The sound of flutes will flow from Music Hall this Saturday when Iowa State hosts the 2004 Iowa Flute Festival.

The festival takes place every year and attracts a variety of people.

The activities will begin at 8 a.m. with activities including the Flute Wonders competition, which has a senior and junior division for students in seventh through 12th grades.

“This competition has just skyrocketed in the last few years,” says Sonja Giles, lecturer in music. “The participants come from all over the state.”

In addition to the competition, there will also be flute exhibits, a piccolo panel and master classes. Janet Alcorn, professor emeritus of music at the University of Iowa, will be teaching a class featuring “body mapping” and promoting good technique.

However, Giles says the festival is not just for experienced flutists.

“There are all levels of flute playing,” Giles says. “There are people coming who are beginners.”

There is one person attending that is definitely not a beginner. The festival will end with a performance by well-known New York flutist Keith Underwood.

“He is just a phenomenal flutist,” Giles says.

Underwood’s resume includes working with flutists from America’s major orchestras, and he has given master classes at Julliard School, Manhattan School of Music and Eastman School of Music. Underwood teaches at Mannes College of Music in New York.

Underwood will also give a masters class at the festival.

“People know me most as someone who likes to teach technique,” Underwood says. “I like to focus on the correct use of body when playing the flute.”

One of the pieces Underwood will be performing was written by Czech composer Ervin Schulhoff, who died in a Nazi concentration camp.

“His music influences anything from jazz to folk music,” Underwood says. “This piece treats the flute in a way that no other piece has done.”

Giles will be joining Underwood to perform one piece.

Most of the pieces being performed will have piano accompaniment.

Underwood says even people who are not knowledgeable about music will enjoy the concert, and he will be talking about each of his pieces to give the audience some background information.

“We are trying to do music that isn’t done at all,” Giles says. “We are trying to get outside the norm.”