visits in America including Flutes by the Sea Masterclass in Half Moon Bay, my first steps at the Domaine Forget in Canada, many things. After a break for a year, I want to focus now on things which make me happy and which have a meaning. Maybe I will do a little less but with even more energy. 

What is your greatest challenge as an flutist/artist?

To honor the composer. I remember E.P. Salonen in Los Angeles who used to say, “Musicians are just waiters. We serve the music.”  I don’t consider my myself as an artist. The artist is the composer, I am just a craftsman specialized in flute. The other challenge is to be a good teacher, a good guide to the students. 

What are you most grateful for as an flutist/artist?

As a musician, I am grateful for all the composers. Without them I wouldn’t do this job. It is because this world is the home of pure genius composers that I have been able to live of my passion, music. My first thoughts are for them. Some of them lived very difficult lives and despite everything, they still were able to offer so many gifts to us all.

What are some of your current professional goals?

I have never been a man who is obsessed with his own career. Someone who has plans for work, etc. Not for me. When I was a student I could never imagine imagine I could go so far at the highest level. So everyday is still a surprise for me that I am able to have such a career. But nothing is written on stone, life is also full of surprise. Maybe I will stop the orchestra life in some years, maybe not, I will see. I will let the life and its surprises keep me surprised, that is what makes me alive. 

What are some of your personal goals?

Living better the day. This break was of course compulsory for many reasons. But I feel so much better now, my personal goal is to be happy. To be grateful with what is around me, what I do, the persons I love. I will do music with even more passion because it is also what saved me.