Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leslie Etzel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Leslie, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I always loved music from an early age and was even drawn to low sounds as a youngster. However, when my father saw I wanted to play tuba in third grade, he said no. “You ride a school bus! There’s no way you could play tuba!” So I learned to play flute instead, and kept on playing throughout high school, and college, and even joined flute choirs when I moved to Arizona. In 2003, my father passed away and on the day I received a check from his estate, I also received a musical instrument catalog in the mail. That catalog included a 10-foot-long contrabass flute. I ordered that flute, and when it arrived I named her Connie Contrabass. She has become my primary instrument ever since. She’s my “tuba-flute.” Thanks, Dad!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the Contrabass Flutist and Manager of the Central Arizona Flute Ensemble (CAFE Flutes). Our mission is to enrich, enlighten, and inspire central Arizona residents by presenting interactive concerts and educational programs that showcase the diverse instruments in the flute family. Our 7-member flute choir formed in 2014, and became a 501c3 organization in 2021. Our Community Outreach projects focus on bringing CAFE music to seniors.

CAFE’s interactive concert programs feature a wide variety of musical styles: show tunes, patriotic, folk, oldies, jazz, and classical.
We introduce and demonstrate the contrabass, bass, alto, C-flute and piccolo.

We mindfully disregard the classical concert tradition of keeping the audience at a distance. Instead, we actively engage with them. For example, rather than a printed program, we take turns standing up to introduce our music with interesting tidbits and a bit of humor. People see our faces, hear our voices, and connect with us during a Q&A session.

During our holiday programs, we hang stockings from our music stands, decorate my Contrabass flute with colorful lights and a Santa hat, and invite audience members to play sleigh bells and shakers during “Feliz Navidad.” We consistently receive standing ovations because everyone is relaxed and having fun.
(And because the music is relatable, diverse in style, and well-rehearsed).

In 2022, we played thirty-five concerts in senior communities, libraries, art galleries, churches, lobbies, and school auditoriums, and concert halls. With over 100 works in our repertoire, we customize programs to suit the audience, season, or event. Collaborating with other organizations to provide an interdisciplinary arts experience has become one of our favorite activities.

Additionally, bass flutist Sue Norton-Scott and I offer a lecture/demonstration called “Fascinating Flutes.” We bring all 5 types of silver flutes for attendees to examine as well as global flutes made from bamboo, clay, antlers, and seashells! The audience sees, hears, and touches these instruments while learning about flute history, culture, and stories about flutes. By the end of our presentation, they become official “flute nerds.”

I am proud of CAFE’s remarkable growth, and particularly of the generous grants we have been awarded that support our mission to bring our music into our community. Please visit www.cafeflutes.com to see videos and learn more.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

There have been many times in my life when I have had to pivot because I’ve been overwhelmed with work, loss, or health issues, especially. It helped simply being aware that I was feeling overwhelmed. The strategy that worked the best for me in that situation was prioritizing the ONE thing (or maybe two things) that were the most important. Period. You can almost always narrow a path forward by choosing no more than 2 things to do.

Thinking things through can generate alternative strategies to cope. After a recent surgery, I was told not to lift. What the doctor meant was not to lift using my abs. I determined that I could lift using just my arms. When friends questioned me about that, I explained my thinking and said, “I’m stubborn, but I’m not stupid.” They agreed.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I feel elated when audience members come up to me after a concert and share their reactions to the music we just performed. The mood is energized, elevated, and enthusiastic. Listeners share their connection to particular songs, tell stories about their musical past, and always want to know when we can come back.

One particularly memorable reaction happened when I was playing duets in the memory care portion of a senior community. The residents had been listening passively right up to the time we started playing “Meet the Flintstones.” Then one gentleman suddenly sat up in his wheelchair and belted out the words to the song with tremendous animation! He smiled, sang, clapped, and didn’t miss one lyric! At the end, he slumped back into his wheelchair and became nonverbal again. Astonishing! Afterward, the staff said they were surprised, too, but happy to see him engaged. They explained that music is one of the last parts of the brain to be affected by dementia.

The ability of music to stimulate movement, evoke emotion and trigger memories all at the same time makes it unique among the arts. I find bringing this positive power to my community to be truly rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cafeflutes.com
• Instagram: @cafeflutesaz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAFE-Flutes-325023157676476
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmZjZXR3Fz4&t=17s

Image Credits
Lane Davidson and Angela Lynn Longoni