At Home with Hayley Radke

Hi everyone! I'm Hayley Radke, Associate Principal Flute at Queensland Symphony Orchestra. I hope you are all doing well in these strange times. I thought I'd share a little about my life at home and what I'm doing with my time while we wait out the coronavirus storm.

I'm trying to get up in the morning as usual - no lazy lie-ins! I like to practise in the morning when I'm wide awake – my home practise room has been getting a good work out of late. Luckily none of the neighbours have complained yet.

I'm currently trying to stay in playing form with some tone exercises, scales, Andersen studies and J.S. Bach sonatas. Andersen studies are often referred to as the Chopin Etudes for the flute. They're great to play, are a good flutey exercise, and focus on different techniques and keys while still being musical and characterful. And of course one can't go past some Bach to keep sane and inspired.

I'm a big reader (as you can probably tell by the photo of my practise room) and staying at home is a reader's dream; I'm currently reading two books. The Biggest Estate on Earth by Bill Gammage is a fascinating book about Aboriginal land management and the natural environment of Australia pre-British settlement. I'm also reading a collection of essays by Zadie Smith titled Feel Free. They cover a wide range of topics, from Brexit to movies and art installations, and are beautifully written.

My favourite place to relax at home is in my deck chair in the garden. It's the perfect spot for a little reading, a chat on the phone or a glass of wine in the evening. I think it's important to stay connected to friends and family at the moment, especially as I live alone, so I'm spending a lot of time on the phone.