In recent years I have put a lot of effort in the design of Contrabass flutes. This instrument is very attractive for flute choirs and flute ensembles, of which there are many in the U.S.A. I am very aware of the big changes in both the economic reality and the extremely expensive EURO for those who have to buy in US dollars. It frustrates me to see that more and more players have shown serious interest in Contrabass flutes, but simply have been unable to afford the investment. I took this up as a challenge, and kept thinking about a solution. My target was a Contrabass flute for less than Euro 10.000.

Firstly I made the construction process more efficient, and more standardized. Secondly, I could cut on some of the costs, especially on materials, cases, tools and marketing costs (many of them are paid in cheap US dollars ;) ).

And here is the exciting result:

The "Choir Contrabass Flute in C with B-foot".

This model is still entirely hand-made in my shop. All in all a very professional instrument!

The Choir Contrabass in C with B foot comes at a price below Euro 10,000 (call or mail me for a quotation). This is several thousands below previous prices. A Choir Contrabass in C with B-foot comes with a carbon fiber stand and a flight case. At an extra of Euro 650  an elegant and sturdy Wiseman case is available (see www.wisemancases.com ). For the frequent flyers: I usually can travel with this case as carry-on luggage.

Adding these flutes to flute choirs will bring a new dimension to your playing. It will also open doors to new repertoire, since many composers have been including important contra parts in their compositions over the last few years. I hope that this instrument will stimulate this development.

Sharyn Byer, Director of the Columbia Flute Choir, says:

"The Contrabass Flute enriches the sound of the flute choir in so many ways, offering a true basso voce anchoring the ensemble and enhancing the orchestral potential of the music."

Paige Dashner Long, Director of the Metropolitan Flute Orchestra in Summer Residence at New England Conservatory, says:

"I have been using a contrabass flute in my orchestra since 1991. With the addition of a contrabass, my ensembles have a depth that is not possible in any other way.

The contrabass flute supports the bass flute section, as well as articulating in a similar manner, creating a very beautiful ensemble sound. A cello, string, bass, or similar instrument with flute ensemble, can mask the beautiful timbre of the bass flute section and articulates very differently. With the addition of the contrabass flute to an ensemble, the repertoire possibilities are endless.

The Sub Contrabass in G adds yet another dimension to the flute orchestra, as well as providing tremendous support to the contrabass flute. It is exciting to see the possibilities that these contra flutes add to flute ensembles!

We are very proud to introduce the Sankyo-Kingma Flute.
And even more that this instrument was presented by Emmanuel Pahud and Matthias Ziegler on March, 9th 2007 at the Berliner Flötenfestival.
Most fluteplayers are already aware of the Brannen-Kingma System flute, which is (and will remain) a wonderful and important instrument on the market. And we are very proud about the decision of the Sankyo Company to develop the Sankyo-Kingma Flute, based on the Kingma System, and hope that it will find it's way to a whole new generation of fluteplayers.