Bettine Clemen Book Review
Internationally renowned Flautist Bettine Clemen has toured with her innovative solo shows and concerts in 176 countries and also performed in Halls like Lincoln Center and the Royal Albert Hall. Among her teachers were Nicolet, Peter-Lukas Graf, James Galway, and Julius Baker. After her Master’s Degree from the Academy of Music in Munich, she played with the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Munich Bach, and Prague Chamber Orchestra and was Solo flutist for the Belo Horizonte Symphony, Brazil. She also was one of the first Western musicians to be invited to China in 1985 , to perform and teach Master Classes in Shanghai and Beijing.
Her 12 CDs feature many styles, some are with orchestras (St. Paul Chamber,and Prague Chamber Orchestra) and some with guitar ( Richard Patterson) Celtic Harp( Kim Robertson), piano, and also one with Native American, Bass, and Alto flutes .You can find more on her website www.joyofmusic.com While on concert tours, in 2000 Bettine began working on documentary films, and her Film ‘Flutasia, A Love Song to a Planet’ was shown twice on PBS. It also shows many concerts for more than 50 different species of animals and takes viewers on journey around the world to places like Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, Oman, Petra Jordan (special music documentary in 2000), all of Asia, Antarctica and more. It shows how all life is connected with sound and music, which is also the main theme in her autobiography ‘Open your Ears to Love’
Bettine lives again in Germany now in the high Alps close to Salzburg, from where she toured til the World Wide crisis came, and now works on a European version of her film and new projects. Her book is available on Amazon ‘Open Your Ears to Love’ and also a book written by her dog Orbit called ’Orbit Life with my People’, who sang in several concerts to her flutes and tells her story very well. Most of her films can be seen on youtube on her channel under Bettine Clemen and bettineontour.
Flutist, Bettine Clemen, has a wonderful book, "Open Your Ears To Love", that all of you should read! It is a delightful, behind the scenes view, at the life of an internationally touring concert artist. In the book, Bettine shares so many wonderfully heartwarming stories about life "on the road". The trials and tribulations are all elegantly blanketed with thoughtfully wise ways of dealing with hardship, making each chapter a charming tale with insightful morals. Her stories are cast with her entertaining personality, genuine and endearing, inviting the reader across the globe, through stories that take place during her tours through Egypt, Hong Kong, China, Brazil, South Africa, to name a few.
Bettine Clemen has played in venues such as Lincoln Center and the Royal Albert Hall in London, endured two accidents and a near-death experience. These life-changing events catapulted her into a spiritual search. The serenity she gained by exploring mysticism started to infuse her performances. Bettine eventually began to realize that her music healed, inspired, reduced tension, and relieved pain. While she played her flute for patients at a mental hospital, doctors and nurses were amazed to see autistic children responding to her music by dancing, singing, and laughing.
In her lectures about the healing power of music, Bettine says, "A flute captures the energy of life. The musician has to play music from the heart, infusing each note with devotion and joy. This creates the best healing results." Her book offers practical exercises that readers can use to rejuvenate themselves through breathing properly and listening to music.
During twenty-five years as a professional performer, Bettine has been a soloist and member of many prestigious European and American orchestras, including the Prague Chamber Orchestra and the San Francisco Bach Society. Betting became one of the first Western musicians to be officially invited to perform concerts and teach Masterclasses in China. Traveling year round with her collection of many different flutes, Bettine performs classical, light jazz, show tunes, and original compositions. She often combines music with a multimedia presentation of visual images from all over the world about which one viewer wrote, "sweeps you away into a blissful world of exquisite music and color." In the "Talk with the Animals" segment of her concerts, Bettine features over fifty species of animals. She delights audiences with what The New York Times called, "one of those events that smiles out from the stage." Bettine performs in concert halls, classrooms, and on cruise ships. On one of these voyages, she met her second husband, British author and lecturer, Peter Longley.
This book is a magical history of a Flute Goddess' travels across the globe. Heartwarming and captivating, the book is a must for all musicians AND non-musicians. Bettine Clemen is a superb flutist and an equally eloquent and engrossing writer. She weaves her tales with excitement and compassion. Most importantly, what comes across is a deeply enthralling person who knows how to manifest amazing beauty into her life by showing deep respect towards all living things. She knows how to embrace life's difficulties and transform these experiences into wonderful tales of elegance and grace. "Open Your Ears To Love" is an enchanting book that will keep you reading from the moment you start. Engaging to the end, it will serve as a thoughtful catalyst to transform your life through love and kindness.
The book, "Open Your Ears to Love" is available on Amazon.
Bettine invites you to check out the book that her dog, Orbit, wrote ("Orbit Life with my People" also on Amazon) which tells the story of the last 20 years with so much wisdom. "Orbit always sang at my concerts locally so it also relates to music!"
Review by Viviana Guzman
