Flautists

Robert Winn is acknowledged as one of Europe’s most experienced orchestral players and a sought after teacher. A graduate and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London he was principal flute of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985 to 1997. He was professor of flute at the Franz-Liszt-Academy in Weimar, Germany. and since 1999 he has been professor of flute at the Köln Hochschule fuer Musik, Germany.

In the last decade more than 45 of his students have gained places in major orchestras all over the world. He has published several technical study books for the flute including ‘High Performance Flute’ and ‘Melodies for Developing Tone and Interpretation’.

As a member of the English Chamber Orchestra for thirty years Kate travelled the world extensively, including tours to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Europe, North America, Brazil and Argentina, working with wonderful artists and music makers. Her freelance musical activities were widespread encompassing orchestral playing, concerto performances, chamber music and recording. Her successful recording of the Mozart flute Concerto in G led to her recording the Concerto for flute and harp with harpist Lucy Wakeford. Kate has recorded the wind chamber music of William Alwyn on the Chandos label with the Haffner Wind Ensemble. She was a member of the Haffner Wind Quintet for over twenty years, and as a member of this wind ensemble she was a founder member of the Britten Sinfonia. Kate has now completed twenty-five years as a professor of flute at the Royal Academy of Music, a position which she has enjoyed very much. In 1998 she was awarded the Honorary ARAM.

Kate is a regular teacher with the Oxford Flute Summer School. For many years she was the flute coach for the Spanish National Youth Orchestra (JONDE). She taught at Chetham’s School of Music for nine years and for ten years the Royal Northern College of Music. She has many successful students who are now working in the music profession all over the world. Kate studied with Janet Way and Trevor Wye and performed at many master classes given by Marcel Moyse, William Bennett and Geoffrey Gilbert.

Joshua Batty is an internationally renowned flautist who joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as Principal Flute in 2019 at the age of 27, following two years in the same role with Ireland’s RTÉ Concert Orchestra. He studied with Michael Cox on a full scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, supported by Sir Elton John, and also trained at HEMGE in Switzerland with Jacques Zoon. During his education he served as Principal Flute of both the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, and after his studies he was awarded an Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music.

His early successes included prizes and competition appearances at the Royal Academy of Music, the British Flute Society, the Maxence Larrieu International Flute Competition, the Royal Overseas League, and the LSO Academy (formerly the Shell Competition).

Over the past decade, Joshua has appeared as guest Principal Flute with more than 30 leading orchestras worldwide, and as a soloist with conductors including John Wilson, Johannes Fritzsch, and Simone Young. His solo career has taken him to major venues such as Buckingham Palace, the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Town Hall, the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, while collaborations have spanned Europe, the USA, South America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Joshua is deeply committed to expanding and redefining the flute’s repertoire and artistic identity. His debut album, Perfect Imperfections (to be released in 2027), gathers a constellation of Australian voices and commissions from William Barton, Aristea Mellos, Harry Sdraulig, Sir Stephen Hough, Konstantin Shamray, and the Chroma Quartet, and will be launched with a recital at UKARIA in July 2026, broadcast live on ABC Classic FM. Alongside the album, Joshua has embarked on a major new commissioning project with Nigel Westlake, further broadening the concerto and chamber repertoire for the flute.

Passionate about education and advocacy, Joshua began teaching at 23 as a flute tutor at the RNCM and the University of Melbourne. He has recently established a national flute course model touring every state of Australia, focusing on resonance fundamentals, holistic career development, masterclasses, and the business of music. Since relocating to Australia in 2019, he has also curated a series of charity concerts, raising over $50,000 for causes including the Bushfire Appeal, the Ukraine War, Support Act for pandemic-affected artists, and WIRES animal welfare.

Having recently stepped away from his orchestral chair to focus on his solo career, 2025 has already seen Joshua perform and give masterclasses across France, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, the United States, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway — with an exciting future of new recital, concerto, and masterclass projects soon to be announced.

Joshua plays an Arista flute and is represented worldwide by Emblem Artists, Australia.

