Death of celebrated solo flute

Death of celebrated solo flute

main

norman lebrecht

December 12, 2019

Flutemaker Peter Noy, the husband of Courtney Westcott, has reported her death from cancer.

She was in her 60s.

Courtney was soloist or principal flute with Seattle Baroque, NYS Baroque (Ithaca), and Tafelmusik, admired as both player and scholar.

Comments

  • Bruce says:

    A lovely person and a lovely player. I knew her mostly as an absolute wizard of a repair person, and an instrument dealer of great integrity.

    I once stopped by to pick up my flute after a repair and watched as she spent extra time with a student shopping for a flute, trying to find an instrument that promised a good “fit,” even though the girl’s parents, judging from their clothes and the fancy car parked out front, could have afforded to just buy whatever expensive model the dealer recommended. But Courtney was interested in what the student needed, not how much money her parents had. When the girl and her parents had gone, Courtney then spent extra time with me, making sure I was satisfied with how my instrument was working. Even though I knew she was slammed with work, she never gave the impression of being in a hurry.

    RIP, Courtney. You will be missed; you already are.

  • J. Edwards says:

    Sorry to hear the news. She was a very kind and generous person. Rest in Peace Courtney.

  • Kathleen McIntosh says:

    I am so very sorry to learn that Courtney has died! She was a truly good soul and a wonderful musician. My heartfelt sympathies to Peter.

  • Beverly says:

    I had known Court for over a decade. Never once did I see her without a smile or some funny story about the events of her life.

    For me she will always be remembered as a kind, loving, very funny and witty person.

    I am very deeply sorry of her loss.

  • Meg Fitzgerald says:

    Courtney was the wonderful, kind, lovely & much admired solo-chair flutist when I first entered the Annapolis, MD Highschool band & orchestra. She was an inspiration to all & I was privileged to later become her piccoloist. Music-making was an art to us, and she inspired us to this with her own lovely playing. I knew that she later attended the prestigious Oberlin College & then was in Holland, becoming a Baroque flutist. We exchanged letters once when I ended up studying flute in Germany, but when we both changed addresses, we lost track of one another (no cell phones back then!). How grand it was to find her again a few years ago on Facebook & renew our friendship. I had so hoped to see her once more. Still remembering her with great fondness & saddened by the loss of such a remarkable person❤

  • Sarah Hanley says:

    Very honoured to have met this wonderful lady. She overhauled my Mateki flute so beautifully. She was a great person. I bet she and David are having a laugh in flutey heaven

  • MOST READ TODAY: