Burkart

Burkart-Phelan Inc. was founded in 1982 by Lillian Burkart and James Phelan, both of whom started out with the Verne Q Powell flute company in the mid-1970s with backgrounds in repair and manufacturing of flutes and piccolos. Having introduced their first flutes in the 1990s, today Burkart-Phelan offers a full line of professional level flutes and piccolos for the discriminating musician. Recently, in 2009 the Burkart-Phelan model names were refined as follows:

All currently manufactured Burkart flute models are handmade and feature the Burkart micro-Link™ pinless mechanism. Differences between the Professional and Elite models include drawn vs soldered toneholes and option availability. Each handcrafted flute headjoint is tested by the founder herself and is available in a wide selection of metals and two distinct embouchure shapes.

The Lillian Burkart piccolos, handmade in the USA, have been refined over decades and set the industry standard as played in many of the world’s top orchestras. Their aged, select woods, tooling of keys and mechanisms, and careful voicing provide unsurpassed tone and playability. Three styles of piccolo headjoints have been carefully developed to uniquely accommodate differences in the shape of the lips, use of the oral cavity, and direction of the airstream.

To capitalize on efficiencies in manufacturing, international collaborations and advancing engineering, the Global (now Resona) piccolo was introduced in 2004 and the Resona flute in 2008. The Resona flute and piccolo both include hadnmade headjoints from the Burkart factory in Massachusetts. Resona has received wide acclaim for delivering exceptional value and ease of play.