Carol Wincenc
Flute and Chamber Music Faculty

Carol Wincenc, who grew up in the Buffalo suburb of Williamsville, N.Y., earned her B.M. from the Manhattan School of Music and her M.M. from Juilliard. She has been on the faculties of Indiana University and Rice University. A faculty member at Juilliard since 1988, she has also been a member of the New York Woodwind Quintet since the 1997-98 season.

Carol Wincenc with her son Nicola in 1995 on Guemes Island, Wash.

When did you first know you wanted to be a musician?

I grew up in a completely musical household. My mother was a pianist and teacher; my father, Joseph Wincenc, was the first concertmaster and associate conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and he started me on the violin at age 4. I danced and sang all the time, and was a serious ballet student from age 7 to 14. At 9, in the public school, I picked the flute because I knew I could play in the band; then, my first summer at Brevard Music Camp is what clinched it.



Who was the teacher or mentor who most inspired you when you were growing up?

My father, unmistakably. A born educator and extremely charismatic, he coached me with an infusion of life energy that I play with to this day. I model my flute playing after the timbre and color of the violin.



What was the first recording that you remember hearing, and what was its significance to you?

Other than Tubby the Tuba and the Swingle Singers' first LP that I sang to incessantly, it was a recording of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite and Ravel's Bolero. I danced constantly to it in our family room, an entirely glass-walled room with a heated floor; during big Buffalo blizzards, I could swirl around and re-enact all the drama!



What's the most embarrassing moment you've had as a performer?

Once, when performing Villa-Lobos's Jet Whistle with Tim Eddy, I had a huge, irrepressible sneeze.



If you could have your students visit any place in the world, where would it be, and why?

Bell'Italia! Rome and Siena were my home for two years at the end of the '60s. I was performing in the forefront of the modern music movement, got to visit all the major museums and cathedrals in the dead of winter when no one was around, learned to speak Italian, and toured with the Coro Academia Filharmonica Romana. One can only come away richer, even after the briefest visit to Italy. The history, culture, la cucina italiana, amore—need I go on?



What are your non-music-related interests or hobbies?

My absolute love is backpacking and trekking. I am a swimmer, too. I have put hundreds of miles on these feet in the high Alpine country. It all started in Aspen, when Bobby Mann insisted that I hike to Electric Pass, and then my first serious expedition on tour with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in Anchorage. I adore the dependence on oneself in the wilderness, and nature's cleansing effect on the mind and body.



If your students could only remember one thing from your teaching, what would you want it to be?

Listen—completely and fully, to you, the instrument. Listening means staying conscious, attentive; then there is some possibility of change, improvement, being touched by what you are in the process of doing. Ask yourself periodically, who am I? Something new might come in.



What is your favorite thing about New York City?

I am in awe of the energy, tempo, and fascinatingly diverse people here. I came to New York to be with others who were ambitious and thrived in a fast-paced environment. I found a remarkable community that I respect and admire.



What book are you reading now?

I am devouring Eckhart Tolle's book about inner development and awareness, A New Earth, which I highly recommend. Also a wonderful memoir, Too Close to the Falls, by Catherine Gildiner. It is about her growing up in Lewiston, N.Y., in the '50s near Niagara Falls/Buffalo area, my home.



If you weren't in the career you are in, what would you be doing?

I often think that I would have loved to have a large family and live in a rural area, since being a parent is one of the most fulfilling and astonishing facets of my life. And with such a strong dance and drama background, I would have loved being an actress.