Helen and Lesley ready to make coffee and tea in our rehearsal break

Lesley is one of our longest serving members and has been a member of Cafe for 27 years, she joined Cafe because she enjoyed playing music with others. Lesley was inspired to start playing the flute by the flautist Wissam Boustany, and also because her partner is an accomplished clarinetist.

Lesley practices several times a week when she can and has even played her flute on the top of a mountain in Sri Lanka. Her favourite composers for the flute are Bach and Telemann, her favourite piece we play at Cafe is Deep in the Forest which was commissioned especially for the group, written by Jenny Rees. If Lesley didn’t play the flute she would like to be able to play the piano.

Lesley is very active and her hobbies include mountain biking, walking and travelling. She also loves outdoor rock climbing (with ropes and protection!). Her ideal weekend would be spent walking along the coast and playing duets with her partner in the evenings.

If you are thinking of learning to play the flute Lesley’s advice is to be prepared for a challenge, and to practice regularly, there will be good days and bad days, but with the right mental attitude anything is possible. You won’t regret it and will enjoy playing on your own and with others. Her advice if you are thinking of joining Cafe is don’t hesitate, come along and give it a try!