Roger Armstrong

Roger Armstrong was born in Northern Ireland but moved to Australia at the age of ten. He took up the flute when he was fifteen, and after graduating from the Sydney Conservatoire of Music with first class honours, joined the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Soon after returning to Britain Roger was appointed Sub-Principal Flute with the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra (now the BBC National Orchestra of Wales), a post he held for seventeen years. Since leaving the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra Roger has pursued a varied teaching and performing career. As Principal Flute with the Bristol Ensemble he plays concertos, chamber music and contemporary music in addition to orchestral repertoire.

Roger has studied the psychology of music, sports psychology and motivational psychology, and applies these disciplines to his flute teaching. His style of teaching is autonomy-supportive, owing much to that of his own teacher, Victor McMahon. He encourages students to learn through enquiry, exploration, discovery, experimentation and self-evaluation.

Roger’s other musical interests include electro-acoustic flute music, traditional music from around the world, and playing the Northumbrian bagpipes.