Carrie Hensel trained as a flautist at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, subsequently working as a freelance musician, teacher and conductor of several youth orchestras and wind bands. Having now established a busy private teaching practice in Hampshire, she also enjoys tutoring and conducting on holiday courses, including the Oxford Flute Summer School and Flutewise. Many of her students have gone on to achieve scholarships, play at county and national level and have successful musical careers. She is the founder and director of Hampshire Flute Days, and conductor and coach of several of Hampshire’s wind ensembles, both for youths and adults. As conductor of the Hampshire Flute Choir, she has taken the group on tour to places such as Estonia and Germany. She has led them with regular performances at the National Festival of Music for Youth and British Flute Society conferences. As a founder member of Flute Roots, and an enthusiastic supporter of musical education, she gives recitals and workshops to help inspire and motivate young musicians. She is also a Music Adjudicator for The British and International Federation of Festivals.

Robert Manasse is working as a freelance flute player with a wide variety of orchestras including the English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Welsh and English National Operas, The Philharmonia, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, London Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Britten Sinfonia. He is a member of the London Mozart Players, works with Jane Manning’s contemporary music group Jane’s Minstrels, and with the chamber music groups CHROMA and the Galliard Ensemble. Robert has a long-standing duo with the harpist Helen Cole. He studied with Kate Hill initially, and then later with Michael Cox and Sebastian Bell as a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music.

Robert has taught at Dartington International Summer School, for the Royal Academy of Music, at the Junior Guildhall and at the international Kammermusik Festival in Oxford as part of the Albion Ensemble. He teaches at the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music in London.

Recordings include the award-winning CD of music by Harrison Birtwistle made in association with the Galliard Ensemble, music by Tony Payne played by Jane’s Minstrels, and arrangements of Beethoven played by the Albion wind ensemble.

Robert plays a silver Louis Lot flute from 1883. He read Applied Biology at Imperial College and later took a PhD in Plant Biochemistry.

Katie has been involved with OFSS since it began in 1988, first as a helper to the founders Janet and Clive, and now as director. Her first and foremost teacher was Janet Way, and she has benefitted from nearly 40 years exposure to the teaching and performing of visiting tutors and musicians at the summer school. Katie initially studied Japanese at Fitzwilliam College Cambridge, then trained as a music therapist at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She enjoys a varied career of performing, teaching, and music therapy and is currently working for the Malta Trust Foundation to help establish a new centre for music therapy on the island.

Recently selected as a Southbank Centre Future Artist for the 24/25 season, Sinéad Walsh is quickly developing a diverse career as a flautist and young industry leader, as the founding director of EMPOWER: Women Changing Music. Sinéad is an experienced solo, orchestral and chamber musician performing regularly across the UK and Ireland, having worked alongside the Ulster Orchestra, the Hallé, Philharmonia Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Camerata Ireland, BBC Philharmonic and Opera North. In 2022, Sinéad won 1st prize and was awarded the McCullough Cup and RTE Lyric FM Bursary at the Feis Ceoil, Ireland’s largest classical music competition. She was subsequently a finalist in the prestigious RDS Bursary competition, the largest award of its kind in Europe. Other recent awards include being awarded the ‘Young Musician of the Year’ at the 2023 Clandeboye Festival. Currently a postgraduate scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, Sinéad graduated with first class honours from the Royal Northern College of Music, where she received the Sir John Manduell award upon graduation, the college’s top prize, for exceptional contribution and outstanding potential. Sinéad was the elected Students’ Union President for the 22/23 academic year and continued her advocacy work as Chair of the Conservatoires UK Student Network, in an effort to inspire emerging artists to use their voice to create positive change.

Janet Way founded the Oxford Flute Summer School with her colleague Clive Conway in 1988. She has had a long career both as a player and teacher. Her own teachers were William Bennett, Geoffrey Gilbert and Marcel Moyse and during her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama she won a number of scholarships and prizes, including the prestigious Lord Mayor’s Prize. She lectured on the art of teaching at the Royal Academy of Music and is a former diploma examiner and mentor for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and manager for Oxfordshire Music Service.

In 2014 Janet was commissioned by Boosey and Hawkes to produce a series of books for young instrumentalists called “Grade by Grade”. All 25 books for woodwinds are now published. In 2014 Janet was elected Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Clive Conway was co-founder of the Oxford Flute Summer School and now has a consultative role. He is Vice Patron of the Tutu Foundation UK ( Patrons; Desmond and Leah Tutu) and his highly successful and innovative business, Clive Conway Productions now occupies most of his time.