On the 5th December 1999 Flutewise celebrated the 60th birthday of James Galway with a fantastic event at the Arts Centre of the London Oratory School.

The entire event was kept as a complete surprise for Jimmy. When he arrived at the Centre he was greeted by many Flutewise members as well as familiar faces from his youth and professional past.

Included among the guests were, of course, Jimmy's wife, Jeanne, as well as William Bennett, Trevor Wye, Adrian Brett, Colin Fleming, Robin Soldan and many others. A special guest, all the way from Japan, was Mr. Muramatsu, maker of many of Jimmy's flutes.

Introduction

Good afternoon everybody. A very special welcome to the birthday boy, Jimmy and Jeanne. Apart from you Jimmy, everyone knows exactly why they are here, so it's probably about time we finally let you in on the secret.

This is our birthday present to you - a present from your friends old and new, Flutewise members and from me. We are all here to pay tribute to you Jimmy, for everything you have done and continue to do for flute playing, music and, more importantly, people. You are a great inspiration to so many, through your hard work, staggering technique, outstanding musicality and your most generous spirit.

You will recall that I first worked with you on Flutewise 10 years ago. I remember having one of my "ideas" but being terrified of phoning you to ask you - I expected you would think I was mad. I did phone and ask if I could get kids all over the UK playing Happy Birthday and Brian Boru's March for you. I didn't expect much because so many professional adults have little interest in children playing especially with so many wrong notes and variable intonation - but you love all of our random note generators! Of course you said yes and there started a fantastic relationship with both you and Jeanne. You have both helped the cause of Flutewise so much, a cause I know is dear to the hearts of many people here. You both understand so well the importance of encouraging people, giving them opportunities and making them feel special. We all should be encouraging the young to play; it enriches their lives and the lives of their parents and families; for the more commercially-minded amongst us, the more people we have playing, the bigger our potential audiences/CD buyers/flute buyers will be. We have had so much fun with Flutewise over these last 10 years and I know this is going to continue, maybe we've only just begun.

Jimmy you will be impressed to learn that all of our Flutewise members here today who have taken part in our morning workshop are all doing their bit to help. They won their coveted place in the workshop by offering to do something special to help Flutewise. Their efforts to present to you on this special day Jimmy are heart-warming. We've got them displayed for you and I'm sure you will enjoy looking at them later. All of their efforts are very much appreciated and I thank them all.

I also thank all of the people who are here today to make this event very special just for you. I didn't have to nag too hard to get them here! I don't want to single anyone out, as you know, everyone is important. Quite a few people are anxious (or maybe terrified) of playing today, but they have no need. We are here to share our love of the flute, music and you. One of our members reminded me of a quote from your autobiography. It was that you had learnt not to try to 'outdo' other performers but to make sure that every note you play is honouring to God - something we should all try to emulate.

Before we have the first part of our programme which will take you down the memory lane of your boyhood I have a special poem for you. Our mutual friend, Tom Broido, president of Theodore Presser Publishing company in America phoned me on Thursday while we were watching you and Jeanne cook salmon on TV with Gloria Hunniford. He read me this poem he composed and wanted to know if I thought it was suitable!

Here it is:

ODE TO A YOUNG SPIRIT IN AN OLD BODY
With magic he plays us his song,
He's been doing it now for so long,
He came from Belfast,
They said, "He'll never last."
Oh boy, we're those naysayers wrong.
Is it his talent or is it his charm?
Or his tone, so gorgeous and warm.
Well whatever it is,
It is uniquely his,
And to have it I'd give my right arm.
Wherever he strikes up a tune,
All the young girls simply swoon.
You ask yourself why,
Then catch that gleam in his eye,
As bright as a silvery moon.
So how did he make so much loot,
Simply by playing the flute?
He makes his recordings sell,
By casting a magical spell,
Not by being exactly astute.
You see Jimmy gets up before dawn,
And does magic while everyone's gone.
His soul isn't sold,
But he's not 60 years old.
He's a 1000 year old Leprechaun.
Now I'm finished with poking some fun.
There's just one more thing 'fore I run.
I just have to ask,
About a very old task.
When the hell will the flute book be done?
-Tom Broido

Let me know his reaction.

On to our music - this is an improvised piece from our Flutewise members which has been directed by Louise, Michelle and Laura. After that I will hand you over to Julia Watson who is going to very kindly lead us in a short trip through your life.

Jimmy, thank you for everything and happy birthday.

Go to:

James Galway Life Story Part 1 James Galway - his early life

James Galway Life Story Part 2 James Galway - professional flute player

Party Programme A Birthday Tribute

People that took part Our thanks to those who gave their time

Messages Happy Birthday messages from around the world

Big Thanks A VERY BIG THANK YOU