Ardal Powell


Ardal Powell is a maker and player of historical flutes and a publisher of books on music. He specializes in the study of baroque and classical flute as well as the impact that construction, playing technique, performance and repertoire has on society.

Life and career

Powell received his MA degree in English in 1989 and PhD degree in Music in 2004 from Magdalene College. Both degrees came from Cambridge University. He studied Baroque flute at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. In 1984 he co-founded Folkers & Powell, Makers of Historical Flutes. The company ceased operations in 2009. In 2010 he founded Music Word Media Group, to publish books about music in print and digital editions.

Books

He has written several books on flute history and flute playing, and has received several awards. He won the Bessaraboff Prize in 2005 for his publication The Flute, and received an award from the Fellowship for College Teachers and Independent Scholars from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1993.