To grow as a musician, you need to understand the entirety

Anne-Cathérine Heinzmann is a well-known and respected German flutist — a versatile soloist, highly sought-after chamber musician, and dedicated flute teacher.

Born in Hamburg, she studied flute with Jean-Claude Gérard (Stuttgart), Jeanne Baxtresser (New York), and Michael-Martin Kofler (Salzburg). She is a prizewinner of several competitions, including the International Kuhlau Competition, Flute Talk Chicago, and the International Flute Competition in Budapest, and served for several years as assistant principal flute of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra.
As a soloist and chamber musician, she has made notable recordings for Thorofon, Audite, and Sony Classical. Her 2015 release, featuring works by composers banned during World War II, was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award in 2016.

From 2009 to 2018, she taught flute at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg, building an exceptionally successful flute class. Since 2018, she has been Professor of Flute at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany.

We met Anne-Catherine during the 18th Adams International Flute Festival 2025 in the Netherlands to talk about her upbringing, her teachers, how her teaching approach has evolved over the years, the importance of context when studying a new piece, and her sources of inspiration.

How did it all start? What was the first impulse to choose the flute as your instrument?

Well, I come from a family of musicians going back three generations. My grandfather was a flutist, my father is a flutist, my mother is a violinist, and my grandmother was a singer. One of my uncles was a pianist, the other a percussionist.
It started very early. My first memories are of sitting in the room where my father was practicing — I loved being there. I listened to him play and wanted to start right away, but I was too small. I was only three or four at the time, and my father kept telling me I wasn’t big enough. That’s why I started with piano, knowing that once I grew, I could play the flute. I remember clearly that it was my choice — not my parents’ — to make the flute my instrument.

You studied in Germany, the United States, and Austria. Why these particular countries and schools?

It wasn’t so much about the school as it was about the teacher. My first teacher, Jean-Claude Gérard, was perfect for the beginning — very strict. The French flute school is like the Russian violin school: demanding and disciplined.
I learned to master my flute technique and I also learned to be organized and disciplined.
It was always about giving your best in musical engagement – in the lesson or on stage, it had to be the same intensity. And I learned to find my own sound! It was necessary to establish beauty in my sound to find my personal language at the end.
During my high school years, I wanted to study abroad, far away. At that time, I already knew Jeanne Baxtresser’s recording of Prélude à L’Après-midi d’un faune and loved her playing.

I also got to know her during some masterclasses she gave in Germany, during a tour with the New York Philharmonic. Somehow, I managed later to get to New York and enter her class! Jeanne Baxtresser is such a charismatic person – she really influenced me, my personal growth. She basically gave me the base for a new and maybe more human way of being an artist. Her whole method of teaching was based of awareness and self-reflection. This also influenced me in my own method of teaching, which I developed over the years.

When I returned, I had one year left in Stuttgart for my Bachelor studies under Prof. Jean-Claude Gérard, but had already won a position with the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra.
But I wanted to learn more and auditioned for Prof. Michael Koflers class at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
I already knew him from his very early start in Salzburg, also from a masterclass, I think, he was in his mid twenties and I was 16…
I stayed in his class for quite a while, even though I was already in the orchestra, traveling regularly from Frankfurt to Salzburg or Munich for lessons.
He’s an amazing teacher and one of the most powerful flutists I know. I once heard him play four concertos in one evening — all from memory — including C.P.E. Bach’s d-Minor concerto, Quantz flute concerto, Mercadante concerto and Bach’s 5th Brandenburg Concerto. All in one concert, with such joy on stage! That’s also how he teaches — very positively and very inspiring.
After each lesson, I exactly knew what to practice and was motivated to solve things on my own.
So, when I practiced, I had his flute playing in my ears all the time. That way I learned from him a lot — to feel myself whenever I was performing.

If you could start all over again, would you change anything?

There are always good and bad periods when studying with someone. That’s not the teacher’s fault — it’s life. If I were choosing today, I might go to Andrea Lieberknecht or Jacques Zoon, but they weren’t teaching when I was young (laughs).

Now you’re a teacher as well. Is teaching today very different from 10 – 20 years ago?

Yes, I think so. We were just talking about this with other teachers here. Thirty years ago, teachers had much more authority. Gérard often said: “You have to play the way I tell you. Only when you’re no longer my student can you do what you want.” He was absolutely certain his way was the right way. There was little freedom in that sense. Pedagogy has also changed. Gérard told you what he wanted, how you should sound, and what technique you should have, but you had to figure out the “how” yourself. He’d assign Moyse’s Gammes et Arpèges, Taffanel-Gaubert No. 4 at a set tempo, and then you practiced — intensely. If you weren’t fast enough, he’d break it into two bars and have you repeat them slowly, with rhythms, again and again. It was effective, but not very free.

Michael-Martin Kofler was the complete opposite — always singing, always musical. He never said, “Do it like this.” He believed each student had their own authenticity and that something worthwhile would emerge naturally.

Jeanne Baxtresser was also very pedagogical, but step-by-step. Even if I had a concert the following week, she’d insist I practice slowly. At first, it was frustrating, but after a few months it felt like landing on a cloud — I could finally relax.

Nowadays, teachers often care more about the whole person, not just the flutist. We’re interested in our students’ personal growth. Many of us had strict, authoritative teachers and missed some softness back then, so we try to offer it now.

That said, as we discussed recently, a bit of authority is still needed. Some students become too dependent on the teacher. They also need to learn to find their own way.

How important is knowing the story behind a piece before studying it?

Nowadays, I can’t learn a new piece without knowing something about it. When I find a piece, I want to play, I start practicing but also research it, so I can grow with it.

For example, when we recorded a CD of works by composers banned during World War II, I discovered Hindemith was also rejected. The project began with research and became one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done. These composers deserve to be heard.

Take the second movement of Leo Smith’s Sonata — it’s wonderful. He studied in Paris, admired Ravel, and was connected to Schulhoff. That connection shaped my interpretation.

I also insist my students to learn more about the pieces they play. When I was young, I mostly studied only my flute part. But I remember how Aurèle Nicolet always insisted we understand the whole score. Now I never practice without it.

What inspires you?

Oh, just walk out and look around!

I need two things: art and nature. I love art exhibitions, and my children know they have to come with me to museums. I’m also fascinated by crafts — ceramics, jewelry, woodworking — and I enjoy making things myself. Listening to great performers, especially jazz singers, is another source of inspiration.

Nature is equally important. Three years ago, I finally got a dog, something I’d always dreamed of. She needs two hours of walks a day, which means I’m outside in nature for two hours as well. It’s not easy to find that time, with children, students, and a busy schedule, but it’s worth it. I’m more relaxed and mentally refreshed, and now, even when I travel without my dog, I make time for long walks in the fresh air.