Anyone give me tips on my performance

[MathWizard]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcGorer2-xw

This is my performance of Concertino by Cecile Chaminade.

I did it with the band that I am a part of and I was wondering if anyone could give me any tips for how I performed, played, etc. I know the wiping of my jaw might have seemed strange but my flutist was literally falling of my face haha. Any tips are appreciated.

[Classitar]

Excellent!

[Zevang]

Hi, as I didn't see any of your previous performances so I could not have an idea of your improvement by now.

Generally speaking, I think you are in the right path in pursue of a good, clear and strong tone.

You should work on the lower octave so it gets brighter and lowder. This will bring you more balance between this and the higher notes.
Another thing that may help in the particular case of the Chaminade's is that I would say you should play it a bit slower. Take your time playing the difficult passages so all the notes are well and clearly heard. It's better than trying to play at max speed and some of the notes are hidden because of the difficulty.

Congrats!

[Phineas]

You should work on the lower octave so it gets brighter and lowder. This will bring you more balance between this and the higher notes. Another thing that may help in the particular case of the Chaminade's is that I would say you should play it a bit slower. Take your time playing the difficult passages so all the notes are well and clearly heard. It's better than trying to play at max speed and some of the notes are hidden because of the difficulty.

To add to what Zevang says, I thought the vibrato was a little too much. But hey, a lot of flute players have that issue. It is my opinion that too much vibrato sounds like a lack of control when not used properly. A lot of flute players do this deliberately, but it still sounds the same.

Other than that, I thought you did a performance over all. I did not really care for the band arrangement though. (Not a reflection of your performance.)

[MathWizard]

The vibrato thing was mostly because I was very nervous, which also presented itself in the cadenza, as that was probably the fastest time I've ever got through it.

As for the tempo of the fast section, it wasn't really a choice for me. My band director (who hasn't conducted a solo in many many years) had a hard time following me instead of just keeping a steady tempo for the band and sometimes he gets over excited and goes kind of out of control with tempo. Obviously wouldn't be my first choice for accompaniment, but I didn't really have another choice and I wasn't going to give up the opportunity.

[MissyHPhoenix]

Very good!

[remnantpark]

I agree with most of the comments.

I think you have a good grasp of how the piece should be played musically. I think you can work on polishing that. Try to make very smooth legatos in between notes and leaps, really make the musical line clear.

I also feel a certain franticness in your playing...nerves, following the conductor, etc etc. Really try to listen to the beauty of the music, when you're performing. It calms you down.

I would also work on some things slowly and take it easy on the vibrato (I know...nerves). Play it like how you'd sing it. The minute it flies out of your head, you get nervous and tense up (at least that's how it is for me).

I think the piece has the potential to become very good.